On 9 December 2014, the MOT took part in a meeting of the CoR as part of the evaluation of its three platforms: the EGTC Platform, the Europe 2020 Monitoring Platform and the Subsidiarity Monitoring Network.
After the launch in 2008 of the first French-German rapid intervention facility on the Rhine – the "Europa 1 fire-boat" – the Fire and Rescue Service of the Bas-Rhin Department has worked for five years on the implementation of a new INTERREG project focused on the training of rescue services in the Upper Rhine in combating river-related risks.
“Cooperation and partnership are the only route that offers any hope of a better future for all humanity.” Kofi Annan, politician and former Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The first call for proposals under the 2 Seas Programme (2014-2020) between France and the United Kingdom has been launched (deadline for the first stage: 15 February).
The cross-border chamber of commerce for the Basque Country, BIHARTEAN, and the Euskadi Institute of Competitiveness, ORKESTRA, have for more than a year been implementing a cross-border interclustering initiative, recognised as a project of Euroregional interest by the Aquitaine-Euskadi EGTC*.
The cross-border labour market was the leitmotif of the event held on Thursday, 27 November 2014 by the REGIO PAMINA Eurodistrict and the social enterprise Neue Arbeit in Lauterbourg. Around 60 French and German players from the political sphere, administration and economy came together to take part in two roundtables on this topic.
This year of 2014 has been a difficult one for "Greater Geneva".
As 2014 draws to a close, the technical work to update the report of the French-Belgian parliamentary working group (GTPFB), initiated by the prefecture of the Nord-Pas de Calais Region, is being finalised. This initiative has benefited from the support and expertise of the MOT.
Following the General Affairs Council, Michel Lebrun, the President of the Committee of the Regions, saluted the efforts made by the European Council and the European Commission to speed up the adoption and implementation of partnership agreements and operational programmes within the framework of cohesion policy.
At this meeting entitled "A la recherche du bien commun territorial" ("The search for the territorial common good"), held on 17-18 November 2014 in Paris, a workshop was devoted to an international topic: "Sustainable metropolises in the European and international urban agenda", in which the MOT took part.
Jean Peyrony, the MOT's Director General, took part in the 10th conference entitled "Cross-border cooperation: Russian Federation, European Union and Norway", which took place in St Petersburg on 14 November 2014.
The thesis is about the differences in social security systems and taxes in the European Union’s context (looking at the selected country cases) and how these affect the income of individuals who reside in one country, but commute daily or weekly to another country for work, while keeping their residence place constant (called ‘frontier workers’).
In France, the Government and the regions launched the 2014-2020 programming period for European funds at a seminar held in Montpellier on 14 November 2014, in the presence notably of Sylvia Pinel, the Minister of Housing, Territorial Equality and the Countryside, and Harlem Désir, the Secretary of State for European Affairs.
As part of its project on cross-border economic development, co-financed by the technical assistance programme Europ’Act, the MOT held two workshops on 27-28 October in Paris in order to prepare the drafting of two handbooks on this topic.
On 27 October 2014, the two member institutions of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), set up in 2011 by the Pyrénées Atlantiques Department and the Government of Aragon, inaugurated the Espace Pourtalet Centre, the first concrete result of the work carried out by the EGTC. Located in a converted former Spanish customs house, this new facility comprises a cross-border snow-clearing centre and a cross-border resource centre.
On 4-7 November 2014, in Arras, Lille and Mons, the BRIT's 14th international conference1 was held. The aim was to contribute, in a cross-disciplinary approach, to collective reflections on innovations related to border and cross-border dynamics.
On Wednesday 22 October, the NOSTRA (Network Of STRAits) project was closed in Brussels. NOSTRA is a European cooperation project led by the Pas-de-Calais Department. The 16 partners along 8 straits, from North to South, including the Danube delta, share the objective of preserving the biodiversity and natural heritage of their territories, while also highlighting their common concerns: governance, the environment, tourism, mobility and maritime safety, etc.
The members of the MOT's network met in Paris on 15 October 2014 for a day of exchanges about their wishes and needs with respect to the MOT's activities and objectives.
In April 2014, the European Parliament adopted a draft regulation on the ending of roaming charges for mobile phones in Europe.
The AEBR is working on a position paper regarding the sixth cohesion report published in July 2014 by the European Commission.
2nd EUChatREGIO: European Cross-border cooperation: Collecting information on remaining obstacles at EU internal borders
The 12th OPEN DAYS, European Week of Regions and Cities, took place from 6 to 9 October 2014 in Brussels, bringing together some 6000 persons from the whole of Europe. There were many workshops on European territorial cooperation.
The CESCI, the MOT and INFH co-organised the 2nd European Seminar on cross-border territorial observation on 30 September 2014 at the Institut français de Budapest in Hungary.
Taking place on 28 September 2014 between Berus (Überherrn, Saarland) and Berviller-en-Moselle (Lorraine) as part of the annual event of the Interreg IVA Greater Region Programme and the 10th anniversary of the Interreg PIG (Public Interest Group), the cross-border walk attracted 170 persons, partner authorities and project operators accompanied by their families, from Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and France.
Europe’s first cross-border hospital opened its doors on 19 September 2014 in Cerdanya, on the French-Spanish border.
