Back Strasbourg Declaration on cross-border co-operation - AEBR, MOT and CESCI sign a co-operation agreement

Strasbourg Declaration on cross-border co-operation - AEBR, MOT and CESCI sign a co-operation agreement

“Frontier regions play a crucial role in European integration and cohesion, notably through transborder cooperation” declared Congress Secretary General Andreas Kiefer during the signing ceremony of a cooperation agreement between the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR), the Central European Service for Cross-Border Initiatives (CESCI) and the Mission Operationnelle Transfrontaliere (MOT) held under the auspices of the Congress, on 7 October 2021. The Declaration, signed by the Presidents of the three associations respectively Karl-Heinz Lambertz – also member of the Congress, Zsuzsanna Fejes and Christian Dupessey aims at reinforcing their co-operation and synergy along the internal and external borders of the EU, in the context of the COVID-19 crisis which has jeopardised economic activity and prevented the free movement of people across the EU's internal borders.

“A third of Europe’s citizens live in border areas and out of the 362 regions registered by the Council of Europe in its 47 member States, more than 140 are transfrontier regions,” stressed Andreas Kiefer, underlining that the Congress, as an organ in the Council of Europe, has for many years been a pioneer in developing this cooperation.

In 2013, the Congress adopted a report on Prospects for effective transfrontier cooperation, highlighting the challenges stemming from the collaboration between individual and institutional actors coming from different politico-administrative systems. Another report on Autonomy and borders in an evolving Europe, adopted in 2016, focuses on the principles, frameworks, and procedures for protecting and modifying status, competences and borders of sub-national entities within domestic law. More recently, in 2019, the Congress adopted a report on the Fair distribution of taxes in transfrontier areas: Potential conflicts and possibilities for compromise to harmonize the use of burden-sharing methods among local and regional authorities.

The Declaration also builds on the European Alliance for Cross-Border Citizens, an initiative launched in November 2020 by AEBR, MOT and CESCI, with the support of the European Committee of the Regions.

 Strasbourg Declaration

 Communication by Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière

 Communication by the Association of European Border Regions

 Photo Gallery

 Video of the event

Co-operation Strasbourg, France 7 October 2021
  • Diminuer la taille du texte
  • Augmenter la taille du texte
  • Imprimer la page