Emergencies without borders: a historic agreement between France and Spain

On November 6, 2025, France and Spain concluded a landmark agreement allowing ambulances from northern Catalonia and the Occitanie region to cross the border in the event of a medical emergency. Ratified in Perpignan between the Catalan Emergency Medical System (SEM) and the Emergency Medical Service (SAMU), it is the first of five agreements planned for this entire cross-border region. It is a direct result of the European b-solutions project entitled “When Medical Emergencies Erase Borders,” supported by the European Commission (DG REGIO) and coordinated by the Working Community of the Pyrenees (CTP). This agreement culminates the process initiated with the creation of the Cerdanya Cross-Border Hospital, the only jointly managed cross-border hospital in Europe. It thus establishes the Pyrenees as a European laboratory for cross-border healthcare cooperation.

Photo : Alfredo García (director of the Catalan Health Service), Didier Jaffre (director of the Occitanie Regional Health Agency) et Albert Piñeira (director of the House of Catalonia in Perpignan).