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Cross-border project: SaarMoselle is planning joint spatial development!
The Eurodistrict SaarMoselle is planning a cross-border spatial concept to improve cooperation in the region.
Cross-border project: SaarMoselle is planning joint spatial development!
The future of the cross-border SaarMoselle region is in the balance! An ambitious concept for joint spatial planning is intended to bring the German-French border area closer together. Under the leadership of the Eurodistrict SaarMoselle, the “Spatial planning project for information and observation for a SaarMoselle agglomeration concept” (Prisma) was submitted to the Interreg program. Project manager Anne Galliou emphasizes: “The added value of such a concept is that there will be uniform cooperation at the spatial planning level in the future.” At the end of November, a selection committee will decide whether the project will be funded - the excitement is rising!
The challenge is clear: urban planning often ends abruptly at the border! In its strategy for 2021 to 2027, the Eurodistrict has set out to develop a cross-border agglomeration concept in order to improve cooperation between the six municipal associations on the German and French sides. Galliou explains that at a spatial planning level there is no obligation to inform neighbors. “We want to promote the flow of information on both sides at this level,” she says, emphasizing that large industrial settlements near the border are an exception, where the French state is obliged to provide advance information.
Collect data for the future
Another big problem: There is a lack of central data! To date, there is no coordination point that brings together all relevant information about the Eurodistrict. Important data on mobility, spatial development and climate protection are not tailored to cross-border agglomeration. “We want to paint an overall picture of the border area,” explains Galliou. Seminars on spatial planning topics are planned, which are open not only to strategic partners but also to anyone interested.
In order to realize the project, the Eurodistrict SaarMoselle needs around one million euros. 60 percent will come from the EU program “Interreg VI Greater Region Functional Area Eurodistrict SaarMoselle”, while the remaining 40 percent will be raised by financial partners. Time is of the essence – the course for cross-border cooperation must be set now!