Franco-Luxembourgish Commission Signs New Agreements at 8th Cross-Border Cooperation Meeting

On Thursday 11 December 2025, the Franco-Luxembourgish Intergovernmental Commission for Strengthening Cross-Border Cooperation (CIG) held its eighth meeting in Luxembourg.

According to Luxembourg's government ministries, the Luxembourg delegation was headed by Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, while the French delegation was headed by Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

Also present for Luxembourg were: Claude Meisch, Minister of Education, Children and Youth, Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning; Yuriko Backes, Minister for Mobility and Public Works; Gilles Roth, Minister of Finance; Martine Deprez, Minister of Health and Social Security; Léon Gloden, Minister for Home Affairs; and Stéphanie Obertin, Minister for Digitalisation, Minister for Research and Higher Education,

The agreement establishing the CIG was signed on 26 January 2010 for a ten-year period and was extended in 2020 for another ten years. In a highly integrated cross-border area such as the Greater Region, this intergovernmental framework remains essential for addressing the evolving needs of the region, Luxembourg's ministries noted. The objective is to pursue cooperation based on co-development and attentive to the concrete realities of citizens living and working on both sides of the border.

In a context marked by shared challenges, the CIG emphasised the importance of continuously deepening bilateral cooperation. It noted progress made since the previous meeting and stressed the need to maintain momentum in key areas such as mobility, health, education, early childhood, higher education, civil protection, emergency services and spatial planning.

Both parties agreed to meet again for an intergovernmental commission meeting during the second half of 2026.

According to Luxembourg's ministries, this meeting also resulted in the signing of the following bilateral agreements:

• a declaration of intent to strengthen cooperation between France and Luxembourg by establishing a working group to develop a strategic cross-border spatial planning framework;
• an additional protocol to the Franco-Luxembourgish cross-border territorial framework agreement on health cooperation of 19 October 2021, concerning dermatology consultations in Luxembourg (excluding oncology and cosmetic procedures) for patients in the territories of the CPTS of Thionville Est (57), Moselle Trois Vallées (57) and Pays Haut (54);
• a declaration of intent between Luxembourg's Minister of Health and Social Security and Minister for Home Affairs and France's Minister of Health, Families, Autonomy and People with Disabilities concerning cooperation in the field of health and emergency medical-psychological care;
• a protocol amending the agreement between the French and Luxembourg governments concerning assistance and cooperation in the field of civil protection and security, originally signed in Paris on 26 May 2015;
• a declaration of intent between Luxembourg's Minister for Home Affairs and the French Minister of the Interior concerning the creation of a working group on cross-border volunteer firefighters;
• amendment No. 2 to the additional protocol concerning scientific and academic cooperation between the Luxembourg and French governments, signed in Paris on 20 March 2018.

French Minister Benjamin Haddad, who did not participate in the joint press conference after the meeting, commented on social media that "127,000 French citizens cross the border every day to work in Luxembourg, contributing to the economic growth of the greater region". He added: "Transportation, healthcare, childcare, remote work: we are working to simplify their lives. This was the focus of today's intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg, a progress review to continue making concrete progress on these issues. Expectations are high, and we must deliver by 2026."