News

  • A new project for European straits

    EUROPE

    A new project for European straits

    May 2016

    On 12 May, a conference was held to launch a new European project entitled "PASSAGE"*, initiated by the Pas-de-Calais Department and Kent County Council within the framework of the European Straits Initiative. Funded by the Interreg Europe programme, it involves eleven partners on five maritime borders** and is aimed at encouraging cross-border low-carbon initiatives.

  • Overcoming the obstacles to cooperation: the Commission publishes the first findings of its consultation

    EUROPE

    Overcoming the obstacles to cooperation: the Commission publishes the first findings of its consultation

    May 2016

    The first report of the European consultation on the obstacles and potential solutions to cross-border cooperation yields some very interesting analyses. A few elements: concerning the profile of the respondents, 84% of them live in a border region and 48% are private individuals.

  • Editorial from Agnès Monfret, Head of Unit, European Cross-Border Cooperation, DG REGIO, European Commission

    EUROPE

    Editorial from Agnès Monfret, Head of Unit, European Cross-Border Cooperation, DG REGIO, European Commission

    May 2016

    With 25 years of supporting Interreg programmes for cross-border cooperation to its credit, celebrated in 2015, but aware of the progress that still needs to be made, the Commission initiated a process of identifying the obstacles that remain at the EU's internal land borders.

  • "The cross-border director-general" training course

    MOT

    "The cross-border director-general" training course

    May 2016

    A training course entitled "The cross-border director-general" was held on 26-27 April in Strasbourg by the MOT and the Centre National de la Fonction Publique Territoriale (CNFPT).

  • A cross-border strategy for the French-Swiss Jura Arc

    TERRITORIES

    A cross-border strategy for the French-Swiss Jura Arc

    May 2016

    On 18 April 2016, the Conférence TransJurassienne (CTJ) presented its new strategy for cross-border cooperation in the territory of the French-Swiss Jura Arc.

  • Survey on Greater Geneva

    TERRITORIES

    Survey on Greater Geneva

    May 2016

    Evaluating quality of life and the desire for "living together" in Greater Geneva is the objective of the study that has just been published by the Geneva HES-SO (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland).

  • European Congress of Local Governments in Krakow

    EUROPE

    European Congress of Local Governments in Krakow

    May 2016

    The second European Congress of Local Governments was held on 5-6 April 2016 in Krakow in Poland. The event brought together more than 1500 participants, among which there were many locally elected representatives especially from central and Eastern Europe.

  • The European Consumer Centre's new websites

    EUROPE

    The European Consumer Centre's new websites

    May 2016

    The French-German association has launched two new websites aimed at providing consumers with better information.

  • EUROPE

    EGTC Platform

    April 2016

    The EGTC Platform of the Committee of the Regions held its annual meeting on 20 April in Brussels, on the topic of the impact of the Schengen Area crisis on cross-border cooperation. During the event, the 2016 EGTC Award was given to the French-Spanish cross-border hospital in Cerdanya, the first of its kind in Europe.

  • TERRITORIES

    Cross-border innovation fair in Metz

    April 2016

    The second edition of “Startup Show 42”, a cross-border digital innovation fair, was held on 6 April in Metz on the fringes of the Franco-German Council of Ministers. Over forty startups from the Lorraine Corridor (Epinal, Nancy, Metz, Thionville) and the QuattroPole city network (Luxembourg, Metz, Saarbrücken, Trier) were there to present their know-how and latest innovations.

  • First results of the "Cross-border Review"

    EUROPE

    First results of the "Cross-border Review"

    April 2016

    DG REGIO has just published a 36-page report on the public consultation “Overcoming obstacles in border regions” carried out in autumn 2015.

  • Socioeconomic typology of border regions in the European Union

    PUBLICATION

    Socioeconomic typology of border regions in the European Union

    April 2016

    This study, which has just been published on the UMS RIATE website, looks at the analysis of border regions on internal borders of the European Union with a methodological approach: How do we define border areas? How do we measure the multi-criterial territorial discontinuities? How do we qualify their evolution in time? How do we evaluate accessibility between border regions?

  • Cross-border nursing education in the SaarMoselle territory

    TERRITORIES

    Cross-border nursing education in the SaarMoselle territory

    April 2016

    Since 2008, the IFSI (Nursing training institute) of the Centre Hospitalier de Sarreguemines in France and Völklingen Hospital in Germany have built a partnership in the field of nursing education, consisting of the development of interculturality and promotion of bilingualism in initial and ongoing training.

  • The status of cross-border students examined in Bayonne

    TERRITORIES

    The status of cross-border students examined in Bayonne

    April 2016

    A symposium on cross-border student status was organised on 31 March in Bayonne by the students of the Master 2 in Cross-border and interregional cooperation at the University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour.

  • Dutch Provinces' seminar on cross-border cooperation

    EUROPE

    Dutch Provinces' seminar on cross-border cooperation

    April 2016

    In the context of the Netherlands Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the House of the Dutch Provinces in Brussels hosted a seminar on 17 March 2016 on cross-border cooperation.

  • Cross-border issues on the agenda for the Franco-German Council

    TERRITORIES

    Cross-border issues on the agenda for the Franco-German Council

    April 2016

    Cross-border cooperation was on the agenda for the 18th Franco-German Council of Ministers presided by François Hollande and Angela Merkel on 7 April 2016 in Metz.

  • MOT mission in Haïti

    MOT

    MOT mission in Haïti

    Avril 2016

    At the request of the Haitian authorities, the French Embassy has mobilised the expertise of the MOT in a planning mission for a programme supporting the governance of Haitian local authorities located in the area bordering the Dominican Republic.

  • Call for evidence: the consequences in border regions of tightening border controls

    MOT

    Call for evidence: the consequences in border regions of tightening border controls

    April 2016

    In order to fuel the debate at its upcoming annual conference on 24 May on “Borders: a resource for the inhabitants of border regions”, the MOT is launching a call for evidence on the impacts of tightening border controls in (cross-)border regions.

  • Uncertainties about the future of French-Swiss cross-border workers

    TERRITORIES

    Uncertainties about the future of French-Swiss cross-border workers

    April 2016

    The 31st Congress of the European Cross-Border Grouping (GTE) brought together over 500 cross-border workers and numerous political representatives of the French-Swiss territory on 11 March 2016 in Archamps. According to Michel Charrat, president of the GTE, “2015 will no doubt go down in the history books of the cross-border phenomenon.

  • A new space for the Euroregion Aquitaine-Euskadi

    TERRITORIES

    A new space for the Euroregion Aquitaine-Euskadi

    April 2016

    On march 18th, Basque Country’s President Iñigo Urkullu chaired the first 2016 Assembly of the Euroregion Aquitaine-Euskadi, at Vitoria-Gasteiz.

  • Committee of the Regions' European photo competition "Imagine Europe without borders"

    EUROPE

    Committee of the Regions' European photo competition "Imagine Europe without borders"

    March 2016

    European photo competition for amateur and professionnal photographers. Before 30th June 2016.

  • Philippe Richert, President of the Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine Region, writes to François Hollande

    NATIONAL LEVEL

    Philippe Richert, President of the Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine Region, writes to François Hollande

    March 2016

    The President of the Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine Region, Philippe Richert, and his first Vice-President, Patrick Weiten, have written to the French President of the Republic. They are asking for 'a strong signal' to be sent at the French-German council of ministers meeting on 7 April in Metz.

  • Editorial from Anne Sander, Member of the European Parliament, Vice-President of the MOT

    EUROPE

    Editorial from Anne Sander, Member of the European Parliament, Vice-President of the MOT

    March 2016

    Over the past few months, the European Union has seen more and more border controls put in place within the Schengen Area. Two main reasons are put forward to justify them: fear of terrorism and the need to combat illegal immigration.

  • "Reform Schengen" : what impacts for border areas?

    EUROPE

    "Reform Schengen" : what impacts for border areas?

    March 2016

    "Every day, we hear about another member country of the Schengen Area reinstating identity checks at its national borders in order to stop the inflow of illegal immigrants. While checks are necessary, they have a major impact on the daily lives of those who live close to these borders and habitually cross them: long traffic queues have appeared on our roads and the costs are starting to be felt by businesses and individuals."

  • "Regional Territorial Systems"

    PUBLICATION

    "Regional Territorial Systems"

    March 2016

    The publication "Systèmes Territoriaux Régionaux" ("Regional Territorial Systems") that was brought out in January 2016 by the French Federation of Public Urban Planning Agencies (the FNAU) provides an analysis of territorial issues and interrelationships in France, through the lens of legislative developments and the issues at stake in public policy. A section written by the MOT is devoted to the cross-border dimension.