France Spain Andorra

Introduction

Defined by the Treaty of the Pyrenees signed in 1659, the French-Spanish border, which for the most part follows the crest line of the Pyrenean massif, is one of the borders that has undergone the fewest changes over the centuries and remains the oldest in its current course. Its mountainous topography makes it largely impermeable, except for the Basque and Catalan coastal sections. In the mountainous and central part of the territory, crossing points are limited: along the Garonne Valley and especially in Cerdagne, a vast high plateau divided in two by the border at the junction of the French Pyrenees-Orientales and Spanish Catalonia.

Despite administrative asymmetries (in terms of powers and operations), cooperation has particularly developed within border areas, notably following the Bayonne Treaty (1995) and within the framework of the Interreg POCTEFA program. A specific feature of the border is the large number of cooperation agreements (local, regional, or bilateral). In 2023, cooperation is further strengthened with the signing of the French-Spanish cooperation treaty, the “Barcelona Treaty,” which includes an entire chapter dedicated to cross-border cooperation.

The issue of transportation is a major challenge for these border areas, where crossings are few, resulting in significant congestion problems on the roads and highways at the edges of the mountain range. Cooperation also extends to many other areas (culture, environment, health, education, economic development, natural spaces), among which is the emblematic Cerdanya Cross-Border Hospital, a pioneer in the field of cross-border health cooperation.

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