SaarLorLux+ is an European region with a long-standing common history, situated in the core of Europe and comprising the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Région Lorraine (France), the Saarland and adjacent parts of Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany) and the province of Wallonia (Belgium).

The core of the SLL+ area is relatively densely populated with 5.2 million inhabitants while the surrounding territory with its large forests could best be described as rural. SaarLorLux+ is characterised by a polycentric urban structure dominated by six cities: Metz, Nancy, Saarbrücken, Kaiserslautern, Trier and Luxembourg - none of which have the qualities of a metropolitan city. From this structure the idea to strengthen the importance of the area by creating a city network for SLL+ developed.

As politicians and planners have identified co-operation and networking as important tools to meet new demands in spatial planning within the elaboration of the spatial development concept for SaarLorLux+ specific aspects of crossborder co-operation have been analysed.

The intensification of co-operation and networking is of special interest to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg because of the small size of the country. Multiple and complex liaisons with adjacent regions in the neighbouring countries developed quite early and were intensified with the enormous economic growth in the Grand Duchy leading to an increase in population and crossborder commuters. New approaches are required to meet the modified challenges and opportunities.

Within the spatial development concept for SaarLorLux+ from the year 2002, existing co-operation projects and networks in various fields have been analysed. In general three different types of crossborder co-operation occur:

1. Regional crossborder co-operation between towns and cities

2. Local crossborder co-operation between adjacent territories

3. Task-related co-operation

A potential crossborder network of six major cities has been identified in order to benefit from synergistic effects and to strengthen the internal and external image of the SaarLorLux+ area.

The objectives of the co-operation of the four cities are the preparation, elaboration and realisation of common projects, in particular in the areas of telecommunication and new media. This co-operation, besides exploiting existing infrastructures and services of the partner cities in a more efficient way, will strengthen the performance and enhance the competitiveness of the region.

The elaboration of projects currently concentrates on the following subjects:

1. Establishment of a connection between local high-speed data network of the different cities in order to improve quality and quantity of data exchange within this common network

2. Website of QuattroPole / internal communication of QuattroPole

3. Tourism and culture

4. Teleworking, QuattroPole-Card, promotion of economic development...

Due to the spatial distance between the involved cities the improvement of infrastructures for telecommunication and new media is indispensable for the cultural and economic development of the region.

One pilot project is QuattroNet connecting the four cities with a high-speed data network allowing connections of high quality. For a point-to-point connection between the operators' main Pop (Point of Presence) and any two cities a crossborder fee comparable with regional fees will be charged in order to lower the expenses for clients.

Local crossborder co-operation between adjacent territories also has an important function in terms of developing a feeling of solidarity within SaarLorLux+.

Due to military reasons, for a long time border territories have been considered as peripheral locations turning their backs on each other. The establishment of the common European market allowed a better economical integration of these territories and enhanced the need for co-operation especially in the field of transportation.

A promising project for local crossborder co-operation is the PED (Pôle européen de développement), an agglomeration consisting of 25 municipalities situated in Belgium, France and the Grand duchy of Luxembourg. In 1996 for example, a cross-border association was founded under the leadership of regional and national administrations in order to carry out a common spatial development policy especially in the field of housing and transportation. A geographical information system (GIS) has already been introduced as well as a city development agency named AGAPE (www.agglo-ped.org).

Furthermore cross-border co-operation between adjacent territories is quite well developed in the agglomeration Saarbrücken / East Mosel. Several projects supported by Interreg funding concentrate on various aspects, i.e. economic, tourism, cultural and socially-orientated projects. In economic terms the project EUROZONE, a cross-border industrial estate between Forbach and Saarbrücken, should be mentioned. In the field of public transportation cross-border connections are offered by the local tramway (‘Saarbahn’) and public buses.

Due to the increasing mobility of households and a strong demand for housing in the South of the Grand Duchy the French-Luxembourgish agglomeration Esch-sur-Alzette/Villerupt/ Audun-le-Tiche was developing. In the beginning of the nineties a crossborder study was elaborated dealing with urban development, transportation problems, cultural heritage and industrial fallow land. Currently Interreg funding plays an important role with regard to the co-operation process. The development of the former industrial estate ‘Belval’ - where in the long term the creation of 20.000 jobs is envisaged - demands joint and co-ordinated strategies to deal with the effects of this project.

In rural areas especially along the borders of Luxembourg with Germany and Belgium a major field of co-operation has been the linkage of bordering natural reserves.

Additionally a task-related network of co-operation activities within SaarLorLux+ has been carried out by socio-economic actors (mainly situated in the cities) to support the implementation of city networks. Current fields of crossborder co-operation are:

1. Information and consulting services provided by the chambers of industry and commerce as well as the chambers of trade.

2. Co-operation of universities in terms of education and research

3. Establishment of a network of consultants and relevant institutions to give advice on crossborder employment demand and requirements.

4. Organisation of cultural crossborder events like festivals and an exchange of theatre companies

5. Co-operation in the health sector, i. e. between hospitals

6. Co-operation of research institutes to simplify transfer of research results and the implementation of new technology

Besides the crossborder co-operation aspect, networking within the national boundaries of the Grand Duchy has become more and more important because increasingly cities and municipalities are confronted with tasks which can’t be resolved by themselves. These issues are based on very complex problems which surpass the municipalities’ administrative and spatial influence.

This is especially the case for the capital city of Luxembourg and the surrounding municipalities where urban development has clearly surpassed administrative borders due to an ongoing sub-urbanisation process. As about 70% of all jobs in the country are concentrated on the territory of Luxembourg city, commuters from within and beyond the country cause transportation problems for the city and the neighbouring municipalities.

The increasing intensity of functional connections between municipalities require more inter-municipal efforts for co-operation. In order to promote co-operation between municipalities the national Department for Urban and Regional Planning introduced six planning regions in the Grand Duchy and obliged them to work out a regional planning document of binding character for the concerned municipalities.

These regional plans will also have to adopt the prescriptions of the national concept for the development of transport and space (IVL = Integratives Verkehrs- und Landesentwicklungskonzept) that should serve as a basis for the sustainable spatial development of the country especially in terms of transportation and housing.

An important element for the success of co-operation and networking is the identification of promising tasks for co-operation. Not all tasks seem to be suitable for co-operation especially when competition plays an important role. One important step which corresponds to the identification of co-operation tasks is how to implement them. Furthermore the organisational structure of the network and the ‘rules of the game’ on which co-operation are based form the key factors of success.

From experience we learned that there has to be a common interest of all partners. The expectation of being able to draw an advantage from the co-operation serves as a major motivation for an active participation. In order to launch a network, tangible projects have to be worked out and implemented. Therefore it can be stated that co-operation and networking is a promising approach, but it’s also an instrument which should be used in a very distinctive way.

Arbeitsgemeinschaft Raumentwicklungskonzept SaarLorLux+ - Institut für ländliche Strukturforschung (IfLS) (2002): Raumentwicklungskonzept SaarLorLux+ / Schéma de développement de l’Espace SaarLorLux+.- Luxembourg