Is the Channel Arc Manche an invention of bureaucrats?

The Channel Arc Manche Assembly comes from the initiative of local representatives and executives from both sides of the Channel. It aims to promote the Channel area as a specific and a coherent entity for territorial co-operation at European Union level and to gain recognition from European, national and local stakeholders. It allows them to share experiences and best practices and intends to strengthen Franco-English cooperation in relevant areas.

It is not a regional assembly nor a government instrument but a flexible network for all stakeholders who wish to get involved in the management of coastal and maritime issues such as security, economic and sustainable development, or even tourism in the Channel area.

To learn more about Channel Arc Manche's history you can visit this page.

Is this cross-border cooperation not going to undermine and threaten the existence of national and regional identities?

It is the opposite! By reinforcing Franco-English dialogue and cooperation, Arc Manche aims to value the territories of the Channel area and put emphasis on their specificities in order to make them more visible to the EU, Member-states and stakeholders.

One of the main objectives of regional policy in the EU is to preserve and promote the diversity of regions / territories in Europe and within Member-states. Hence why European funding allocated to cross-border cooperation projects is managed at the regional level.

Thus the goal of Arc Manche, as a platform for political cooperation, is not to rub out differences between countries but to promote and support the interests of the Channel as a specific geographical area and to allow stakeholders to cooperate when they have an economic, social or ecological interest to do so.

Is it another way to squeeze some more money out of the taxpayer?

Arc Manche is practically costless. It enables local political stakeholders to agree on common positions on relevant topics. Its functioning is paid for by voluntary contributions which are as limited as possible. Indeed, meetings generally take place during half a day and long distance communication means such as videoconference are used on a regular basis.

The pooling of efforts from both sides of the Channel to build a common vision and common solutions to problems constitute, on the opposite, synergies, improves the management and reduces the cost of issues such as maritime pollution, transports or the preservation of the marine environment.

Arc Manche is also a means to build and support projects which largely benefit from EU funding and foster regional economic development. The data that was collected by Arc Manche about the specificity of this area have convinced the EU to grant over 173 million Euros between 2007 and 2013 in order to improve its competitiveness and sustainable development. So Channel Arc is more about attracting funding than spending it!

More information on EU funding here

Much ado about nothing ?

The Channel Arc Manche Assembly has paved the way for very concrete initiatives, co-funded by EU territorial cooperation programmes. The first one was EDMI « Espace Manche Development Initiative », which gathered 22 partners and aimed, between 2004 and 2008, to develop and strengthen Franco-British cooperation within the Channel area. 48% of its 2.1 million Euros budget was funded by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) through Interreg IIIB. In promoting the geographical specificity of the Arc Manche, the project has led to the area being recognised by European institutions as a region of cross-border cooperation of its own. The project has also led to the realisation of a strategic vision document on the Channel area. Potential areas of Franco-English cooperation were also explored, such as tourism, fisheries, the management of coastal zones, maritime security, intermodal transport or higher education.

More information on EMDI here

The CAMIS project - « Channel Arc Manche Integrated Strategy » was approved in June 2009 and its budget is of 3.3 million Euros, half of which is funded by the ERDF through the Interreg IVA France (Channel)-England programme. It gathers 10 local administrations as well as 9 organisations. Its overall aim is to develop and implement an integrated maritime strategy in the Channel area whilst fostering concrete cooperation actions between stakeholders. It also aims to keep on promoting the specificity of the Channel area in the regional, national and European spheres. Developping knowledge about the area, innovation and maritime clusters, workforce development, intermodal transport and maritime safety are expected outcomes of this project.

More information on CAMIS here