EGTC

Lille Kortrijk Tournai Eurometropole

60’

40’80’

Lille Metropolitan Area

Eurometropole

France

Flanders

Wallonia

Halluin (France)

Menin (Belgium)

Comines (France)

Comines-Warneton (Belgium)

Key Figures

- surface area : 3 544 km²

- population (Eurometropole) : 2,032 millions inhabitants in

an Metropolitan area of 3,5 millions inhabitants

- density of population : 574 inhabitants/km²

= the biggest uninterrupted cross-border conurbation in

Europe

Key dates of the cross-border cooperation

1991 : setting up the COPIT (Cross-border Standing Conference of Inter-municipal Organisations)

1990-1995 : first projects with INTERREG

fundings (13 buslines, 5 FB Sewages)

1998-2002 : Building a FB Strategy for the

Metropolitan area

WVI

LMCU IDETA

LEIEDALIEG

2002-2006 : towards a new governance

2002 : signature of a French-Belgian Treaty for the cross-

border cooperation between local authorities

2005-2006 : Working group composed of 12 members of

the French and Belgian Parliaments (6+6)

June 2006 : proposal to build up a cross-border

governance with 14 members : Eurodistrict

French side

StateRegionDépartementIntercommunal localauthority

Belgian side

Federal StateRegions and CommunitiesProvincesIntercommunal groupings

2006-2008 : 18 months to build a EGTC

July 2006 : EGTC Regulation

28 November 2006 : First meeting of the Comité Constitutif

with elected representatives of the 14 members

19 March 2007 : Common declaration for the setting up of

the Lille Kortrijk Tournai Eurometropole

October 2007-January 2008 : Official decisions of the 14

members to join the EGTC

22 January 2008 : Creation of the legal body by the French

Regional Prefect

2006-2008 : 18 months to build a EGTC

28 January 2008 : First Assembly meeting :

- election of the Board, the President, the 3 Vice-

Presidents,

- vote of budget for 2008,

- creation of the two first positions : Director and Assistant

Eurometropole Area

Projected budget for 2008-2009-2010

2008 : 989 900 €

2009 : 1 493 300 €

2010 : 1 485 300 €

Incomes

50 % France 50 % Belgium

LMCU : 25% Belgium FL : 21,43 %

Région : 10% Belgium W : 21,43 %

Département : 10%

State F : 5 % State B : 7,140 %

Two main operating principles

1) Parity between France and Belgium, then within Belgium, between French-speaking and Dutch-speaking regions

2) Application of the French/Dutch bilingualism

Tasks (no transfer of competences)

• ensuring concertation, dialogue and promoting political debate

• producing cross-border consistency throughout the entire territory

• facilitating, managing and realising projects

• facilitating the daily life of the inhabitants

OrganisationExecutive Management Committee :1 President

+ 3 Vice-Presidents

Executive Authority : Board

(32 members)

Assembly

(84 members)

Cross-Border Agency

Administrative and technical tool

Added value of the EGTC

- a public body with 14 local, regional and national

authorities combining all competences

- a new space for technical and political dialogue

to build up a coherent strategy of development

- the possibility of managing European projects as

only partner

Next steps

- Recruitment of the director and the

workingforces of the Agency (10)

- Operational workingprogram

- Building a European network of cross-border

conurbations

Lille Métropole Communauté urbaine

Direction Générale des Relations Internationales