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"Boosting lasting and effective cross-border cooperation with our neighbours"
December 2023
An opinion from the Committee of the Regions, voted in plenary session on November 29, focuses on EU regions' cooperation with neighbouring regions and countries.
It was drafted by rapporteur Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis (FR/EA), President of the Regional Assembly of Corsica, who said on this occasion: "Europe is facing a series of simultaneous crises, ranging from the war in Ukraine provoked by Russia to the conflict in the Middle East, the migratory crisis in the Mediterranean and climate change. In this critical context, it is imperative to strengthen land and maritime cross-border cooperation to promote peace, cohesion and prosperity, by building trust and developing joint projects between the regions and local authorities of the EU and its neighbours." The opinion "urges EU decision makers to increase the funding and the efficiency of cross-border programmes".
Simplification and maritime borders
"Cities and regions also call on the European Commission to simplify the existing mechanism for territorial cooperation, such as macroregions and EGTCs (European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation), and stress the need for maritime cross-border cooperation to be better structured, given that many of the EU's neighbouring countries are located in the Mediterranean basin. For many islands, territorial cooperation in general – and cross-border cooperation in particular – is vital for maintaining ties with the EU mainland and with their neighbours."
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