1. The History of Cross-border Cooperation in Europe
Case studies of the Upper Rhine
and Franco-Belgian area
Bernard Reitel, Professor of geography, Université d’Arras
Birte Wassenberg, Professor of history, IEP de Strasbourg
Bernard Reitel-Birte Wassenberg

2. Introduction
Cross-border cooperation in the process of European construction: a step-by-step history?
What does Cross-border Cooperation (CBC) mean?
Does the history of CBC follow the same temporal pattern on all border regions in Europe?
A comparison between two « old cross-border regions » of the EU
The Upper-Rhine Valley
The Franco-Belgian Region

3. Cross-border cooperation as a facilitator of peace-building after WWII
Bernard Reitel-Birte Wassenberg

4. The objectives After 1945: maintain peace
Overcome the obstacles of the national border
Contribute to European Integration
Bring together the European people
Birte Wassenberg

5. The bridge of Kehl (1940-45) The « wall » of Kehl (1945)
Bernard Reitel-Birte Wassenberg

6. The bridge of Kehl (1940-45) The « wall » of Kehl (1945)
Bernard Reitel-Birte Wassenberg

7. Franco-German reconciliation
Bernard Reitel-Birte Wassenberg

8. Cross-border initiatives at local level
Bernard Reitel-Birte Wassenberg

9. The Euroregio Gronau (1958)
Regio Basiliensis (1963)
The Euroregio Gronau (1958)
Bernard Retiel-Birte Wassenberg

10. The European Union
Bernard Reitel-Birte Wassenberg

11. INTERREG
Creation of the INTERREG program in 1990, financed by the structural funds (ERDF)
Interreg covers:
All border regions of the European Community (12 members states in 1990) and their external neighbours (ie. Switzerland)
Bernard Reitel-Birte Wassenberg

12. INTERREG 4 generations of INTERREG INTERREG I 1991-1994
INTERREG II
INTERREG III
INTERREG IV
Bernard Reitel-Birte Wassenberg

13. The EU-Interreg IV
Bernard Reitel-Birte Wassenberg

14. The Upper Rhine Region
Birte Wassenberg

16. History A long history of cross-border cooperation since the 60s
Launched by private actors in Basel in the South of the Franco-German-Swiss Upper Rhine Region
The starting point: creation of cooperation associations Regios: Regio Basiliensis (1963), Upper- Rhine (1976) Freiburg (1984)
Birte Wassenberg

17. The institutional cooperation
The Upper Rhine cross- border cooperation was institutionalized in 1975
Birte Wassenberg

18. The Bonn Convention
Creation of an Intergovernmental Franco- German-Swiss Commission for…
… « the study and solution of neighbourhood problems in border regions» (Art.1)
No restrictions of topics to be dealt with
Limitation of the geographical space
Birte Wassenberg

19. Upper Rhine Conference
Creation of the Franco-German-Swiss « Upper Rhine Conference » 1991
Composition:
France: Préfet de Région (but participation of regional authorities, Départements, Région)
Switzerland: Cantons of Basel
Germany: Land Baden-Württemberg, Rheinland- Pfalz
Birte Wassenberg

20. The Upper Rhine Conference
A session of the Conference
Birte Wassenberg

21. INTERREG
Since 1989, the EEC is involved in cross- border cooperation in the Upper Rhine:
With the implementation of a pilot project tested in 10 regions of the EC in 1989/90
The Franco-German Region in the North was a pilot Region (PAMINA Palatinat- Mittlerer Oberrhein, Alsace)
In 1991, two Interreg programs were created: PAMINA and Middle Upper Rhine
The two programs were put together in 2007
Birte Wassenberg

22. INTERREG program(s)
Birte Wassenberg

23. The Eurodistricts
In 2003
Franco-German Summit for the 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Elysée on 22 January 2003 in Strasburg/Kehl
Joint Declaration by Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schröder for a “Eurodistrict Strasbourg-Ortenau”
Birte Wassenberg

24. 40th anniversary of Elysée Treaty
Birte Wassenberg

25. Eurodistrict Strasbourg-Ortenau
2003 : Declaration by the Heads of state
2005 : signature of the convention
2010 : EGTC
Platform for citizen‘s participation

26. Strasbourg-Kehl
Birte Wassenberg

27. The Metropolitan Region
The CB Metropolitan Region: a concept from the European Union
Project launched at the 11. Tripartite Congress in Strasburg : the Upper Rhine a model for economic development (2008) in Strasburg
Birte Wassenberg

28. The pillars of the Metropolitan Region
Representatives from poltical, economic,
scientific and civil society
Experts
Civil Society
Associations
Clubs
Economics
Chambers
of commerce
Trade unions,
Coprorate
Actors
Firms
Science
Universities
Research
Centers
Politics
Upper Rhine
Conference,
Eurodistricts
Council
Birte Wassenberg

29. The Franco-Belgian Area
Bernard Reitel

30. The Franco-Belgian border: an artificial line?
A good example of a peaceful and open border (Lentacker, 1973)?
Non-natural
« Invisible »
Intense and regular interactions
Source:
Bernard Reitel

31. A chronology of cross-border cooperation
Bilateral initiatives during the sixties and the seventies
The « Pôle Economique de Développement » - PED (1985), a CB economic reconversion programme (B-F-L)
Bernard Reitel

32. A chronology of cross-border cooperation
The construction of the Channel Tunnel ( ): more than a link?
The foundation of the Cross-Channel region (1987)
The Euroregion as a EEIG (1991)
The central role of Lille and the neighbourhood areas: the COPIT (1991)
Bernard Reitel

33. A chronology of cross-border cooperation
A « new » Cross- border region: the « Grande Région » (1995)
Bernard Reitel

34. A chronology of cross-border cooperation
The strengthening of cross-border cooperation after 2000
The Brussels Agreement (2002)
The Euroregion: a failure?
3 Interreg Programmes (IVA)
The Two-seas
France-Wallonia-Vlaanderen
Grande Région
Bernard Reitel

35. The Interreg Programs
Bernard Reitel

36. A chronology of cross-border cooperation
New legal frameworks for CBC of EGTC (Lille, 2008; Dunkerque, 2009; Grande Région, 2011)
A CB regional Parc: the Hainaut natural parc certificated « EUROPARC Transboundary Area”
Bernard Reitel

37. Main trends on CBC between France and Belgium
Institutionnalisation: new ways to deepen CBC?
Rescaling
The Western part
From trinational to bilateral relations
From regional to local/metropolitan scales
The Eastern part
From a local and specialized approach to a muli- sectorial (regional/ metropolitan) approach
The extension of the eligible area during Interreg V ( )
University of Victoria, april 2015, 13th

38. Conclusion Long history of cross-border cooperation
Strong political governance structures with legal framework
Mutual influence between cross- border cooperation and European Integration
Birte Wassenberg-Bernard Reitel

39. Thank you for your attention!
Bernard Reitel-Birte Wassenberg