On the occasion of the 100th issue of its monthly newsletter and to review almost ten years of milestones that have marked the history of cross-border cooperation, MOT publishes a retrospective since the first English issue in April 2005. Here are some extracts:
"In accordance with the Madrid Framework Agreement, the French and Belgian governments, along with those of Wallonia, Flanders and the French Community of Belgium, have negotiated and ratified an agreement setting out the terms of cross-border cooperation between territorial authorities and local public bodies. The agreement, which was signed in Brussels on 16 September 2002, is due to come into effect on 1 July 2005."
"On 18 May, following the evaluation and reflection mission with with he was entrusted in August 2004, MOT Vice-President and MEP Alain Lamassoure submitted his report on cross-border cooperation to Foreign Minister Michel Barnier and Minister with Responsibility for European Affairs Claudie Haigneré. This report provides an overview of cross-border cooperation initiatives and puts forward a variety of recommendations aimed at further developing what has been accomplished thus far."
"Flows of cross-border workers constitute the most tangible and most spectacular illustration of the reality of life in cross-border areas. A person is considered to be a cross-border worker when he spends the bulk of his working time on one side of a border engaged in activity from which the bulk of his earnings accrue, yet resides on the other side of the border. According to estimates, at least 272,000 persons residing in France work in a neighbouring country."
"The 'Ticket 2005', sixth edition of the cross-border museum passport, is produced by the cross-border cooperation association “Zukunft SaarMoselle Avenir”, which aims to raise awareness of the diversity of the museums in the cross-border area."
"Work on the CEVA (Cornavin – Eaux-Vives – Annemasse) railway line was officially launched on 20 September 2005. This new link will connect Geneva international airport and the city centre to Annemasse station, thus linking the whole of the Swiss and French networks. 'CEVA meets the demand for urban development generated by the demographic growth of the region, and it combats urban sprawl'", explained Alain Pirat, CEVA project manager, Geneva State Council.
"On 17 October, the heads of the Spanish and French governments, José Luis Zapatero and Dominique de Villepin, held a France-Spain summit on cross-border issues. Including for the first time the chairpersons of the seven French and Spanish regions along the border, this meeting was an opportunity to discuss concrete issues specific to this frontier."
"Initiated in 1998, a regional nature park (PNR) project is under study in Ariège on the France-Spain and France-Andorra borders. The objectives (development of natural and cultural heritage, farming and economic resources, etc.) form part of a sustainable development approach, with the decision to draw up an “Agenda 21” charter by 2008, the planned date of effective establishment of the park. [...] The partners now want to give the project a cross-border dimension."
"A framework agreement on cross-border health cooperation was signed on 30 September, 2005, by the French and Belgian health ministers, enabling the signing of cross-border agreements between healthcare and prevention establishments1 wanting to cooperate with their counterparts on the other side of the border."
"The Pays de Gex municipalities community and the Canton of Geneva have established the first local cross-border cooperation grouping (LCCG), “Galerie de Chouilly” (Chouilly tunnel), on the French-Swiss border. The objective is to build and operate a wastewater transfer tunnel linking the French and Swiss sewerage systems."
"On 27 January 2006, in Lille, a seminar on cross-border passenger public transport was organized by the MOT, the Lille metropolitan urban community and the Directorate-General for the sea and transports of the Ministry for Infrastructure. [...] Playing a core role in the daily reality of cross-border population areas, transport systems are a key element of mobility within these spaces and are thus a particularly structuring factor in their development."
"In order to optimize the management of natural risks related to heavy rainfall in the Escaut, Meuse, Sambre, Somme, Oise and Aisne river basins between France and Belgium, Météo France, the Walloon Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and the Royal Meteorological Institute (Brussels) launched the “Radar of the North” project. This involved the installation of a new radar in northern France."
"Approved in December 2004 as part of the European INTERACT programme, the Interform project has enabled the formation of a European training and research network focusing on cross-border practices. Its objective is to develop the capability of territories to set up cooperation projects by organizing a scientific and technical corpus confronted with practices in the field through networking of training and research institutions specialized in this area."
"The days of headlines like “Fog at Dover, continent cut off” are long gone. Kent is well connected to mainland Europe, not only physically by the Channel Tunnel but also more importantly through the many virtual bridges built over time on either side of the channel…" explained Marie Dancourt-Cavanagh, Kent County Council International Affairs Group Manager.
"The 'Lille French-Belgian Eurometropolis' LCCG, established in Lille on 1 June 2006, enables a change from an association governed by French law, the COPIT to a mutually-recognized public structure. This legal transformation enables our partnership, initiated in 1991. [...] It is also much more appropriate for our territory and its 2 million inhabitants, forming the largest cross-border metropolitan area in Europe." explained Danièle Defontaine, Vice-President of Lille Métropole Communauté Urbaine.
"The cooperation agreement for a “Freiburg region/Central and Southern Alsace” Eurodistrict was signed on 5 July 2006 in Colmar. "The border effect and the obstacles to mobility still hamper full exploitation of the development potential of our French-German region. This is far from negligible in the perspective of an increase of our competitiveness. We hope that the establishment of a Eurodistrict will provide a new stimulus and encourage the emergence of a common territorial identity there." explained Christiane Eckert, Deputy mayor of Mulhouse.
"The LI RI CA project aims to improve the provision of cross-border public transport, not very satisfactory at present, in the French-Italian coastal area. More particularly, it concerns the local railway line from Marseille to Savona via Monaco, Menton, Ventimiglia and Imperia. The population density is very high on the coastal fringe and there are constant flows of border workers. The difficulties related to road traffic are substantial and there is high potential for modal shifting of journeys to the railway network."
"A cross-border cooperation framework agreement was signed on 29 June 2006 between the Conseil Général des Pyrénées-Orientales and the Generalitat de Catalunya. 'The objective is to provide concrete answers to the border-related problems encountered every day by the socioeconomic entities and the population of the cross-border territory. There are many border-related problems at present: access to healthcare, public transport, administrative procedures, tax differences, job-seeking, etc.' explained Christian Bourquin, Chairman of the Conseil Général des Pyrénées-Orientales.
"A bridge for pedestrians and cyclists was erected across the Rhine between Huningue (Haut-Rhin, population 6500) and Weil-am-Rhein (Baden-Württemberg, population 25000) on 12 November. According to its designers, its 230-metre clear span is the longest in the world for a tied arch bridge."
"Located between Saint-Julien, Archamps and Bardonnex, the "Porte Sud de Genève" is a cross-border site with a strategic role in the France-Vaud-Geneva conurbation’s future growth. [...] International companies are drawn to the Archamps site owing to its border location and proximity to Geneva. Over the course of a decade, 180 companies have moved into the area and created 1,780 jobs."
"On November 27 the presidents of the Italian regions Liguria, Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta and the French regions Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Rhône-Alpes signed a Declaration of Intent asserting their will to set up an 'Alps-Mediterranean' Euroregion. 'The political will to define common strategy and objectives for the whole area is a decisive step and will doubtless lead to concrete work being carried out on the ground.'" highlighted Alexandre Kamarotos, Director of International Relations in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region.
"The first French-German-Swiss trinational Eurodistrict was officially established on 26 January 2007 in Saint-Louis. It encompasses 830,000 inhabitants around the Basle conurbation. [...] The objective of the new entity is to develop cooperation between the local authorities and the inter-municipality associations of the whole cross-border conurbation and promote bi- and trinational projects of direct benefit to the population."
"On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, the MOT is organising a major European conference on the political and operational issues of cross-border cooperation, “Cross-border territories: day-to-day Europe”, which will be held in Lille, France, on 8 and 9 November 2007. Close to 800 participants involved in cross-border cooperation from all over Europe are expected to boost reflection and favour consultation and dialogue on cross-border cooperation."
"The Catalan Cross-border Territory, consisting of the districts of the region of Girona and North-Catalonia, is an area both historically and geographically connected to complementary economic axes. It has a population of 1 million inhabitants residing in over 450 communes covering an area of close to 10 000 km²."
"The MOT is updating its Cross-Border Cooperation Atlas, five years after the first edition. The atlas comprises nearly 100 maps providing views of the factors at work in all the cross-border territories between France and its nine neighbouring countries. It is an unrivalled reference document in which the principal topics of cross-border cooperation are analysed."
"The Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis was officially established on 28 January 2008 in the form of a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). This signature marks the success of a policy pursued by Pierre Mauroy for more than 15 years for the benefit of cross-border cooperation."
"On 12 December 1988, the signature of the declaration of intent for a cross-border action programme, also known as the “Wissembourg Declaration”, was the founding act of the cross-border space and provided the impetus for the conception and development of various forms of cross-border cooperation."
"The Groupement transfrontalier européen (GTE) was founded in 1963, at a time when working in Switzerland meant a lack of social security, health insurance and retirement scheme coverage. A complete void which led some border workers to set up an association to try and find solutions to their problems and to work and live with the same rights and duties as their neighbours and colleagues."
"The Centre for Cross Border Studies (Ireland/Northern Ireland border) was founded in 1999, a year after the Belfast Agreement, which laid the foundations for the end of more than 30 years of civil conflict in Northern Ireland. 'Cross-border cooperation with the Republic of Ireland is one of the real success stories of the peace process in Northern Ireland.'" said Andy Pollak, Director, Centre for Cross Border Studies.
"The Meuse-Rhine Euregio, formed in 1976, represents one of the oldest partnerships in Europe. With its 3.9 million inhabitants and shared by three countries and five cultures, it is now and more than ever before looking to the future. 'cooperation in the Euregio is making progress, now moving from occasional and relatively limited projects to more structural projects within the framework of the Lisbon Strategy.'" explained Wim Weijnen, Director General of the Province of Limburg (Netherlands).
"For years the Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Bayonne and Gipuzkoa have been developing cross-border actions between France and Spain. They now wish to take a further step forward and structure their cooperation by establishing a joint entity. 'The economic issue at cross-border level is that of “coopetition”, meaning that the economic players are in a situation of both competition and complementarity.'" highlighted Peio Olhagaray, Economic development director, Bayonne CCI.
"Cross-border conurbations are at the heart of the territorial cohesion issues currently under discussion by the French Presidency and the European Commission*. The EGTC (Expertising Governance for Transfrontier Conurbations) project, which has just been approved by the URBACT programme, concerns the promotion of innovative governance tools for structuring and developing them."
"140 participants from 15 countries in Europe met on 19 November for the launch of the "EGTC" project. 'The launch conference was an opportunity to learn about the specific characteristics of the cross-border territories involved in the operation and to initiate a process of constructive interactions between political leaders and experts eager to define a cross-border governance system combining effectiveness and democratic legitimacy.'" explained Christian Lamour, CEPS/INSTEAD, Luxembourg.
"Before the Second World War, Frankfurt (Oder) and Slubice formed a single German town, divided by the river Oder. In 1945, the “Dammvorstadt” district, the Eastern part of the river, became an autonomous Polish town, Slubice, and the Oder, as major commercial waterway, a State frontier. 'After Poland joined the Schengen space in December 2007, rapid harmonisation of both the living conditions and the economic level on both sides of the border has become a priority.'" described Martin Patzelt, Mayor of Frankfurt (Oder).
"Located between Germany, Belgium and France, the Grand-Duchy of Luxemburg has undertaken a profound transformation of its economy over the last twenty-five years, passing from a production sector based on steelmaking to development focused today on the service and financial sectors. Cross-border cooperation is a real development issue for this small country of 2586 sq. km and 486,000 inhabitants."
"Located on the French-Italian border between the Alps and the Medi-terranean, the Alps-Mediterranean Euroregion encompasses the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Piedmont, Aosta Valley and Liguria regions. Inaugurated in January 2008, it covers a vast territory of 110,000 sq. km and 17 million inhabitants. 'Looking beyond common development issues, the Liguria, Piedmont and Aosta Valley regions in Italy and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Rhône-Alpes regions in France have formed strong historical, economic and cultural links.'" outlined Joël Giraud, Vice-president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.
"On 3rd April 2009, the West Vlaanderen/Flandre-Dunkirk-Côte d’Opale European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) was officially launched in Bruges, Belgium. 'The EGTC represents a further stage in the cooperation between the Flandre-Dunkirk-Côte d’Opale region and Flandre occidentale. This cooperation, started in the 1980's, showed that we had complementarities, a large number of similarities and problems in common.'" highlighted Michel Delebarre, President of the EGTC, President of MOT, Former French Minister of State, Deputy-Mayor of Dunkirk.
"cross-border matters are a very practical way of grasping Europe: encouraging the convergence of national, regional and European policies on a defined cross-border territory, backed by elected representatives, in order to define action programmes that meet the needs of the inhabitants seems to us to be a very good method for building Europe. [...] Everything is more complex and more difficult in cross-border matters. It is therefore necessary to be able to rely over the long term on strong political determination rooted in cross-border realities and on militant and technically proficient operational teams." highlighted Jacques Houbart, MOT Director-General from 1997 to 2009.
« The twelfth Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière (MOT) general assembly was attended by almost 100 participants on 11 June 2009 in Collioure, within the Catalan cross-border area. ‘No-one can be forced to cooperate! It takes persuasion by showing the advantages of cooperation, going beyond the good conscience, one might have for contributing to a ‘good cause”, highlighted Dr Hans-Günther Clev, MOT new director general
“The conference "Practical Approaches Towards Effective European Transfrontier Cooperation" that was held in Maastricht (Netherlands) on 6th and 7th July 2009 was organised by the City of Maastricht, the Province of Limburg and the Associations of Netherlands Municipalities in cooperation with the Netherlands Ministries for the Interior and Foreign Affairs and the Council of Europe. The objective was to ascertain the factors that enhance or hinder cross-border cooperation throughout Europe.”
“The Management Committee of the Trinational Eurodistrict Basel (TEB) met on 25 September 2009 in Saint-Louis. The items on the agenda included the improvement of the cross-border fare structure, the "IBA Basel 2020" international exhibition project and the presentation of a geoportal project.”
“It was just a simple wall, but it cut Europe in two. In celebrating today the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the whole of Europe is also celebrating the birth of a new territory, a space coming together again in which the borders are gradually taking on a new meaning.”
“The cross-border agency for the development of the Basque Eurocity was enlarged on 9 November 2009 to include the city of San Sebastián and the Sud Pays Basque community of municipalities. This event is the sign of a new impetus for the cooperation within a ‘Eurocity’ which is gradually filling the gaps in territorial continuity between Bayonne and San Sebastián. […]In addition to the management of urban development and environmental issues, the challenge of cooperation is to give the territory genuine continuity, for example in terms of infrastructure.”
“Cross-border policy is an issue of primary importance for the development of our border territories, which concern no less than 16 regions, 28 departments and some ten million French citizens. There is an urgent need to respond to the economic distortions that we observe on either side of our borders, to encourage the establishment of businesses on these territories, to generate employment there and, more broadly, to meet the needs of the citizens who live there and are confronted every day with border issues” highlighted Pierre Lellouche, Secretary of State for European affairs and Michel Mercier, Minister for rural areas and spatial planning.”
« Within the European Union, border territories are spaces where the pooling of certain public-sector activities greatly facilitates access by citizens to many services. One of the most relevant areas of such cooperation is that of health. Between France and Belgium, the French-Belgian health monitoring unit, with its pilot projects for health facilities and centres, conducted for example between the Belgian and French Ardennes, is one of the successes of this cooperation. »
“Reinforcement of cooperation between economic actors on either side of a border can generate real development opportunities. In this area public-sector and economic actors often find themselves in a complex system of competition and cooperation. The challenge for cross-border territorial development is to move forward from a logic of pure competition to a logic of "coopetition" combining the two.”
“The SaarMoselle Eurodistrict was officially established on 6 May 2010 in Saarbrücken[...]’ The Saar-Moselle Eurodistrict established an EGTC to give itself one of the most effective legal instruments provided at present by the European Union. It is the first time that Saarland is participating in an EGTC. The new body will organize Saar-Moselle cross-border cooperation between Saarland and Lorraine municipalities with a more practical emphasis and will be able to overcome the administrative obstacles”, explained Stefan Toscani, minister of the interior and European affairs of Saarland
“On 23 June Fabienne Keller, senator for Bas-Rhin, Etienne Blanc, MP for Ain, and Marie-Thérèse Sanchez-Schmid, MEP, presented to the press their report on the cross-border policy of France. Commissioned since December 2009 by the French Prime Minister following a proposal by Michel Mercier, minister of the rural space and spatial planning, and Pierre Lellouche, secretary of state for European Affairs, the three members of parliament put forward 19 proposals to develop ‘a genuine policy in favour of border territories.”
“Last 14 July, in Briançon, all of the elected representatives and technical staff of the Conférence des Elus des Hautes Vallées (conference of elected representatives of the high valleys) were pleased to learn that funding of more than 9 million euros had been obtained for this cross-border area. Comprising European funding and national, regional and departmental contributions, this grant imparts a new impetus to cross-border policy in this mountain territory.”
“The Basle trinational conurbation, located at the meeting point of three countries, is a highly diversified space. Thanks to its very favourable geographical situation, an attractive economic fabric and living area have been able to develop. Today about 830,000 inhabitants live in the 226 municipalities of the Basle Trinational Eurodistrict. Its 1,989 square km territory covers a wide range of highly interdependent landscapes.”
“As shown again recently by the "red sludge" pollution on the Danube in Eastern Europe last October, the risks of marine and river pollution extend well beyond the framework of national borders. Initiatives at European level are taken to combat these types of pollution, for example the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, set up in 2004 by the European Union for the purpose of cross-border cooperation on sustainable management of the Danube and its environment.”
“In the course of several working meetings which took place in Brussels on 1 December, the representatives of the CECICN, including the MOT, met with the European Commissioner for regional policy, Johannes Hahn, and the President of the Committee of the Regions, Mercedes Bresso. One of the objectives was to discuss the future of territorial cooperation impacting more particularly cities within the framework of the post-2013 cohesion policy.”
« The Mont Blanc area (EspaceMont Blanc EMB) launched in1991 by the ministers of theenvironment of France, Italy and Switzerland is the result of aprocess of political consultation involving the representatives of the territory's national, regional and local entities. ‘The EMB is one of the most emblematic instances of cross-border cooperation in European mountainregions. Initially environmental, it is in fact the mainstay of a genuine project of sustainable development with economic and social aspects» underlined Nicolas Evrard Vice President of the Communauté de communes de la Vallée de Chamonix
The Perpignan-Figueres high-speed line (HSL) was inaugurated on 27 January. Linking the two cities in 23 minutes, this new line is part of the Trans-European Transport Network “High-speed railway axis of south-west Europe” priority project defined by the European Union. At the inauguration, French Secretary ofState for Transport Thierry Mariani did not fail to emphasize that the new line was “a fine joint success between France, Spain and the various partners. In a difficult economic context, it is evidence of our capacity to join forces on a major project ”.
“On 24 January 2011, the 12th Summit of the SaarLorLux Greater Region took place on the former Völklingen ironworks site, listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO. There the heads of the executive councils of the five regional components, i.e. Saarland, the Lorraine Region, Luxembourg, Rhineland-Palatinate and the Walloon Region, decided to give new impetus to cross-border and inter-regional cooperation in the Greater Region.”
"Louth County Council in the Republic of Ireland and Newry and Mourne District Council in Northern Ireland signed a Memorandum of Understanding in March, committing the authorities to strengthen and promote the social, cultural and economic links in their cross-border territories. This new strategic alliance is a continuation of a history of joint cooperation over several decades, supported by European funding programmes."
"The France-Luxembourg intergovernmental commission met for the first time on 21st April 2011 in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The French delegation was headed by Laurent Wauquiez, Minister responsible for European Affairs at the French Foreign Ministry, and Luxembourg’s delegation was headed by Jean-Marie Halsdorf, Minister for the Interior and Grand Region of Luxembourg. Created on 26th January 2010 in Paris with the signing of a convention between France and Luxembourg, the goal of the commission is to enhance cross-border cooperation between the two countries."
"On Thursday, 19 May, the President of the Aragon Community, Marcelino Iglesias Ricou, and the President of the Pyrénées Atlantiques Department Council, Georges Labazée, accompanied by Marie-Pierre Cabanne, Vice-president for contractual development policies, and François Maïtia, department Councillor, delegate for cross-border cooperation, signed the convention and the statutes of the "Espace Pourtalet" European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation, the first EGTC established under Spanish law and the second EGTC on the French-Spanish border."
"The ‘Ports Riviera Cooperation’ cross-border project, presented to the Alpes-Maritimes department council on 10 June 2011, bears witness to renewed and reinforced cooperation between French and Italian ports. ‘Broadly open to the Mediterranean, the French-Italian Riviera forms a vast basin for recreational boating. In this space […] there are major development issues », explained Eric Ciotti, President of the Alpes-Maritimes department council."
“During the opening session of the Open Days on 10 October, European regional policy commissioner Johannes Hahn presented the proposed European Commission regulations for the 2014-2020 cohesion policy. The three strands of European territorial cooperation, cross-border, transnational and interregional, are reinforced, including by allocation of increased resources, a specific regulation for cooperation, better linkage between strategies and programmes, and an integrated approach to territorial development.”
"On 3 November, 400 persons from very varied professional sectors participated in the first forum of the IBA Basel 2020 international architecture exhibition. Its goal is to impart impetus and promote the emergence of projects aiming to strengthen cross-border development around Basle, while involving civil society. The projects concern construction, architecture, urban development and spatial planning, as well as culture and economic development."
"As part of the TRANSVISITE Interreg project, nearly 14,000 French and Flemings households were questioned on their reasons for travelling to the other side of the border. This article presents some results of the survey conducted between November 2010 and February 2011. The study showed that the reasons for going to the other side of the border were the same overall for the French and the Flemings, but that their order of priority was not the same, with sometimes quite marked differences."
"On Monday, 12 December, in Vitoria, Spain, Alain Rousset, president of the Aquitaine regional council, and Patxi López, president of the Basque Country autonomous community, signed the birth certificate of the Aquitaine-Euskadi Euroregion, in the form of a European grouping of territorial cooperation (EGTC). The objective is to intensify the cooperation between the two regions and contribute to the formation of a large space of relations, trade and joint projects encompassing an area with more than 5 million in habitants."
“On 1 January 2012, Nice Côte d’Azur became the first métropolein France. This territory, extending from the Mediterranean coast to the Mercantoursummits, encompasses 46 municipalities and 550,000 inhabitants, and offers diversity and unique complementarityfrom the sea to the mountains. Incorporating three rural communities of municipalities, the métropolehas tripled the area of the urban community. One of the consequences of this geographical extension is that it is now contiguous with Italy" highlighted Christian Estrosi, MP for Alpes-Maritimes, mayor of Nice, president of the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur
"The construction of the Geneva metropolis extends both sides of the border. In Switzerland it involves the territories of the Canton of Geneva and of the District of Nyon, and in France two communities of municipalities in the Ain department and eight in Haute Savoie. Cross-border governance has been introduced in order to optimize the planning and operation of this crossborder area. This construction is manifested in the France-Vaud-Geneva conurbation project, whose the charter was signed in 2007 by all the territorial bodies."
"The Aachen-Eurode border information service was officially inaugurated on 7 March on the Dutch-German-Belgian border. Intended for the border workers and recruiters of the cross-border territory, it should be operational in the spring. The information desks in Aachen and Eurode will be open to answer all questions related to taxes and social security. In order to be able to answer questions of a specialist nature, the border information service is cooperating with several other government organizations […] The key aim of the border information service is to stimulate and support economic cooperation and the development of a euregional labour market within this border region."
"Following the publication of the proposed regulations for the 2014-2020 cohesion policy, on 14 March the Commission published a working document presenting the priorities of the common strategic framework.[…] The position of the MOT, drafted after consultation of its network, covers the aspects of the CSF that concern cross-border cooperation."
"Nearly 400 participants met on 25 and 26 June at A Coruña in Spain at the ‘1st Congress on Smart Cooperation’ organised by the CECICN. In his address, Michel Delebarre, president of COTER, Committee of the Regions and president of the MOT, summed up the issues of the conference: ‘We know that the current European and international context is one troubled by the debt crisis. I have the deep conviction that the response to this crisis is more Europe, more cooperation between cities and regions across borders’."
"On 28 June, the French, Genevan and Vaud partners met for the signature of the ‘Grand Genève 2012’ (Greater Geneva) conurbation project. Following on from the 2007 Charter and the work doneb over the last five years, they committed themselves to the documents that will contribute to shaping this cross-border conurbation, encompassing 918,000 inhabitants, in the coming years."
"Because straits, at once links between two seas and borders between two territories, are specific spaces, the Pas-de-Calais department council and Kent County Council launched the European Straits Initiative. This partnership, formalised on 23 November 2010 by the signature of a memorandum of understanding bringing together the local authorities on the shores of eight straits in Europe, has a dual aim: gaining recognition of the particular characteristics of straits by the European institutions, and encouraging the development of cooperation projects."
"The cross-border venture capital forum ’Seed4Start’ was launched on 9 October 2012 in Luxemburg. This new initiative, funded by the European Union as part of the Interreg IVA "Greater Region" programme, intends to put innovative startups in touch with private investors over the entire territory of the Greater Region. The objective is to facilitate the matching of supply and demand for capital on projects to establish, take over orexpand innovative companies."
"‘Observation is an indispensable preliminary to any political action’ affirmed André Rossinot, former minister, mayor of Nancy, opening the first European seminar on the observation of cross border territories. In order to go further and clear the way for effective crossborder statistical monitoring at European level, the attending representatives of the various Member States want to set up a strategy committee on the observation of cross-border territories as a forum for dialogue between the countries on their national monitoring approaches."
"On 7 December 2012, the Bouches de Bonifacio international marine park adopted the form of an EGTC, marking the establishment of the first structure of this type for the implementation of EU environmental policies at crossborder level, with implications for maritime transport and the international law of the sea. The new entity is introduced twenty years after the signing of the French-Italian protocol defining the procedures for implementing this major project."
"The methodological guidebook published recently by the MOT is intended to better articulate cohesion policy, governance structures and cross-border territorial approaches. In the course of this work the MOT produced a map summarising the main cross-border agreements, structures and programmes on French borders."
"More than 95% of companies in the European Union are small and mediumsized enterprises (SME), and they account for about twothirds of jobs and GDP. The Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion, which encompasses the Midi-Pyrénées and Languedoc-Roussillon regions in France and Catalonia, Aragon and the Balearic Islands in Spain, is developing two major European projects on its territory to boost employment and combat the economic crisis."
“A bridge between France and Germany, the Strasbourg-Kehl cross-border conurbation is at the heart of the Upper Rhine region and, more locally, of the Strasbourg-Ortenau Eurodistrict, a cooperation body set up in 2005 which established itself as an EGTC in 2010.”
“On 8 April in Annemasse, an associate centre of the Geneva Cité des métiers was inaugurated, in the presence of the leaders of the Annemasse district and the Canton of Geneva. With this ceremony, the Cité des métiers became the first cross-border institution of its type, under the new name of ‘Cité des métiers du Grand Genève’ (Greater Geneva Cité des métiers). It should be remembered that Greater Geneva has a population of almost 900,000 persons, generating a number of flows of workers crossing the border every day.”
"The Alzette-Belval European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation was formed on 8 March on the France-Luxemburg border, under the copresidency of the prefect of the Lorraine region and the Luxemburg minister of sustainable development and infrastructure. The EGTC has recently joined the MOT network."
"Territorial cooperation programmes and projects celebrated European Cooperation Day for the second consecutive year on 21 September 2013. The aim of this campaign, supported by the INTERACT programme, the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions, is to highlight the results of the cross-border projects funded by the European funds."
"At the congress entitled 'Cross Border Planning Cooperation ' held in Basel on 18 October 2013, international specialists and stakeholders discussed solutions for metropolitan cooperation and the implementation of cross-border projects. The message was clear: cooperation and the development of metropolitan areas require concrete projects. National and European authorities are ready to support solutions through financial incentives for cooperation, the coordination of national instruments and strategic advice."
"Organised by the Cross-Border Agency for the Development of the Basque Eurocity and the Donostia-San Sebastián City Hall on 14-15 November 2013 in San Sebastián, this event brought together the political, technical, institutional and socio-economic representatives of the Basque Eurocity. The aim of the forum was to present ongoing projects, to discuss the strategic vision for the Eurocity of the future and to launch the process of drawing up the operational strategic plan for the cross-border conurbation for 2014-2020."
“In 2013, the MOT conducted a large-scale study aimed at defining the priority areas for the development of the French-Swiss Jura Arc. […]This strategy puts forward cross-border orientations in the areas of economic development, mobility (public transport), regional planning, environmental management and public services.”
“The members of the Eurometropolis EGTC are focusing their collective action on the challenges for which their cooperation generates added value for both the residents of the Eurometropolis and the local actors: their 2014-2020 strategy is the result of a maturing process of their cooperation, of their intention to build Europe in the field.”
"On 17 December 2013, the European Parliament and the European Council approved Regulation 1302/2013 concerning European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs). […] Changes to the legal regime governing EGTCs It will help to clarify, simplify and improve the establishment and functioning of EGTCs."
"[…] the border is imagined as being the last defence in the face of the crisis, economic ultraliberalism, globalisation and its 'unfair competition'. Crossborder cooperation is no longer seen as an asset but rather a threat. So we need to rethink the concept of borders in the European election campaign to turn them into a source of potential growth and cooperation" explained Marie-Thérèse Sanchez-Schmid.
“France’s border regions possess remarkable assets. By virtue of their proximity and interconnectedness with the border regions of neighbouring countries, these… actions of local elected representatives and EGTCs in the area of cross-border cooperation is exemplary and I salute their determination,” highlighted Philip Cordery Member of parliament for French residents in then Benelux and Chairman of the Parliamentary Group on Cross-Border Cooperation at the Assemblée nationale
"With its international borders with Switzerland and Italy, the department of Haute-Savoie, which has been a member of the MOT since 2012, cooperates with the cantons of Geneva, Vaud and Valais, as well as the Val d’Aoste autonomous region, in areas such as transport, territorial development, tourism, education, culture and sport."
"Christian Dupessey, Vice-President of the MOT and Mayor of Annemasse, pointed out that this “critical moment” linked to the results of the recent European elections has revealed the worries of many citizens, who are tempted to turn in on themselves in the face of the economic crisis. 'Our role is to open up perspectives so as to persuade local populations. We need clear and common direction from elected representatives on either side of the border to persuade people that the solutions will come from more Europe and more cooperation.'"
