Germany –Visit by Amélie de Montchalin for the inaugural session of the Franco-German Cross-Border Cooperation Committee (Hambach, 22 January 2020)

To mark Franco-German Day and the first anniversary of the signing of the Aachen Treaty on Franco-German Cooperation and Integration, Amélie de Montchalin, minister of state for European affairs, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will travel to Hambach, in the Rhineland-Palatinate, to co-chair the inaugural session of the Franco-German Cross-Border Cooperation Committee with her German counterpart, Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth.

Established under the Aachen Treaty, this committee aims to support and strengthen cross-border cooperation by providing concrete solutions to the problems that residents of border areas may encounter in their daily lives in the areas of transportation, jobs, and development. The committee is made up of representatives of the government and border communities, and parliamentarians of both countries.

At this inaugural session, Amélie de Montchalin and Michael Roth will launch committee work dealing with the reciprocal recognition of environmental stickers for vehicles in metropolitan areas and more flexible conditions for participating in cross-border athletic events.

During her visit to the Rhineland-Palatinate, the minister will also meet some 50 French and German high school students engaged in a training program, as part of a “Day of Discovery” organized by the Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO). This program allows middle school and high school students to learn about the business world in a French-German context, and to meet with political and cultural figures from both countries. More than 50,000 young people have taken part since 2006.