News
Towards the creation of a network of cross-border observatories
July 2019
On 26 June 2019, the General Commission for Territorial Equality (CGET) hosted, with support from the MOT, another meeting of the Cross-Border Strategic Committee on observation (CSC).
Several institutions attended the meeting: the European Commission, the ESPON programme, the German Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community, the BBSR (Germany), INSEE,1 representatives from Luxembourg, Switzerland and Italy, and several local cross-border observatories2 and border region urban-planning agencies.3
The meeting was an opportunity to present the brochure "France-Germany: cross-border observation at the heart of Europe" that was published following the signature of the Aachen Treaty by the CGET and the German ministry, in order to report on the Franco-German experience and to extend its scope to Europe as a whole.
The German ministry presented its priorities in the perspective of Germany’s presidency of the EU in the second half of 2020, and the pilot projects in the area of cross-border observation.
The CGET presented its "Crossroads of Observatories" project, which aims to create a network of local observatories in France and along France’s borders. The cross-border observatories in North Lorraine and Greater Geneva presented their experiences and underscored their needs with respect to cross-border observation.
DG REGIO, for its part, recalled its aim of bringing European programmes closer in line with individual territories’ development strategies,4 and announced the launch of an initiative to draw up an inventory of cross-border observatories in Europe.5
The Cross-Border Strategic Committee on observation (CSC) has been set up on the initiative of the CGET, the CSC brings together representatives of the ministries in charge of spatial planning for the territory of France and its neighbours, as well as their statistical institutes. More info
1 NB: INSEE’s 2018 annual report contains two pages devoted to cross-border territories.
2 The Greater Region Geographical Information System, the Interregional Employment Observatory, GéoRhena, the OSTAJ (Jura Arc Cross-Border Statistical Observatory), the Greater Geneva Cross-Border Observatory and the Pyrenees Climate Change Observatory.
3 Strasbourg, Pau-Bayonne, Longwy and Mulhouse.
4 More info
5 More info - the survey
