Eurométropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai

The Eurometropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai links 157 municipalities across French, Walloon, and Flemish territories spanning roughly 3,600 square kilometers. This network coordinates transportation projects, economic development, and public services that help the border region function as a unified area.

Founded in 2008, the Eurometropole was among the first European frameworks for cross-border territorial cooperation. It emerged from the understanding that shared challenges along the border required formal institutional collaboration between France and Belgium.

The cooperation brings together art exhibitions, music festivals, and theater productions that travel across the French-Belgian border. Residents and visitors experience these events as occasions where both communities come together and learn from one another.

Visitors can see the results of this cooperation in improved train connections and easier border crossings. The region is worth exploring year-round, as many project sites and events remain accessible throughout the seasons.

It represents one of Europe's rare genuine cross-border administrative structures, where daily decisions affect millions of people on both sides. This model has inspired other European border regions to build comparable frameworks.