News
An online platform for the Cross-Border Strategic Committee on observation
May 2015
Following an exploratory study carried out by the CGET*, the MOT and the FNAU** and the first European seminar on the observation of cross-border territories held in Nancy in December 2012, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Andorra and Spain concluded an agreement that affirmed their desire to coordinate their initiatives for the statistical observation of border territories.
In this context, a cross-border strategic committee (CSC) made up of representatives of the ministries in charge of territorial development in these different countries was launched in 2013. Its role is to give impetus to and coordinate a multi-annual work programme, to analyse priority topics for the observation of cross-border territories, to identify sources and to gather data.
To assist it, a technical working group (TWG) brings together national and regional statistical institutes, ministerial departments and experts in the field.
The work carried out in 2014 and 2015 led to the launch in April 2015 of an online "Platform of the cross-border strategic committee on observation", hosted on the MOT's website.
This platform provides information about the CSC and TWG's actions and records statistical data, at national and local level, on the partners' territories with respect to two major topics: flows of cross-border workers and cross-border observation.
At its last meeting on 15 April 2015, the CSC decided to widen its field of research to include other topics such as positive and negative disparities that generate not only flows of workers but also flows in terms of commerce, tourism and healthcare.
In addition, work is being carried out to prepare a session on cross-border observation with a view to better identifying obstacles to cooperation, at a seminar devoted to this issue to be held on 19 May in Luxembourg (preparation of the Luxembourg presidency).
Other European partners are taking part in this work, such as the Netherlands, the European Commission and the Interact programme.
* Commissariat Général à l'Egalité des Territoires (General Commission for Territorial Equality, France).
** Network of the French urban planning public agencies.
