Local and regional authorities from Alsace met on Monday evening, 12 April, with Clément Beaune, the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, to finalise the three-year contract ‘Strasbourg, European Capital’ 2021-2023. A budget of 189 million euros was agreed (which is an increase on the previous budget of 185.5 million euros). The main targets for the money will be: transport and mobility (30% of the total amount), the influence and appeal of Strasbourg and the setting up of new flexible financial instruments for culture, research and democracy, all of which will mobilise around €20 million.
A ‘Mission Strasbourg’, which will bring together representatives of all parties, will follow up on actions and defend Strasbourg’s interests through ‘positive lobbying’.
Interviewed in the Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace on Tuesday morning, Clément Beaune said that he had “questioned the European Parliament” about renovation work on the Paul-Henri Spaak building in Brussels (costing 500 million euros) and that he had “asked for clarification in order to postpone decisions regarding possible developments in Brussels”. “It is one thing for buildings to be brought up to standard, but quite another for there to be a strategy in play for strengthening the establishment of Brussels”, before denouncing a strategy of “fait accompli”, which has “resulted in the transfer of services in recent years”.
Like the local and regional authorities, Mr Beaune welcomed the launch of the ‘Conference on the future of Europe’, which is scheduled for 9 May in the hemicycle of the Strasbourg Parliament; he also announced that from 1 January next year, a “significant number” of ministerial meetings will be held in Strasbourg within the framework of the French Presidency of the European Union. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)