Franco-Italo-Monegasque Riviera
Countries: France , Italy , MonacoPresentation
As a narrow passage between France and Italy crossed by high volumes of traffic, the territory of the French-Italian-Monegasque Riviera, highly urbanised between mountain and sea, has a growing need for cross-border cooperation.
Indeed, the growing urbanisation as well as the extreme concentration of flows on the coastline necessitates joint management of the territory in response to challenges such as the saturation of road infrastructures or of property market, and the deterioration of the environment.
Cooperation led by the actors of the territory is becoming more concrete, notably with large-scale projects in sectors such as transport and culture, and the search for complementarities in facilities on either side of the border. Although there is no common technical or political consultation structure, nor a common management or planning tool, cross-border cooperation was strengthened in 2012 with the creation of the “Métropole Côte d’Azur”, which brings together 49 municipalities on the French side, and is engaged in joint urban planning.
Aside from the internal EU border between France and Italy, there is a second (external) border in this territory, with the Principality of Monaco. Economic hub of the region, Monaco attracts high volume flows of cross-border workers thanks to its higher salaries and advantageous tax system. Each day, nearly 38,000 French border workers, 12,000 of whom reside in the adjacent French municipalities, cross the border to work in the Principality.
The “Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur” ensures the implementation of different projects such as PITER or PITEM programs. Both promote integrated plans of common development strategies for the cross-border territory on themes such as tourism, innovation, mobility, …
