News

EUROPE

What would be the economic consequences of abandoning the Schengen agreements?

France-Stratégie has published an analysis of the economic consequences of abandoning the Schengen agreements.

TERRITORIES

New measures to promote the learning of German in East Moselle

As set out on 22 January 2016 by Patrick Weiten, president of the Moselle Conseil Départemental and first vice-president of the Alsace Champagne-Ardenne Lorraine Region responsible for territorial and cross-border cooperation, the Trilingua scheme aimed at promoting the learning of German in Moselle is being replaced by two new experiments in this regard.

TERRITORIES

A university for Europe: Eucor – The European Campus

The first European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) to be set up by an alliance of universities is located in the Upper Rhine area.

MOT

The MOT's operational studies since its creation in 1997 now available online

A new section on the MOT's website lists more than 130 operational studies that have been produced by the MOT since it was set up in 1997.

TERRITORIES

The end of double taxation for former cross-border worker pensioners

Since 1 January 2016, pensioners in French and German border regions who previously worked in the other country no longer run the risk of being taxed twice.

TERRITORIES

Publication: "City-networks and spatial rescaling in the Baltic Sea area"

Doctoral thesis in geography by Nicolas Escach, under the supervision of Lydia Coudroy from Lille and Boris Grésillon, defended in 2014 at the École normale supérieure in Lyons. Published in French – Abstract in English.

MOT

Cross-border masterclass

From 26 to 28 January 2016 in Marseilles, the Institut Catholique de la Méditerranée, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region and the Villa Méditerranée jointly organised, together with lecturers and students from different universities, the fourth edition of the " Trans/frontières et dialogue des disciplines" ("Cross/boundaries and dialogue between disciplines") on the topic "The age of transitions to another generation of players?".

TERRITORIES

A cross-border platform dedicated to businesses in the Greater Region

The "Grex" platform was set up on 4 January 2016 in order to provide operational support to any sole trader or SME wishing to develop an economic partnership in the Greater Region.

EUROPE

Overcoming the obstacles to cross-border cooperation: the MOT's position within the framework of the DG REGIO's "Cross-Border Review"

Since September 2015, DG REGIO's cross-border cooperation unit has been carrying out a large-scale initiative known as the "Cross-Border Review" aimed at analysing the administrative and legal obstacles that persist along the European Union's internal borders.

MOT

Services offered to the members of the MOT network: all of the "service vouchers" online

Since it was set up in 1997, the MOT has developed operational and legal expertise on many cross-border topics. Network members have first call on this experience. In 2011, the MOT introduced the "service vouchers", which enable every member along France's borders to benefit from one day of work per year from the MOT's technical team. It is now making available in the members' space on its website the technical notes produced in this context [in French only].

TERRITORIES

A territorial project for Greater Geneva

In October 2015, the Greater Geneva local grouping of cross-border cooperation (LGCC) launched an initiative to draw up a territorial project for the whole of the French-Vaud-Geneva conurbation for the 2016-2030 period. This process of reflection will be completed at the end of this year. It involves the elected representatives of the region, both Swiss and French, and cross-border civil society organised through the Greater Geneva Conurbation Forum.

TERRITORIES

Editorial from the political representatives of the Greater Geneva

TERRITORIES

Unemployed in France, unemployable in Switzerland

At the end of 2015, the European Cross-Border Grouping (Groupement Transfrontalier Européen, GTE) was alerted by Switzerland's temping agencies regarding the difficulties they are encountering in hiring French unemployed people as temporary workers.

TERRITORIES

A new president for the Leman Council

On 3 December 2015, Jacques Melly, the President of the Conseil d'Etat of the Canton of Valais, handed over the presidency of the Leman Council to Virginie Duby-Muller, Vice-President in charge of cooperation and cross-border affairs of the Haute-Savoie Conseil Départemental, who is also Vice-President of the MOT.

TERRITORIES

Tensions around the Öresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden

Following Sweden's decision to introduce on 4 January 2016 systematic checks on all people coming from Denmark in order to better control the influx of refugees, the 15,000 cross-border workers who every day travel by public transport between the two countries across the famous Öresund Bridge, a symbol of the two countries' long-standing and extensive cross-border integration, are facing long queues on a daily basis.

EUROPE

Interact publications: a typology of Interreg projects and a project management handbook

NATIONAL LEVEL

2015 regional elections in France: an update on the territorial reform and cross-border cooperation

Following the regional elections and the reform which reduced the number of regions in mainland France from 22 to 13, the MOT has published a note (in French) on the new French regions and the territorial reform: what will be the impact on cross-border cooperation?.

EUROPE

The conclusions of Luxembourg's presidency in the area of cross-border cooperation

Within the framework of its presidency of the EU Council, on 26-27 November 2015, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg brought together the European ministers responsible for territorial cohesion and urban policy for an informal meeting in Luxembourg. The discussions fed into the conclusions of the Luxembourg presidency, which is proposing actions to facilitate cross-border cooperation within the EU.

EUROPE

François Bausch, Minister for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Luxembourg's presidency of the EU Council has given high priority to cross-border cooperation.

TERRITORIES

Seminar on French-British cooperation

The Pas-de-Calais Department has solid relations with its British neighbours, which have resulted in many projects and the signature of a cooperation agreement with the County of Kent.

EUROPE

ESPON Seminar: "A world without borders - Refugees, cooperation and territories"

A seminar entitled "A world without borders - Refugees, cooperation and territories" was held within the framework of the ESPON 2020 programme, in cooperation with the Luxembourg presidency of the EU Council, on 8-9 December 2015 in Luxembourg.

NATIONAL LEVEL

Seminar for government departments in Toulouse

At the instigation of the Midi-Pyrénées General Secretariat for Regional Affairs, a working seminar aimed at the decentralised government departments in the regions bordering Spain and Andorra was held on 25 November 2015 in Toulouse to discuss practices and consider new modes of organisation designed to remove the obstacles to French-Spanish-Andorran cooperation.

TERRITORIES

The "Learn do share" day of the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis

On 26 November in Kortrijk, a day based around the theme of innovation and the concept of "Learn do share" was held by the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis. Nearly 120 people reflected together on how to develop the Eurometropolis and be involved in it.

TERRITORIES

Greater Geneva in lycées' school programme

The local development council of the French Geneva area has presented a new edition of the educational material on Greater Geneva, which is entitled "Greater Geneva, our daily territory" and aimed at students in the penultimate year of lycée as part of the geography syllabus.

TERRITORIES

40 years of cross-border cooperation in the Upper Rhine

The Joint Secretariat of the Upper Rhine Conference and the journalist Reinhard Reck have produced a booklet to mark the 40th anniversary of the French-German-Swiss intergovernmental commission. The booklet presents the evolution, diversity and dynamism of cross-border cooperation in the Upper Rhine since the Bonn Agreement signed in 1975.