Flux RSS Eurometropolis - News

Towards a network of Eurometropolitan smart cities?

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:55:00 +0200

How can we make cities intelligent? Or in other words what needs to be done to improve service levels for city users, be they residents, visitors, tourists or stakeholders, in all Eurometropolis cities? The Eurometropolis and its partners set the scene at the Conference "Smart cities au quotidien" on 24 April in Tournai, where a number of technology experts discussed day-to-day city life: - Bruno Schröder, Vice-President of the Microsoft Innovation Center, who explained the Smart City concept - Pascal Poty, a legal expert on telecommunications and mobile business working at the Walloon Telecommunications Agency - Raouti Chehih, director of Euratechnologies - Chekib Gharbi, director of the CITC (Innovation Centre for Contactless Technologies) - Joost Demarest, Director of the Association KNX - Freddy Vandaele, President of Agoria Smart cities - Bart Noels, from Leylab. Smart cities are cities where everyday players are networked together, making them more efficient in terms of services and more in sync with the needs of their users. This Smart City concept designates a type of urban development capable of meeting the needs of institutions, companies and citizens, whether on a business, social or environmental level. A city can be called intelligent when investments in human and social capital, in traditional communication infrastructures (transportation) and modern ones (ICT) fuel sustainable economic development and a high quality of life. Together with the careful management of natural resources, this is all done via participatory governance. Barcelona, London, Kortrijk, Malaga, Copenhagen are just a few of the cities which have already developed applications serving their users. Helping the city authorities locate littered places using one's smart phone or finding nearby drinking fountains are just a couple of examples of ways of meeting the needs of city users and/or city managers. In many cases it is just a question of finding a simple and low-cost solution to the identified needs. Check the press kit

Inter-institutional EGTC conference and meeting EGTC platform of the 29 March 2012

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:56:00 +0200

On 29 March the "European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation" came under the spotlight, with representatives from different EGTCs and all the European institutions coming together in Brussels to review the new EGTC regulation. Its objective is to facilitate the establishment and everyday functioning of EGTCs throughout Europe. In addition, the practical role EGTCs can play in translating the EU 2020 strategy was looked at. An EGTC is an instrument created for local and regional authorities in different Member States who would like to work together on concrete issues they share. These may include for example ensuring cross-border transportation facilities, access to healthcare, learning languages, etc. 26 EGTCs have now been set up, covering more than 570 local authorities and 22 million citizens. Danuta Hübner, president of the European Parliament's Regional Development Committee, highlighted the Eurometropolis as being the very first EGTC in Europe. At the Brussels meeting, there was consensus on the fact thatEGTCs provided significant added value in the context of finding solutions to the day-to-day problems of border regions. The necessity of approving the EGTC regulation in the short term played a key role, with a view to enabling the changes to come into effect as quickly as possible. Michel Delebarre, rapporteur for the EGTC regulation at the Committee of the Regions, underlined the added-value of EGTCs not just in terms of cohesion policy, but also in other fields such as education or research. In the afternoon workshops, Stef Vande Meulebroucke, Eurometropolis CEO, agreed with this finding, putting forward a concrete proposal to the Committee of the Regions: "It is of vital importance that employees from all European institutions are aware that EGTCs have a role to play in a number of different policy areas. I would therefore like to propose inviting the employees of all EU institutions to a future meeting, giving EGTCs the opportunity to showcase the areas they are active in." This proposal was immediately welcomed by the majority of other EGTCs and by Martín Guillermo-Ramírez, secretary-general of the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR).

The Annual Eurometropolis Mayors' Conference

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 22:10:00 +0100

In what concrete ways can communes work together? Which cooperation projects already exist or are in the course of being implemented? How can links between the communes and the Eurometropolis' thematic working groups be strengthened?
In the course of 2011, the Eurometropolis surveyed the 147 communes within its borders, asking about the expectations of local players and identifying practical and concrete projects as a basis for defining areas of cooperation. The current status is that more than 40% of communes have already answered the questionnaire. Questions looked into relations between the Eurometropolis and the communes on the one hand, and into inter-communal links and projects on the other. These two areas were thus the focal point of the Annual Mayors' Conference. Optimising public relations, sharing projects
In the area of public relations, the survey results showed that a majority of communes had never actually visited the Eurometropolis website (www.eurometropolis.eu) and that only 20% of communes were currently disseminating information on the Eurometropolis. By contrast, 82% of communes were prepared to designate a contact person within their ranks as a way of facilitating and optimising relations with the Eurometropolis. 68% also expressed their desire to be supported in their European approach and work.
In the area of inter-communal cooperation, 2/3 were already engaged in cooperation projects. The main themes the communes wanted to develop and share were tourism, regional development, culture, employment and mobility. Highlighting best practices
Twinning communes, "triads", micro-projects ... there is a whole range of local initiatives available. Carl Vereecke, Mayor of Kuurne, Alfred Gadenne, Mayor of Mouscron and Alain Bernard, Mayor of Bouvines each presented their experience. Since 2002 for instance, Kuurne and Marcq en Baroeul are twinned together and have been involved in joint projects in the areas of sports, business, culture and social affairs. A cooperation charter encourages exchanges between local citizens and clubs. Mouscron and Tourcoing have a 12 km common border. They have together set up cooperation projects in the fields of security, mobility and education. Last but not least, the two communes, Bouvines and Tournai, have come together via an Interreg micro-project and a project focusing on the old Roman road between Tournai and Seclin. As a follow-up to the survey and the expectations expressed by the communes, the Eurometropolis will be putting forward proposals to the 147 communes in early 2012, aimed at bringing them closer together and further increasing the number of cooperation projects.

The Public Contracting Authority Prize of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:43:00 +0200

With the call for applications closing on 31 August 2011, there are just a few days left for public contracting authorities, architects or promoters to submit entries for the first Public Contracting Authority Prize of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. This biennial award is designed to recognise a project backer and a best practice applied within the framework of a public architecture project within the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.

Award-winning buildings open to the public

The prize has been broken down into four categories: "public facilities", "culture, sport and education", "public housing" and "landscaping, transport and public spaces". There will also be a special prize for the "promotion of the integrated approach". The results will be announced on 11 October. The winner of each category will be the subject of a publication compiled by the Architecture Unit of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. In addition, each of the award-winning buildings, with a plaque designating them as such, will be open to the public on 23 October. For more information

Tourist destination: eurometropolitans canals

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:08:00 +0200

Summer is here along the canals and nature is full of surprises ... Ideal for sharing relaxing moments with family and friends!

Picnics, fishing, walks admiring the yachts ... To relax by the water, Eurométropolitans have several kilometers of shoreline welcoming both sides of the border. The urban Marque, long more than 7,5 km, connecting the Deûle at Marquette-lez-Lille at the sluice of Trieste in Wasquehal. Then, the Roubaix canal continues until the Belgian border about 12 km. Then, the Espierre canal runs through the 8403 last meters to the confluence with the River Scheldt ...

Ride the Roubaix's Canal to Espierre's Canal

There are ten kilometers from the center of Roubaix, in France, to the city of Spiere-Helkijn (Espierre-Helchin) in Belgium. For cyclists, hikers and runners, the towpath is flat. Cities succeed: Leers-Nord, Estaimpuis, Saint Léger, then Espierre At Leers-Nord, a halt is imposed at the Maison du Canal ! Animations are available every Sunday ... The most brave can continue on the banks of the Scheldt to reach Tournai and discover a few gems listed as a UNESCO heritage.

Each sunday, the newspaper Nord Eclair presents a cycling route along the canals of Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai.

A multi-level governance of cross-border issues

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:19:00 +0200

On June 15 and 16, the participants in the cross-border cooperation met in Reims to discuss local, regional, national and European matters of the cross-border projects.

While negotiations for the cohesion policy of 2014-2020 are set to begin soon, the participants in the territorial cooperation met on June 15 and 16 in Reims at the general meeting of the Mission Transfrontalière Opérationnelle (MOT the cross-border operational mission). « The MOT's main concern is to ensure that cross-border cooperation is recognised, upheld and strengthened in the new European cohesion policy for 2014-2020 », MOT president Michel Delebarre declared.
Michel Delebarre also emphasised the need to « promote a multi-level governance of cross-border issues ». Today, the cross-border territories and the European level have been mobilised to ensure the success of the European Union. The priority is thus to increase the scope of involvement of the States on both side of the borders.
As regards the Interreg funding, reflection will be undertaken to ensure it is connected to the other European programmes during the next planning period. Philippe Suinen, director general for Wallonie-Bruxelles International, underlined that this funding was of significant importance for the development of cross-border projects.
The two days of discussions also allowed for other subjects to be broached: the implementation of the approaches for observing the cross-border territories, the need to inform the elected officials about the concrete projects of cooperation, and the interest in defining strategies for economic development adapted to every territory, for dissemination of information to the citizens and for getting the citizens to participate, etc

E-campus: Teaming up with Microsoft

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:46:00 +0200

Microsoft is now officially committed to becoming a partner of the Eurometropolitan e-campus, the future centre of higher education dedicated to Internet-based professions and new technologies.

On 8 June 2011, the Wallonia-Picardy economic development board signed a collaboration agreement with Microsoft. In the context of the development of the new Eurometropolitan campus, Microsoft will become a member of the steering committee responsible for the planning and analysis of the work needing to be done to realise this project. "We will be bringing in our know-how, helping to promote a technology-based learning environment", said Jean Philippe Courtois, President of Microsoft International. Further partnerships of a similar scale will soon be signed, ensuring that future students benefit from a state-of-the-art course programme.

First students in September 2011!

The first students are scheduled to start their courses next September. While the e-campus is under construction, the first batch of students will be studying on the premises of the "Negundo" Innovation Centre located at Orcq (Tournai). The students belonging to this first batch come from the digital graphics courses of Tournai's Académie des Beaux-Arts and the e-business section of the Province's Condorcet Haute Ecole.
Subsequent courses will focus on such areas as e-architecture, e-design, e-logistics or e-commerce. Rudy Demotte, president of the Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai, spoke of his ambition to create a whole range of IT graduate courses in the long term. Construction of the e-campus at Camphin-Lamain is expected to start in 2018.

A new president for the Eurometropolis

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 09:33:00 +0200

Martine Aubry, president of the Lille Metropolitan Authority and the Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai, presented the 2010-2011 results of the Eurometropolis...

... At the General Assembly in Tournai on 25 March, before going ahead with the election of the new presidency of the Eurometropolis, as required by its statutes (the president and the three vice-presidents are elected for a one-year term of office). The presidency is held alternatively by a French and a Belgian representative, with the latter alternating between a Dutch-speaking and French-speaking representative.

This saw a new presidency being elected at the General Meeting in Tournai on 25 March, with Rudy Demotte as president and Martine Aubry, Stefaan De Clerck and Gilles Pargneaux as vice-presidents.

The Eurometropolis: partner of the World Basketball Tournament in Tourcoing

Wed, 25 May 2011 10:59:00 +0200

For the second year running, an under-23 Eurometropolitan basketball team sported the colours of the Eurometropolis.

The team was selected by two coaches, a French trainer from Tourcoing and a Belgian trainer from Kortrijk, building on their initial experience gained in 2010. The Eurometropolis supports the tournament, in which 8 teams from different countries competed over three days.

EGTCs in Europe: getting to know each other and sharing experience

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 10:04:00 +0200

The European Groupings for Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs), of which there are currently 15 in Europe, met together in January, first in Lille to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the founding of the Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai, and then in Brussels at the Committee of the Regions. They are now in regular contact with each other, promoting the development of a platform for exchanging best practices, information on specific subjects and monitoring developments within the European Union.

In the wake of the Lille Conference, the Hungarian EU Presidency held a high-level conference in Budapest on 21 - 23 March 2011 focusing on the important role played by EGTCs in Europe and in cohesion policy. High-ranking representatives from European governments, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions held animated discussions with a view to making this new instrument as effective as possible for promoting territorial cooperation and for greater cross-border cooperation. The Director General of the Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai was invited to present his opinion on improving the European Regulation governing EGTCs, along with Ms. Bresso, President of the Committee of the Regions and Mr. Delebarre, president of the COTER (Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy) and policy coordinator of the EGTC platform established at the January EGTC Conference in Lille.