Border: France-United Kingdom
Overview
A maritime border
In spite of the maritime nature of the border, the French and British territories on either side of the Channel have developed cross-border cooperation, drawing on a common history, which has been marked, amongst other things, by two world wars. It covers a variety of areas including trade, tourism, the environment, economic development, employment, education and training.
The maritime area of the Channel and its management (marine and coastline) are also the focus of close attention on the part of the border territories. With 20 million passengers crossing it by boat every year, the Channel is the busiest sea-crossing in the world. It is also a space for economic cooperation, a place of cultural exchange and tourism, as well as a vast natural reserve (geological structure and identical landscapes on both sides of the border).
The flows of workers between the border territories, due mainly to the “Eurotunnel effect”, are however small and are primarily from France to Great Britain. According to the latest population census, the United Kingdom received fewer than 300 workers from Nord-Pas de Calais. There are virtually no worker flows in the opposite direction, notably on account of the lack of attractiveness of the coastal regions. The small numbers involved in these flows are attributable both to geographical and economic factors:
- the Channel is an obstacle to the development of close relations, in spite of the existence of the Eurotunnel shuttles and cross-Channel ferries. Indeed, waiting times and loading problems serve as disincentives to most inhabitants of the border regions. As for the Eurostar, the prices charged and the low number of trains per day remains decisive for border cities which favours the (Paris-London) long-distance connection.
- The absence of any significant economic centre in these border regions is an impediment to the emergence of regular cross-border flows.
In spite of these barriers to close cross-border relations, cooperation is being developed through concrete projects aimed at strengthening the ties between the regions on either side of the border. Studies which the Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière has participated in have been carried out towards this objective, such as the study entitled “For more integrated cross-Channel cooperation between Kent and Nord-Pas de Calais” [fr], which was published in 2004 and which aimed to highlight the main development issues in the border regions.
