The SaarMoselle Eurodistrict, which has been a member of the MOT network since 2005, answers our questions about a subject at the heart of local life in the cross-border living area.
125 cross-border projects were officially approved at the plenary session of the Collectivité Européenne d'Alsace (CEA) held on December 8th. The topic of energy took center stage!
On December 14th, 2022, the closing conference of the first Franco-German spatial planning pilot project (MORO) was held in Strasbourg, with Jean Peyrony, director general of the MOT, and other experts sharing their knowledge at several round tables.
The constitutive meeting of the "Cross-border territorial observation" working group (GT/OTT) of the French-German Cross-border Cooperation Committee (CCT) was held in Strasbourg on December 15th under the co-chairmanship of the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) and the National Agency for Territorial Cohesion (ANCT).
On November 23rd, 2022, the Saarland, the Grand Est region, the Moselle department and the Saar-Moselle Eurodistrict signed an alliance designed to join forces to facilitate access to healthcare for the populations in the border regions.
The gradual conversion of a quarry in Saint-Louis, close to the French, Swiss and German borders, offers a promising opportunity for the agglomeration.
Published in paper format in 2020, this major publication, to which the MOT contributed, is finally available online.
Impact analyses, provided for in the Franco-German Treaty of Aachen and carried out when new standards are drawn up, could make it possible to avoid future obstacles to cross-border cooperation and the complexities of everyday life for the inhabitants of border areas.
In the Franco-German region of Strasbourg-Kehl, the municipalities are in the process of implementing a flagship cross-border cooperation project for the extension of urban heating networks. Soon, the waste heat from the local steel mill will supply thousands of households on both sides of the Rhine.
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the European Archaeological Park of Bliesbruck-Reinheim, its two historical partners, the Department of Moselle and the Saarpfalzkreis, have initiated an in-depth reflection to make this site "a laboratory for local Franco-German cooperation."
On 23 September 2022, the closing ceremony of the project "PAMINA Care Services" took place. Concrete and promising results were presented by the PAMINA Eurodistrict, the project leader, as well as by the project partners (hospitals, health insurance funds, ARS, Landkreise, etc.).
On October 14th, the Prefect of Moselle gathered the Local Committee for Territorial Cohesion (CLCT). On this occasion, a participatory approach was proposed to the various participants, via the organisation of five working groups, the objective of which was to identify the engineering needs of local authorities, the existing solutions, and to promote the exchange of good practices and feedback from the field.
Following the modification of the French sports code (article L231-2-1) by the 3DS law of February 21st 2022, sportsmen and women residing abroad, and in particular in a country bordering France, no longer need to present a medical certificate when registering for a sports competition organised partly in a French border department.
This study on planning and permits regarding projects for sites intended for major retailers in the SaarMoselle Eurodistrict, on the Franco-German border was carried out by the MOT and the German consultancy Junker+Kruse, for the Saarbrücken Regionalverband.
"70 people aged 2 to 87 who live, work or enjoy their time in the Strasbourg Eurometropolis or in Kehl, share their views on what constitutes the cross-border living area, the influence of restrictions on crossing the border during the health crisis and their aspirations for the future."
On 12 July 2022, Brigitte Klinkert, member of parliament for Haut-Rhin (FR), questioned the French government in the National Assembly on "the place of cross-border cooperation in the negotiations conducted under the French Presidency ». Specific provisions will be included in the revision of the Schengen code.
Close to the Franco-German and Franco-Luxembourg borders, Bouzonville and Sierck-les-Bains are drawing up their cross-border goals with the help of the MOT.
Focus on two border initiatives at the heart of the European project.
Sandro Gozi, MEP, Jean de Béthune, President of the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis, and Christoph Schnaudigel, President of the PAMINA Eurodistrict, talk to us about governance – a crucial subject at the centre of the second day of the Borders Forum. Register now as places are limited! You can also access the event's press kit.
The Saarbrücken Regionalverband has just published a study on planning and permits regarding projects for sites intended for major retailers in the SaarMoselle Eurodistrict, on the Franco-German border. This assignment was carried out by the MOT and the German consultancy Junker+Kruse.
The Greater Region’s Cooperation Fund has been extended by the Greater Region Summit with a new call for projects. Its aim: "To bring the inhabitants of the Greater Region closer together and to enable them to experience the richness of exchanges across borders".
In order to strengthen its presence in the territories through ad hoc regional offices, on 14 March the MOT held its first session in Strasbourg.
The Franco-German Cross-Border Cooperation Committee met on 12 March in Strasbourg, under the co-chairmanship of Clément Beaune (France), Minister of State for European Affairs, and Anna Lührmann, Minister of State for Europe and Climate (Germany). The MOT officially took part in the meeting as a Committee "expert".
In January 2022, the Summit of Greater Region Executives took stock at the midpoint in France’s presidency, particularly with respect to the industrial, digital and energy transitions, flood and drought risk prevention, food and promoting short supply chains, culture, youth, sport and tourism, healthcare and security.
According to a study by INSEE that has just been published, average GDP growth in the Grand Est Region is the second lowest among mainland France’s regions, after Burgundy- Franche-Comté: "In the region, per capita GDP totalled €28,300 in 2017, which was €1,200 lower than the average for provincial France. […] One explanation for this is the greater increase in the number of cross-border workers than of workers in employment.
