Jean-Luc Crucke elected President of the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis
On Friday 31 January, the General Assembly of the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis elected Jean-Luc Crucke, Belgian Member of Parliament for the Engagés and Federal Minister for Mobility, Climate and Environmental Transition, as its President for a one-year term.
He follows Martine Aubry, Vice-President of the European Metropolis of Lille and Mayor of Lille, and thus takes the helm of this pioneering body in Europe, which brings together 2.2 million inhabitants and 157 municipalities on both sides of the Franco-Belgian border.
‘The Lille - Kortrijk - Tournai Eurometropolis is a real laboratory for cross-border cooperation between France, Flanders and Wallonia. My objective is to amplify this dynamic by facilitating mobility, encouraging innovation and developing concrete projects to improve the lives of the inhabitants of our territory’, declared Jean-Luc Crucke following his election.
The mission of the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis is to strengthen cooperation between the Lille European Metropolis, Wallonia-Picardy and South-West Flanders on key issues: economic development, cross-border mobility, ecological transition and bringing citizens and institutions closer together.
The priorities of this new presidency include:
- Improving cross-border connections and mobility, with projects such as developing the cycle network and facilitating home-work journeys,
- Strengthening economic attractiveness, by supporting innovation and helping businesses to expand across borders,
- Accelerating the ecological transition, by promoting joint initiatives in biodiversity and natural resource management,
- Proximity and civic involvement, by giving residents a greater say in decision-making and facilitating access to cross-border services.
Jean-Luc Crucke paid tribute to the work accomplished by Martine Aubry as president of the Eurometropole, with the support of her three vice-presidents, Hélène Moeneclaey, Jean de Bethune and Rudy Demotte. Under his mandate, cultural and tourism cooperation has been strengthened, digital initiatives developed and dialogue with citizens intensified.
‘Her commitment has consolidated cross-border links and laid the foundations for even more ambitious cooperation in the future,’ he said.
Jean-Luc Crucke intends to continue the work begun and give new impetus to this essential cooperation between the three sides of the Eurometropole.