ESI presented at the conference on diplomacy of local authorities (Angers, 23 May 2024)

Published the 23 May 2024

In 2012, the Centre National de la Fonction Publique Territoriale (CNFPT- national centre for local public services), a French institution in charge of the training of local civil servants, organised a series of seminars on the international cooperation of regional or local authorities. The Pas-de-Calais Département took part in the seminar named "diplomacy of local and regional authorities: a tool at the service of dialogue and peace", which was held in Angers on 23 and 24 May 2012, and which presented one of the cornerstones of its policy: increase the visibility, reputation and renown of the Département and the Dover Strait.

Based on the maps drawn by the European Commission, the aim was to demonstrate that the straights of Europe are gateways from one sea to another, as well as one land to another. For example, although the sea has an impact on the Pas-de-Calais area, mining has also strongly influenced the region. The opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1995 had an economic impact that has spread much further than the coastal areas around Calais and Boulogne sur Mer. The Département wished to link the redevelopment of mining areas with the work underway on the maritime front, in order to connect these two fundamental projects in the Département.

The different maps also show that straits play a major role in many fields: maritime safety, the environment, fisheries, culture, tourism and economic activity, mainly ports. However, this sustainable development issue in this specific area is seldom taken into account in public policy. Yet straits are key territories for the European integrated maritime policy and for regional territorial cohesion policy.

In light of this

observation, the network of straits was created in 2009, and in November 2010, the European Straits Initiative was founded. It aims to encourage States, international organisations and European institutions to consider this issue, particularly in the next European programming period, as well as increase dialogue and cooperation projects between local authorities around European Straits.