On 1 January 2015, the Communauté Urbaine de Lille (Urban Community of Lille) became the Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL – Lille European Metropolis). The MEL is one of only two cross-border metropolises to be recognised as such by law, alongside Strasbourg.
For the Lille European Metropolis, the proximity of the border constitutes an asset in terms of development and attractiveness.
On the territory of the French-Swiss Jura Arc, the Doubs Urban Conurbation (Agglomération Urbaine du Doubs – AUD) has launched a cross-border intercultural and intergenerational project aimed at involving the populations and civil society of the French and Swiss municipalities that make it up: Morteau (F), Villers-le-Lac (F), Les Fins (F), La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH), Le Locle (CH) and Les Brenets (CH).
Along France's borders, several INTERREG VA programmes have launched their first calls for projects or are organising their launch events soon.
"France and Switzerland declared their mutual friendship on 15th April 2015, without hiding the frictions between the two countries. François Hollande expressed his concern about national preference with regard to employment. […] During his State visit to Bern, the French president, François Hollande, stated before the seven federal councillors that he was making Greater Geneva a priority issue."
On 9 April 2015 the General Commission for Territorial Equality and the MOT held a day of discussions with the SGAR* research reference people.
"Today, the importance of borders in people’s lives is more than theoretical. Borders unite and divide they have become mobile and individualized, letting some move around freely and restricting access to others."
The Aquitaine-Euskadi Euroregion has launched a thematic call for projects in the areas of "Culture, Education, Multilingualism, Sport and Youth".
Some months ahead of the next COP 21, Michel Derdevet, Secretary General of Électricité Réseau Distribution France (ERDF), has published in Documentation française a report for François Hollande entitled "Energy, Europe in networks: twelve proposals for a common energy infrastructure policy".
The French-German Council of Ministers, which met on 31 March 2015 in Berlin, adopted an amendment to the tax agreement between the two countries.
The MOT's President, Michel Delebarre, met the Overseas Minister, George Pau-Langevin, on 31 March 2015 in Paris, in order to discuss the need to establish a permanent connection between "cross-border territorial issues" and "overseas regions".
The Alsace Region has just published "Alsace 2030 – a project for the whole of Alsace", the fruit of work carried out during 2014 at the Region's instigation, in a process of broad consultation with all of the territory's active stakeholders.
The world’s only binational airport, located in the French-German-Swiss region, the Basel-Mulhouse EuroAirport is an example in terms of cross-border cooperation.
2015 marks the 500th anniversary of the alliance between Mulhouse and the Swiss Confederation. An occasion to throw light on the strength of the historical links as the roots of today’s cross-border cooperation and to celebrate the event by making 2015 "The year of Switzerland in Mulhouse".
Starting in January 2015, business creation consultancy cooperative START HOP welcomes French-German entrepreneurs to its convivial “KiosK office” spaces at locations in Strasbourg and Offenburg, helping them to develop their market with a 360° view.
The MOT network is mobilised under EU Luxembourg's presidency (2nd half of 2015) to identify the obstacles to cross-border cooperation. In this context, a workshop "The need for specific legal provisions to boost cross-border cooperation" is organised by the Presidency on 19th May 2015.
Attended by European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Crețu, the URBACT III programme launch seminar took place on 16 March in Brussels.
On 20 February 2015 at Montesquieu-des-Albères in the eastern Pyrenees, French prime minister Manuel Valls and Spanish head of government Mariano Rajoy inaugurated the new high-voltage electricity interconnection line between the two countries.
This Sahel cross-border cooperation support project of the priority solidarity fund financed by France aims to set up an integrated management strategy for the border areas between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, through coordinated instruments in the areas of security and development aid.
In response to the “France Strategy” presented in January 2014 by Saarland, aiming to make the border region a multilingual space by 2043, on 12 February in Forbach Patrick Weiten, leader of the Moselle department council, referred to the department’s “Moselle strategy”, with the opening in June of an “open house of services for Germany” (Mosa).
Organised by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and by the IPCC*, and taking place from 9 to 11 February 2015 in Jerusalem, a workshop entitled “Between the Jordan and the Mediterranean: 2050 strategic plan” brought together some twenty Israeli, Palestinian and European experts - including the MOT, the AEBR, the Eurométropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai and the PEACE programme in Ireland - on the issues of cross-border cooperation in the Israel-Palestine region.
To celebrate the 25th birthday of Interreg this year, a competition "Love without borders" has been launched by the European Commission's Regional Policy DG.
On 18 June 2014 in France, the draft legislation concerning the country's new territorial organisation (the NOTRe Act), which provides for a reorganisation of the competences of the territorial authorities at all levels, was submitted to the Senate.
According to a study by the INSEE published in February 2015, the number of French people living in France but working abroad has increased by 42% since 1999. The study analyses the different causes and characteristics of the resulting flows.
"Wallonia is a border territory par excellence: its relations with its neighbours have always played a crucial role in its development."
