Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai

EGTC & MULTILEVEL GOVERNANCE CONFERENCEGÖDÖLLŐ, MARCH 22ND

STEF VANDE MEULEBROUCKE

GENERAL MANAGER

Introduction

1. The Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai in brief

2. Multilevel governance in practice

3. Proposals for the revision of the EGTC regulation

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The Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai in brief

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Texte françaisTekst Nederlands

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Our mission : ObjectivesCross border forum

Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai:First EGTC in Europe (January 2008)

Our legal basis : 3 elements

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Political organs

Bureau(32 members,

meets 4 times a year)

Assembly(84 members,

meets twice a year)

Presidence (4 members, rotating)

Operational organs

Operational services

Six Thematic Working Groups

Conference of Mayors

(147 members)

Eurometropolis Forum

(60 members)

Civil society

propose

coordinate

consultative decision-making

Implementation of decisions

Governance

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4 main objectives

1. To realise cross-border consistency of the cross-border region

2. To ensure consultation, dialogue and political debate between the partners of the Eurometropolis

3. To enable, set up and realise projects

4. To facilitate the daily life of the inhabitants

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Multilevel governance in practice

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FRENCH SIDE BELGIAN SIDE

State level

State Federal state

Regional level

Région Nord-Pas de Calais Flemish Region/Flemish Community

Walloon Region

French Community

Provincial level

Département du Nord Province of West-Flanders

Province of Hainaut

Intermunicipal associations

Lille Métropole Communauté Urbaine Intermunicipality Leiedal

Intermunicipality wvi

Intermunicipality IDETA

Intermunicipality IEG

14 partners

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Proximity Europe : multi-level governance

1. European level

2. State level3. Regional level

4. Provincial level5. Intermunicipal organisations

Top

down

Bottom up

6. Conference of mayors7. Forum of civil society

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Proposals for the revision of the EGTC regulation

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1. Staff employment

Current situation

- EGTC regulation: staff employment = conditioned by the law of the registered office of the GECT

- Case “Eurometropolis”: French law doesn’t allow for employment of staff under private law contracts of unlimited duration

-=> Problem: national law turns out to be inappropriate in a cross-border context

- Under Belgian presidency of the Eurometropolis: employment of Belgian employees under private law contracts has been made possible

- Recruitment of French employees under private law contracts is only possible for limited duration, private law contracts of unlimited duration remain impossible

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1. Staff employment

Possible solutions

- More flexibility: allow EGTCs to opt for the application of the law of the place where the staff is carrying out its activities

- Explore the possibility to create an employment status that transcends national regulations

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2. Partnership

- Private bodies (such as not-for-profit associations) are often important players in cross-border cooperation

-The EGTC regulation excludes participation of private members as such (unless they can be considered as “bodies governed by public law”)

- The Eurometropolis established a platform (Forum) – which doesn’t form part of the EGTC structure - in order to create a direct link with the civil society

- For new EGTCs to be created in the future, it might be interesting to allow for more flexibility with regard to the participation of EGTCs in the future

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3. EGTCs in a broader perspective...

-The EGTC regulation explicitly mentions the important role of EGTC’s in European territorial cooperation

- BUT: in other policy areas & European programmes too, EGTCs should be recognised as a valuable tool to contribute to European objectives

- Example: Interreg funds recognise EGTCs as eligible project partners, without the need for additional partners, but not all EU calls do so

-Possible solutions:- explicitly specify this in EGTC regulation- beyond the EGTC regulation: make the EGTC broadly known

as a tool to realise EU objectives