UniGR-CBS Working Paper Vol.3: Territorial Science Echo: Beschäftigung und wirtschaftliche Entwicklung in der Großregion: differenzierte Wirtschaftsentwicklung und Wirkungen der grenzüberschreitenden Beschäftigung/ Emploi et développement économique au se

Border Region

Europe, Greater Region

Language(s)

Français

Allemand

Type

Note on a scientific paper, a conference paper, etc.

Main Category

Regional Development – Sustainability

Employment – Education – Economy

Introduction

This working paper presents the current research conclusions in the fields of employment, labour market and economic development in the Greater Region; it defines the inherent challenges for the territorial development of the Greater Region.

Summary

The working paper covers the thematic field “work and economic development” by describing the challenges inherent to territorial development in the Greater region. It specifically focuses on industrial history as well as on employment and cross-border work within the Greater Region.

Content

The Territorial Science Echo concept was created in the context of the INTERREG UniGR-Center for Border Studies project in 2018. The UniGR-CBS is a cross-border network of approximately 80 researchers from the six member universities of the Greater Region University who work on borders, their significance and their associated challenges. The Territorial Science Echo is used for the cross-border transfer of innovative spatial planning knowledge which researchers of the Center for Border Studies of the Greater Region University (UniGR-CBS) possess; this pertains to politics, society and public administration, and specifically the integration of current research conclusions in the development process of a regional development concept for the Greater Region (SDT-GR).

The expertise of UniGR-CBS researchers therefore contributes to networking the regional development concept of the Greater Region (SDT-GR) through the INTERREG project. Cross-border regions are particularly adapted to the establishment of comparative approach laboratories and integrative strategies for spatial planning and development. These learning processes regarding spatial planning and development further strengthen ties between the responses of research to evolving framework conditions and the needs of society. The innovative conclusions of the UniGR-CBS researchers are therefore immediately made accessible for the practice of spatial planning and development, which strengthens cross-border governance in the field of spatial planning and consider it from a competitive viewpoint.

It is furthermore planned to make scientific discourses specifically usable for the SDT-GR. To this end, brief summary reports based on the current research conclusions of UniGR-CBS and representing five important thematic fields for the future development of the Greater Region, defined in agreement with the SDT-GR (“demography and migration”- “mobility, transport infrastructures and public transport” – “employment and economic development” – “energy” – “governance and external relations of the Greater Region”) and highlighting the challenges occurring in the Greater Region, were integrated.

These reports were drawn up by teams of authors from the six partner universities of the UniGR in all the thematic fields, with the guideline to present the results in a brief and understandable form and in a concise format (approximately 10 pages per thematic field). In November 2018, a common workshop for UniGR-CBS searchers and the scientific committee assisting in the performance of the SDT-GR, as well as for the parties involved in the Greater Region was organised. This workshop aimed to place the reflection on spatial planning in a scientific perspective. The thematic documents were published as part of the new series of UniGR-CBS working papers.

The dialogue initiated between UniGR-CBS researchers and the parties involved in the Greater Region is experimented through the SDT-GR project and should therefore be strengthened in the long run with the aim to guarantee future tasks related to spatial planning. In this context, it is planned to continue the Territorial Science Echo once INTERREG’s support ends as part of the UniGR-CBS.

Content:

Preface
Introduction
Economic development and border dwelling
- From a common industrial situation to differentiated economic developments
  - An industrial proximity and a common decline
  - Contrasting regional industrial redevelopment policies
  - Contrasting current regional economic dynamics
  - Very different regional labour market situations
- The development of cross-border working
  - Due to economic disparities
  - Due to the presence of borders and border effects
  - Due to the social construction of the cross-border worker status
  - A structural trend which forms a part of local economies
- The impacts of cross-border working on economic development
  - A territorialised regulation factor for labour reserves
  - A territorial dynamism factor
  - Mobility as a resource
  - Limits and negative impacts
Conclusions: Issues and recommendations for the Greater Region
References

Conclusions

The challenges in terms of employment and economic development for the Greater Region are significant and multiple. For future working relations, it will be necessary to adapt work stations and to offer adequate solutions for the continuous training of working-age adults already on the labour market. The effects of ageing processes in society will have an impact on staff availability, as well as on pension funding which will be borne by an increasingly smaller number of workers. Lack of understanding of the neighbour’s language between the Moselle department and the Sarre land will be challenging for French-German mobility.

Imbalances in terms of economic development will have to be avoided, and a win-win situation will have to be maintained.

Given our natural environment, traffic jams, pollution, mobility problems on roads leading to Luxembourg (and coming from Luxembourg at the end of the day) are certainly an area of concern for cross-border mobility.
The challenge also lies with territories, as the reform of French regions has weakened the Lorraine centre of gravity. The diversity of institutional competencies has made cross-border cooperation more difficult, and the new structure on the French side has complicated the scope of the Greater Region.

The development of the legal framework could lead to solutions to certain problems related to cross-border working, for example thanks to the transposition of common definitions (such as regarding compensation in case of invalidity) or common or better-coordinated rules.

From an economic viewpoint, the weak performance near Luxembourg borders should bring up again the need for coordinated and shared economic development, including for the development of additional, non-competitive activities between the different regions.

Key Messages

The cross-border recognition of degrees and vocational training should also be promoted.

A cross-border observatory of existing training courses, qualifications and competencies could help provide better insight into the availabilities (current or future) and needs for all parties of the Greater Region. This could allow for better insight into the quick changes in terms of needs for certain socio-professional changes within companies, and therefore better adapt the different training systems according to these requirements. Information about vocational training (primary and continuous) and qualifications should be centralised in a single observatory in order to increase efficiency.

The possibility of a common financing of vocational training should furthermore allow for the organisation of cross-border vocational training curriculums in line with the shared demands on both sides of the border, as well as linguistic training in the language of the neighbouring region.

The creation of special taxation areas (free zones) or other solutions, allowing for differences between Luxembourg and its neighbours in terms of taxation or labour costs to be addressed, could offer a partial solution.

It is necessary to reduce workers’ reliance on cars and to initiate a change in mentality with regard to transport modes. Offices could also be set up at strategic locations near the border, or monitored remote working schemes could be implemented (e.g. one day per week and per employee).

Lead

Beate Caesar & Karina Pallagst (Technische Universität Kaiserslautern (Hrsg.))

Author of the entry

Beate

CAESAR

Contributions

Peter Dörrenbächer (Universität des Saarlandes), Rachid Belkacem (Universität Lothringen) und Isabelle Pigeron-Piroth (Universität Luxemburg)

Links

https://ubt.opus.hbz-nrw.de/opus45-ubtr/frontdoor/deliver/index/docId/1170/file/UniGR-CBS_Working+Paper+Vol.+3.pdf

Keywords

cross-border work

Labour market