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Authority of Alsace and cross-border cooperation: what does the Act say?
November 2019The Act (No. 2019-816) of 2 August 2019 concerning the competences of the European Territorial Authority of Alsace (CEA) ratified the creation of this new territorial authority arising from the merger of the French Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin Departments on 1 January 2021.
The CEA has been designated lead partner for cross-border cooperation to organise in its territory the joint actions of territorial authorities, in their respective fields of competence. In order to do this, the Act provides for the formulation by this authority of an Alsace Cross-Border Cooperation Strategy – a process to which the government, the Grand Est Region, the Strasbourg Eurometropolis, the other territorial authorities concerned and their cross-border groupings will contribute. This strategy will be drawn up in coherence with the cross-border component of the SRDEII,1 as well as with the cross-border cooperation strategy of the Strasbourg Eurometropolis.2
As well as benefiting from new transfers of competences in the areas of language teaching, regional cultures, tourism and the public highways located in the territory of the two departments which it is succeeding, the CEA will have the role of exploiting the cross-border opportunities linked to its key position within the Franco-German partnership. As lead partner on cross-border cooperation in its territory, it will contribute to the implementation of the Aachen Treaty and the possibilities it gives to French and German border region authorities and their groupings:
- granting by national governments of "appropriate competences, dedicated resources and accelerated procedures to enable obstacles to the realisation of cross-border projects to be overcome";
- creation of a Cross-Border Cooperation Committee, a body for coordination and making proposals that involves players from the territory.
In particular, the CEA’s role is to generate proposals for concrete projects via its Alsace Cross-Border Cooperation Strategy, in order to take advantage of the new opportunities offered by the treaty, as well as by the upcoming Interreg programme for 2021-2027.
1. Regional Strategy for Economic Development and Innovation and Internationalisation.
2. See the Act of 27 January 2014 concerning the modernisation of territorial public action and affirmation of metropolises, known as the "MAPTAM Act".
