From Mont Blanc to Ventimiglia: three workshops to identify and resolve Franco-Italian cross-border obstacles

The aim of these ‘territorial’ workshops was to strengthen the synergies between the institutional players of the Quirinal Treaty, the regions and the border territories involved in the Alcotra programme, in order to identify cross-border obstacles and prioritise challenges, on the basis of the prior assessment carried out by inter-regional working groups and supported by the results of the online consultation on obstacles launched during the summer of 2024 (700 contributions in total, more details here). By working in thematic sub-groups (mobility, environment and health), the workshops gave participants the opportunity to collectively identify the first possible solutions to feed into the final phase of the project: the development of roadmaps to resolve the obstacles in the project’s areas of intervention.

The specific contexts of each of these three areas of cooperation illustrated the diversity of the challenges to be overcome if this border is to become a genuine ‘continuous living area’, as stated in the recent Quirinal Treaty:

• At the ‘North’ territorial workshop, hosted by the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley high up on the Mont-Blanc, the theme of health was central, thanks also to the valuable link established with the dynamic around the ‘Prosatif-Go’ project on health cooperation between France and Italy.
• In Montgenèvre, where the ‘Centre’ workshop was hosted by the Région Sud and the High Valleys Conference, the focus was on cross-border mobility issues (road shuttles, rail services, re-establishment of cross-border links, etc.).
• Finally, the ‘South’ workshop, hosted in Ventimiglia by the Liguria Region, saw the elected representatives and participants present enthusiastically support ‘multi-level’ cooperation between local and national players on both sides of the border to make progress on the many projects that would make life easier across the border.

The contributions made by participants and the feedback received will enable the project partners to gain a better understanding of the priorities of the French-Italian border territories, so that they can draw up concrete proposals and courses of action to be shared with the French and Italian ambassadors responsible for bringing the ‘Quirinal’ dynamic to life. The summaries will be sent shortly to all the participants present.

The next meeting of the Alcotraité partnership is scheduled for November, in Lyon, where the project’s closing event will be held!

*Integrated Territorial Plans