With this European legal form, the Eurodistrict, which had only existed as a cooperation since July 2006, can be restructured and equipped with financial and human resources. The aim is to effectively implement cross-border projects in the areas of mobility, labor market, student and citizen encounters, sports and culture, healthcare, energy and tourism for citizens in the region.
The area of the Eurodistrict covers from Sélestat to Mulhouse on the French side and the Freiburg region on the German side around 5,200 square kilometers with 344 municipalities in the heart of Europe. A total of around 1.2 million people live here, each divided equally between the two sides of the Rhine. The European legal form as an EGTC also enables the two departments and the Grand Est region to be accepted as members on the French side.
The following regional authorities are members of the EGTC: On the German side, the city district of Freiburg, the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald and the district of Emmendingen, on the French side of the Pôle d’équilibre territorial et rural (PETR) Sélestat-Alsace Centrale, the PETR du Pays Rhin -Vignoble-Grand Ballon, the Communauté d’agglomération Colmar Agglomération, the Communauté d’agglomération Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération, the Département du Haut-Rhin, the Département du Bas-Rhin and the Région Grand Est.
Hanno Hurth, District Administrator of the Emmendingen District and President of the Eurodistrict for almost 3 years, thanks “everyone involved for their support on the way to the new European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation. With this new start for our Eurodistrict we want to intensify the Franco-German cooperation for citizens, associations and institutions. Due to the completed territorial reform in France, the end of the Interreg funding period and the strengthening of the Eurodistrict through the Aachen Treaty, it was time to make our Eurodistrict more sustainable and effective. These days the Corona crisis clearly shows how intensely we are dependent on each other in the border area and that we can also support each other. “
“The new legal framework enables us to set up our own office with staff and budget,” added Gérard Hug, President of the Communauté des Communes Pays Rhin-Brisach and French Vice President of the Eurodistrictes. “In the future, we will also be able to apply for EU funding and cooperate on larger projects. We are also closing the blank spot on the map of the Eurodistricts north and south of the Upper Rhine and are looking forward to the opportunities to work with our neighbors and friends on the other side of the Rhine. ”
The Eurodistrict Region Freiburg-Center et Sud Alsace will be located in the new French-German cultural center Art’Rhena of the Communauté de Communes Pays Rhin-Brisach on the French Rhine island near Breisach. From the middle of the year, hiring of staff for the office is planned.
The participating local authorities worked out and approved the statutes and the cooperation agreement before they were submitted to the Freiburg Regional Council and then to the Prefecture of the Grand Est Region for legal validation. The approval now enables a more intensive type of cross-border cooperation, the benefits of which have largely been proven in times of the health crisis.
–
