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France-Luxembourg: Significant progress made with the 7th Intergovernmental Commission
May 2023
The 7th Franco-Luxembourg Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) was held in Thionville on April 17th, 2023, in the presence of Laurence Boone, Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, responsible for Europe, and Corinne Cahen, Minister for the Greater Region of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
Prepared by a Franco-Luxembourg consultative committee, in which the MOT took part, and chaired by the prefect of Moselle, this 7th IGC was open to French local authorities (region and border departments). Among the topics on the table: teleworking, mobility, health, and training.
With the number of French border workers in Luxembourg constantly increasing - more than 120,000 in 2023 - mobility and employment issues were at the heart of the discussions:
- Concerning the teleworking of border workers, the mechanism set up between the two countries that has simplified administrative procedures for Luxembourg employers in cases of crossing the tax tolerance threshold, recently raised from 29 to 34 days of teleworking per year, was highlighted.
- In the area of transport, an investment of 440 million euros - co-financed in equal parts by the two countries - has been approved to improve border transport, particularly between Metz and Thionville. The arrival of new trains will increase the number of seats from 8,000 to 14,000 by 2024, and then to 22,000 by 2028-2030. New cross-border high-speed bus routes (BHNS) from Thionville are being planned by the Moselle departmental council, and a comprehensive study on cross-border mobility between Luxembourg and the cross-border employment area in France is soon to be launched.
- In the field of health, a declaration of intent has been signed to create an observatory for health data, monitoring, and warning. Its objective: to anticipate epidemics while referencing the health personnel on both sides of the border. "The ultimate goal is to optimize health care pathways, to ensure that every Luxembourger and every French person can find the specialists they need without too much bureaucracy," said Laurence Boone.
- Other advances in cooperation include the development of bilingualism, the organization and governance of education and hospitality services, and internal security.
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