Germany: Cross-border cooperation in Germany's territorial development policy

With the approvalin March 2016 by both the German Länder and the federal level of its "Guiding Principles", Germany is emphasising cross-border cooperation in its territorial development policy.

The document ("Leitbilder und Handlungsstrategien für die Raumentwicklung in Deutschland"), which was adopted on 9 March 2016 by the conference of German ministers responsible for territorial development, now takes account of the potential for European cross-border integration.

The diagram relating to competitiveness along Germany's borders includes "border metropolitan regions" and "areas of enhanced metropolitan integration in border metropolitan regions". It is based on mapping by the IMeG (see below) and statistical work on cross-border functional urban areas.

The legislation on territorial development ("Raumordnungsgesetz, § 26 Zusammenarbeit von Bund und Ländern") states that "the Bund and the Länder can, within the framework of the conference of ministers responsible for territorial development draw up guiding principles for territorial development in Germany and for contexts that go beyond the competence of the Länder". Moreover, the "Bund contributes, in cooperation with the Länder, to territorial cohesion policy in the EU and in the wider European region. The Bund and Länder cooperate closely on cross-border cooperation with neighbouring countries in the area of territorial development".

The legislation also states that the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) "manages an information system on territorial development in federal territory and adjacent areas. The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure makes the information system's findings available to the Länder".