Manifesto for the Recognition and Greater Consideration of “cross-border living areas” in public policy
November 2024
With this manifesto, which complements the ‘Cross-border deal’ of the Borders Forum, the MOT and its network call for a change in the way actors look at spaces crossed by a border as genuine ‘cross-border living areas’: territories linked by functional interdependence and a wealth of historical, cultural and interpersonal links, with an awareness of belonging to a common territory and a desire for cross-border territorial cohesion.
The objective
This document is based on the results of the study for a ‘cross-border living areas experiment ’* conducted by the MOT in 2024 in five pilot territories on French borders. It proposes 14 practical measures to transform the challenges border areas face into opportunities. They include:
- Facilitating daily life and equitable access to markets, services, and facilities in cross-border living areas
- Promote balanced development and reciprocity in cross-border living areas
- Improve understanding and recognition of cross-border living areas
- Develop governance models tailored to cross-border living areas
