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Cross-border
economic
development
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Territory portraits: economic development on different borders
Initiatives to encourage inter-clustering and the creation of networks
by sector have developed over the last few years:
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for example in the sustainable energy, nautical, agri-business
and liquid silicone sectors on the Basque coast; the healthcare
sector (South Europe Biocluster) in the Pyrenees-Mediterranean
Euroregion
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and the timber sector (the Forespyr EEIG along the whole of the
Pyrenees mountain chain).
A number of sectors have been identified as having potential for cross-
border synergies:
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transport and sustainable energy for the Aquitaine-Euskadi region.
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Water, e-health and agri-business for the Pyrenees-Mediterranean
region.
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Actions have been carried out along the border to improve mutual
knowledge of the respective business sectors and opportunities for
collaboration have been initiated:
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Ì
such as the
Innov’mugabe project
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in the area of Bidasoa -
Southern Basque Country.
Business incubators have also been identified as a potential driver of
cross-border integration, as shown by the Creamed project,
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and of
fostering networks of business incubators in the Pyrenees-Mediterranean
Euroregion.
One sector where certain frictions can be observed is that of construction
and public works. The competition of Spanish companies, especially in
public calls for tender in France, is seen to be unfair by some observers,
who point out that these companies maximise their advantage linked to
labour costs and regulations in an excessive, and even illegal, manner.
Labour market
The Spanish side of this border has been hit hard by the recent financial
crisis, as shown by the rate of unemployment (ranging from 19% in
Catalonia to 12% in the Basque Country, compared with a range from
8.6% in the Midi-Pyrénées to 12.7% in Languedoc-Roussillon
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).
The flows in of cross-border workers across the French-Spanish border
are very small. The number of workers living in France but working
in Spain is estimated at 3,000
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(coming mainly from the Pyrénées-
Atlantiques Department and to a lesser extent from the Pyrénées-
Orientales Department). They mainly work in services, retail and transport.
In the other direction, it is estimated that around 700 cross-border
workers commute to France from Spain, and 1,600 to Andorra.
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Source: Contributions of the CESER Aquitaine project and CES Vasco to the 2014-2020
Strategic Plan of the Aquitaine-Euskadi Euroregion.
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Source: Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion Innovation Strategy.
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Implemented between 2009 and 2013, co-financed by the POCTEFA programme. For more
information:
www.bidasoa-sudpaysbasque.com68
Implemented between 2010 and 2013, co-financed by the SUDOE programme. For more
information:
http://www.eurocreamed.eu69
Source: Eurostat Statistical Atlas, 2011 data.
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Source: INSEE, 2010.
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Source: Department d’Estadistica d’Andorra.
Cross-border meeting “Entrepreneurs without borders” in November 2010,
Bihartean project
Players in cross-border economic
governance
The regions and autonomous communities, some with decision-making
centres located far from the border, carry out their cross-border economic
actions through the two Euroregions.
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The Aquitaine-Euskadi Euroregion
(created in 2011) started
work on is 2014-2020 Strategic Plan in 2014 and each year
finances cross-border economic initiatives through its annual
call for projects.
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The Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion
developed its
innovation strategy in 2013
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.
At the departmental/provincial level, it is important to note the case of
the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques Department
, which is very active in the field
of cross-border cooperation, including economic cooperation. However,
in the current context of changes to territorial authorities’ competences,
the Department’s intervention in this area may well diminish.
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For more information, see the Project Factsheet.
© Bihartean