Following publication of the final report and blueprints for each pilot site in the ‘Building more resilient cross-border regions’ project run by the OECD and DG REGIO, the Nord Lorrain Metropolitan Border Pole gives us its views on the work carried out, its contributions and the specific needs of the territory which is one of the pilot sites.
In collaboration with the European Commission, the OECD’s new report shows that well-designed and well-resourced cross-border governance bodies can help unlock the development potential of border regions.
In France, resigning minister Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet announced on December 3rd, 2024 that the controversial reform of border worker unemployment would be abandoned. This measure, which would have reduced benefits for border workers, was met with strong opposition, particularly in eastern France.
In 2021, border workers travel an average of 34 km to get to work, compared with 14 km for non-border workers living in the same areas. The majority go by car. 18% of them have journeys of 50 km or more, and there are significantly more of these long journeys than in 2010.
As part of its mission to analyse and support border territories, the MOT is launching a new series of publications dedicated to cross-border monitoring. This first issue is devoted to a key topic: the dynamics of the economy and employment in cross-border contexts, and more specifically the flows of cross-border workers on the French borders. In French only.
At the beginning of October, the French government relaunched negotiations on the unemployment insurance agreement, handing over the reins to the social partners and calling for ‘additional savings of 400 million euros from next year’, while suggesting that the issue of cross-border workers, who ‘receive much higher salaries in certain neighbouring countries, particularly Switzerland and Luxembourg’, should be examined.
On November 4th, 2024, a conference entitled ‘Planning the cross-border functional area’ was held in Luxembourg, organised jointly by AGAPE, MOT, and the Grand Duchy's Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning, with more than 80 participants in attendance.
Each year, the compensation system for cross-border workers represents an additional cost of around 800 M€ for the French unemployment insurance scheme. Following the publication of its report, the Unédic, that manages French unemployment insurance, is calling for a renegotiation of agreements with neighboring countries.
On September 26th, the ‘Sustainable Urban Planning and Development’ Chair at the University of Metz organised a multidisciplinary study day on ‘cross-border living areas’, attended by nearly 150 participants at the Faculty of Law in Metz and online.
For over a year, the MOT has been conducting an experiment on “cross-border living areas”, supported by seventeen partners in five pilot sites. You can now consult the final report and download our infographic of the study's key takeaways. Don't forget to register for our webinar on June 5th!
A Franco-Luxembourg Intergovernmental Commission is due to be held between now and the end of 2024. As part of the preparations, the MOT was consulted twice by French government departments.
"French border municipalities are demanding a tax "contribution" from the neighbouring Grand Duchy. The demand was made on March 8th by a group of elected representatives."
Law 2016-41 of 26 January 2016 on the modernisation of France's healthcare system introduced a new "Regional Health Project" (PRS), maintained in principle, with three new components: a 10-year Strategic Orientation Framework (COS), a single 5-year Regional Health Scheme (SRS) and a Regional Programme on Access to Prevention and Care for the Most Deprived (PRAPS).
As part of the partnership between the MOT and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, represented by its Department of Spatial Planning, the MOT led a Franco-German-Luxembourgian cross-border workshop on January 31st 2024 at the Maison de la Nature du Pays de Sierck (Moselle).
Mobility, public services, health, housing... how can we respond to the cross-border phenomenon between France and Luxembourg? The mayor of Thionville, chairman of the Pôle métropolitain frontalier (PMF), explains what solidarity measures need to be put in place in his area, where 70% of the 120,000 French cross-border workers in Luxembourg are concentrated. READ MORE
For almost a year, the MOT, supported by sixteen partners, has been conducting a "cross-border living areas" experiment on five pilot sites on the French borders: PAMINA Eurodistrict (French-German border), the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis (French-Belgian border), Nord Lorrain - Luxembourg (French-Luxembourg border), Southern Alps - Riviera (French-Italian-Monegasque border) and Franco-Vaud-Geneva conurbation (French-Swiss border)
The 2023-2027 State-Region Plan Contract (CPER) for the Grand Est region provides for more than €2.1 billion in funding for its mobility component.
Note a contribution from the MOT on the "SaarMoselle Trade Study: The importance of cooperation" conducted as part of the MORO project. More information on the MORO project.
In this collection, 22 authors from a wide range of backgrounds were invited to answer key questions to fuel debate in the run-up to Luxembourg's parliamentary elections in October 2023, and beyond, in order to shed light on the country's major challenges. An entire chapter is devoted to cross-border issues, with a contribution from Aurélien Biscaut, Secretary General of the MOT.
In June 2020, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg launched an innovative process: "Luxembourg in transition – Territorial visions for a zero-carbon and resilient future for the functional Luxembourg region". Its aim was to bring together strategic proposals for spatial planning and produce scenarios for ecological transition by 2050 for the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and its border territories.
Every year, Cerema, the Gustave Eiffel University and the STRMTG (Ministry of Transport) organise the "Mobility Days of the Scientific and Technical Network". This year they were held in Metz from July 3rd to 5th.
France has signed the agreement that maintains the possibility for cross-border workers to work remotely for up to 50% of their working time, announced Olivier Dussopt, Minister for Labour, Employment and Integration, in a press release dated June 30th.
The University of the Greater Region (UniGR) and the University of Luxembourg organised the closing event of the Erasmus+ "EurIdentity Certificate" project and the annual conference on higher education and research in the Greater Region on 27 June 2023 on the Belval campus in Esch-sur-Alzette.
At the invitation of the Moselle department and the Metz Eurometropolis, both members of the MOT network, the MOT's annual event brought together almost 150 participants from all across France over the course of two days, on the 27th and 28th of June.
On the border between France, Germany and Luxembourg, the cross-border territory hosting the MOT’s general assembly on June 27th and 28th, 2023, in Metz is a hub for cross-border news, projects and issues. Joint interview with Patrick Weiten, president of the department of Moselle and former member of Parliament, and François Grosdidier, president of Metz Eurometropolis and mayor of Metz.
