Interreg: these projects that unite the North and Belgium

Since 1989, the Department has been involved alongside the Provinces of West Flanders and Hainaut, in Belgium. The Interreg VI France-Wallonia-Vlaanderen 2021-2027 European program is the latest to link the two regions. Its objective: to improve the well-being of residents living along the 350 km of the Franco-Belgian border.

Working together for the environment

Going beyond the border, returning to geographical and human interests, in particular to face climate change together. Concretely, with the various projects grouped under the name Eutopia, the North and the Province of West Flanders are committed to:

• Work to preserve landscapes. The Clim@Monts project allows concerted management in the North-West Flanders cross-border territory. The partners are developing the creation of welcoming natural spaces for visitors, integrating ecology, culture and history. The developments of the Mont Noir and Mont des Cats parks are part of this.
• Ensure ecological continuity. The Clim@Yseraa project ensures the sustainable and ecological management of several cross-border nature reserves (Audomarois, Yser Valley and Westhoek nature reserve), by mobilizing various stakeholders such as farmers and residents.
• Adapting to climate change together. With Clim@Villes, synergies are created between small towns in the Franco-Flemish cross-border territory. The goal of this project: to face climate challenges together and exchange good practices. The renaturation of college courses is one of the projects made possible thanks to this project.

Promote local tourism

The North and Belgium are also keen to promote their natural heritage and develop innovative and sustainable tourism. Several cross-border projects are underway to:

• Enhance landscapes to make them ideal places for hiking and bivouac. The Clim@TouVert project, which is also part of Eutopia, makes it possible in particular to improve existing pedestrian node networks and to create new ones in Flanders, but also in Hainaut-Cambrésis or Avesnois.
• Make Hainaut-Cambrésis a new tourist destination. It is the objective of the Henriette project (Hainaut-Cambrésis Nature Space and Roaming Networks – Agreement for Eco-responsible Cross-border Tourism).
• Create a tourism experimentation and innovation laboratory. The TourismLab II project aims to strengthen tourist attractiveness on both sides of the border. Thanks to it, the Department will, for example, be able to develop innovative products for visitors to its museums or natural spaces.
• Promote cycle tourism. With the Xtravel Mobility and Xtravel Tourisme projects, a better reception for cycle tourists is under construction. Concretely, this involves deploying new bicycle hub networks in coastal Flanders and in the mining basin, and improving their visibility.