On 21 November 2016, the French and Luxembourgish Secretaries of State for European Affairs, Harlem Desir and Corinne Cahen, presided over the 5th Intergovernmental Commission between the two countries to reinforce cross-border cooperation (CIG).
Cross-border cooperation between France and Luxembourg has considerably intensified since the creation of the CIG in 2010 which has hugely contributed to the integration of border territories through exchanges in diverse sectors.
In the context of a constantly increasing number of French residents working in Luxembourg- with more than 9,000 in the second quarter of 2016, the number has increased by 20% since 2010 and tripled in 20 years- the two parties reaffirmed their dedication to the intergovernmental plan to insure the successful coordination of public policies. They also reaffirmed their devotion to the emergence and implementation of common initiatives aimed at improving the daily life of border residents and to encourage harmonious economic development in this area.
The CIG focuses on the ease of mobility of border workers and both parties have emphasized the importance of collective and sustainable transport in guaranteeing long-term solutions to the growing influx of border workers. From this perspective, there have been several advances since the last CIG, for instance, there has been the implementation of the cross-region Nancy-Metz-Thionville-Luxembourg line, the opening of new bus lines and the recent opening of a road section between Tiercelet and Micheville-Villeruot and one to be opened between Micheville and Belval on 16 December 2016.
Since the last CIG, the two parties also made significant efforts in the youth sector, for instance with their “training without borders” and “Alzette Belval, vivons ensemble!” projects to develop the employability and social and cultural integration of young “school dropouts” and to encourage a real feeling of living together, respectively.
Both the French and Luxembourgish parties expressed their satisfaction with their university cooperation. For instance, French students make up 15% of the overall headcount, thus making them the largest group of foreign students at the University of Luxembourg.
Moreover, both parties signed an agreement on health cooperation which enables the strengthening of cooperation between the two, particularly with regard to the management of border medical emergencies and staff training.
They also agreed to cooperate on nuclear security with the French party taking note of Luxembourgish concerns regarding the potential prolongation of the Cattenom nuclear power plant.
The sixth CIG will take place in France in 2017.
Photo by SIP/Charles Caratini. From left to right: Jean-Luc Bohl, VP, Greater East region; François Bausch, Minister for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure; Corinne Cahen, Minister of the Greater Region; Michel Liebgott, deputy, Thionville-East
