The Saarmoselle Eurodistrict Takes Off!
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No. 59 - May 2010 Stefan Toscani The SaarMoselle Eurodistrict takes off! Minister of the interior After intensive preparation, the and European affairs SaarMoselle Eurodistrict was of Saarland officially established on 6 May 2010 (Germany) in Saarbrücken. Taking the form of an EGTC, it will broaden and facilitate cooperation between the partners of the SaarMoselle Was it by chance that conurbation, which has 600,000 Robert Schuman, the father inhabitants. of Europe, came from a "seam" region located at Welcomed by Pierre Lellouche, French the heart of the European continent? Probably secretary of state for European affairs, not. Today, as at the time, the common historical and Stephan Toscani, Saarland heritage represents the future prospect of minister of the interior and European Europe as he described it in his declaration of 9 affairs, a large number of elected M60May, 60 years ago. FShFor Schuman, bthboth a representatives, regional figures and Lorrainer and a Luxemburger, the common citizens assembled in Saarbrücken’s Charlotte Britz welcomed minister Pierre Lellouche at cross-border life, like the dividing effect of the official launch ceremony on 6 May in Saarbrücken. French-German garden to bring the borders, was a day-to-day reality. From this Eurodistrict into being. historical knowledge was born a "small Europe" public transport. under the name "SaarLorLux Grande Region". For Charlotte Britz, mayor of Saarbrücken Pierre Lellouche took advantage of this visit The region, with its constituent partners in and new president of the EGTC, "The to the border to meet a delegation from the Belgium (Walloon region and German-language European Union is still just a very abstract border workers defence committee, and community), Lorraine, Luxemburg, Saarland and concept, too distant from its citizens, too Rhineland-Palatinate, is unique in Europe in its bureaucratic and too paternalistic with discussed some highly practical issues with diversity. This uncommon nature is a regard to its member states. Europe can them, for example the lack of mutual consequence of the very broad societal, convince only through actions at regional recognition of levels of invalidity between economic and political roots through which the level, the living and working spaces of its France and Germany (a French doctor in common integration of Europe takes concrete citizens. With the Eurodistrict, the municipal France recognizes 100% invalidity, whereas form in the Grande Region. level will make its contribution to European that is not the case on the German side). Saarland currently holds the presidency of the integration". Pierre Lellouche promised to attempt to "find an amicable settlement so that the 12th Summit of the Grande Region, which is the The event was an opportunity to present the assessments of French doctors are principal gathering of the political leaders in many initiatives of the Eurodistrict. In recognized In Germany". In other matters, regional cross-border cooperation. This federal addition to the projects already implemented the projected "cross-border centre" within Land demonstrates innovation in the practical by the association Zukunft SaarMoselle organization of the cross-border territory. For this Avenir, such as the "Warndt Weekend", the Saarbrücken court of first instance was it can be considered as the most French and - "Velo SaarMoselle" and the museum judged to be "exemplary" and could be according to the conception of Robert Schuman brochure "Ticket", these included the web added to the proposals being prepared by - the most European of the German Länder. guide to cross-border leisure activities, the the French parliamentary commission on The current projects on our agenda at the "Fire Road" and the Way of St. James of cross-border issues. The final report of this summit have been designed to improve the Compostella*. Other projects of the commission should be ready by June. quality of life of the inhabitants of the region in Eurodistrict cover the topics of health and * Further information: www.saarmoselle.fr practical terms. The Border Worker Task Force transport, with as strong point the is an example. Its objective is to increase management of emergencies and local mobility in the cross-border employment market and identify legal and political solutions to the problems encountered by the individuals concerned. A very large number of Europe’s cross-border workers live in the Grande Region: Launching of a European network, the CECICN 200,000 persons there cross a national border every day to go to work in a neighbouring country. The Conference of European Cross- where "the European identity of the citizens The cross-border regions develop in particular border and Interregional City Networks is being forged". (CECICN) was officially launched on 23 where the inhabitants, crossing the borders, can One of the objectives of the CECICN is to meet each other. In this regard, it is mainly the April 2010 in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, where its head office is located. become a preferred contact organization for local level that provides proximity and contact. A the European Commission on territorial few days ago the Saar-Moselle Eurodistrict This conference brings together more than cooperation issues impacting cities within the established an EGTC to give itself one of the 500 cities and towns, with a total population framework of the post-2013 cohesion policy, most effective legal instruments provided at of more than 200 million, located in in a similar manner to the role of the AEBR present by the European Union. It is the first European border spaces. The six founding for border and cross-border regions. time that Saarland is participating in an EGTC. networks are the RIET (Iberian cross-border The new body will organize Saar-Moselle cross- entity network), the MOT, the CAAC The conference also intends to promote new border cooperation between Saarland and (Conference of Atlantic Arc Cities), the cross-border and interregional cooperation Lorraine municipalities with a more practical FAICT (Forum of Adriatic and Ionian Cities actions in key areas such as sustainable emphasis and will be able to overcome the and Towns), Medcities and the UBC (Union development, economic development and administrative obstacles. of Baltic Cities). social and cultural cohesion. It will also be I consider that this new flexibility will be of great able to e ncou rage e xc ha nge o f e xpe ri en ce value, and I hope that our border "laboratory" will According to Xosé Sanchez Bugallo, mayor and good practices between the cities and lead to the formation of as many EGTCs as of Santiago de Compostela, who was the member networks in order to bring possible. Robert Schuman knew it: "Europe will appointed to the rotating presidency of the European city-dwellers closer to European be made by practical achievements". It is up to conference for the first two years, the cities institutions. us, the new generation of European politicians, located on the peripheries and on the to transmit the heritage of Robert Schuman with borders of the European Union are, more courage to the 21st century and ensure its than any other space, places of proximity evolution. No. 59 - May 2010 MOT events The balance sheet of Pyrénées-Atlantiques - Gipuzkoa cooperation Conference and AGM In the Basque country, on the French- Spanish border, the Diputation de Pierre Le llouc he, secretfttftary of state for Gipuzkoa and the Conseil général des European affairs, and Michel Mercier, Pyrénées-Atlantiques have drawn up minister of the rural space and spatial the balance sheet of their planning, will take part in the conference collaboration since the signature of organized by the MOT on 2 June in their cooperation agreement in April Paris on the topic "organization and 2005. funding of cross-border cooperation in Europe". Meeting to draw up this balance sheet, Inaki Galdos, Gipuzkoa’s officer for Fabienne Keller, senator for the Bas- external action, and Jean-Jacques Rhin department, MP commissioned by Lasserre, vice-president of the Conseil these two m in is ters on cross-bdborder général on the French side, affirmed issues, and Marie-Thérèse Sanchez- their determination to pursue the joint Schmid, MEP, will also attend in order to work, while emphasizing the need to present the initial measures identified by Cross-border children’s holidays at Zarautz (Gipuzkoa) in 2009 cooperate with the other cross-border the parliamentary report expected at the organizations of the territory, such as the end of June. This report is being Basque Eurocity and the Euroregional Conference. prepared with Etienne Blanc, MP for the Ain. The balance sheet after five years appears to be very positive. The agreement has given impetus and structure to cooperation and has emphasized six areas: social policy, environment, economic The conference on 2 June and the AGM development, infrastructure and transport, spatial planning, and culture. The cooperation of MOT on 3 June will be chaired by methodology has been based on topic-centred working groups between the departments concerned Mic he l De le barre, MOT pres iden t, and the setting-up of a cross-border technical unit. former minister of state, and MP and mayor of Dunkirk. A number of projects in the territory have been initiated or strengthened, such as the establishment of cross-border children’s holidays, the production of a white paper on the organization of sport in www.espaces-transfrontaliers.eu Gipuzkoa and Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the upcoming opening of a website on cross-border sport* for the promotion of cross-border sporting collaborations, a cross-border coastal trail, an Interreg The results of the Lorea project on oceanography, and a number of actions related to social policy, for example a trilingual baby guide to the rights and obligations of Spanish parents resident in France (and vice URBACT EGTC project versa) and meetings on the management of handicap.