The members of the "VITA FUTURA Bliesbruck-Reinheim" association met in the European Cultural Park in Bliesbruck on 13 March as part of the ordinary general meeting. The founding members are Saarland, the Saarpfalz district, the Département de la Moselle, the Communauté d'Agglomération Sarreguemines Confluences, the municipalities of Gersheim and Bliesbruck as well as the tourism stakeholders Saarpfalz-Touristik and Moselle Attractivité.
Review 2024
District Administrator Dr Theophil Gallo, President of the association, opened the meeting with a presentation on the successful implementation of the 2024 work programme.
"I am very satisfied with the initial plans and realisations in the still young association, as we are clearly making progress in our intention to develop the European Cultural Park into a supra-regional reference site for Franco-German cooperation. The communication between us is very constructive. One of the successes so far has certainly been the establishment of a German-French speaking team," stated District Administrator Dr Theophil Gallo.
The preparation of a comprehensive tourism study focussing on the current situation and development opportunities of the Bliesbruck-Reinheim European Cultural Park proved to be an important and target-oriented project. The preparation of this study was an intensive and labour-intensive process that was carried out not only by the agency, but also in close cooperation with the Franco-German stakeholders involved, for example through workshops and various other exchanges. On this basis, concrete proposals were drawn up on how the use of the park for tourism and Franco-German cooperation could be intensified and expanded. Priorities were defined from the study's catalogue of measures in order to tackle initial measures in a targeted manner. Two working groups were formed to further concretise the implementation of the study: one for marketing and tourism and one for mobility. The mobility group has already held initial discussions to develop solutions for optimising accessibility and mobility services in connection with the park. The working group for marketing and tourism has been actively involved in the preparation of the study. The study provides a sound basis for future projects aimed at promoting the park as an attractive destination for visitors and at the same time developing sustainable concepts for the use and preservation of the area.
A particularly positive milestone was the agreement with the managing authority of the INTERREG VI A Greater Region programme, which designated the Franco-German area of the Bliesbruck-Reinheim European Cultural Park as a functional area. Within this framework, the Bliesbruck-Reinheim functional area has access to 1.9 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union to implement its strategy in the areas of land management, ecology & sustainability, science & research, strengthening the involvement of and cooperation with local stakeholders, cultural tourism (expansion of offerings), marketing & communication and the creation of a model project for Franco-German cooperation.
A central website has been set up in German and French to provide international partners with easy access to information, funding criteria and application options. In addition to the website, a communication plan was also developed to effectively publicise the funding opportunities and the associated projects.
Outlook for 2025
In 2025, essential steps for the further development of the park and its surroundings and for the promotion of Franco-German cooperation are on the agenda. A key objective of this work programme is to strengthen partnerships and further expand cooperation between the various stakeholders. The promotion of Franco-German cooperation remains a key component of all projects.
An important aspect of the work programme is the implementation of the communication strategy for the functional area. The call for projects will be accompanied by a variety of measures aimed at encouraging all relevant stakeholders - from universities and universities of applied sciences to municipalities and small businesses - to submit their projects. This will include information meetings, events and regular communication with partners to ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the funding opportunities and actively promote cooperation.
Another key objective will be to finalise the priorities from the tourism study. This study has created a sound basis for the future development of the park and its surroundings, and it is now a matter of further deepening the focal points defined by the association's board and developing concrete concepts. In the coming months, further expert groups will be formed on various topics such as brand development, visitor guidance and experience staging or the development of a common entrance situation. The development of these concepts will be characterised by close cooperation between the partners in Germany and France. A key endeavour is to work towards a successful future for the park and its surroundings through the cooperation of these various stakeholders. The focus will be on building a trusting co-operation that will bear fruit in the long term.
Concrete measures are to be derived from the concepts developed, which are to be implemented in future to make the park even more attractive for visitors.
Zoom on the Bliesbruck-Reinheim functional area
The selection committee for the Bliesbruck-Reinheim functional area took place after the general meeting. It decides which projects are to be funded and to what extent. The committee was presented with an administrative project that is intended to support the association financially in the administration of the functional area. The representatives of the functional areas and the contact points of the Interreg Greater Region programme were also present; they were thanked for their valuable support and cooperation.
What exactly is a functional space? In simple terms, a functional area is a local, structured cross-border area. The functional area is a novelty in the European funding programme Interreg VI A Greater Region 2021-2027, which has ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) funding to finance projects that make the Greater Region greener, more social and closer to its citizens, as well as enabling better governance.
Within this framework, the Bliesbruck-Reinheim functional area launched its call for projects on 1 September 2024, which offers universities, universities of applied sciences, municipalities, small businesses and other stakeholders the opportunity to co-finance projects that contribute to the implementation of the strategy and the functional area up to 60% of the project costs.
Innovative ideas are needed to promote Franco-German cooperation in the functional area and as part of its strategy! Interested parties can easily visit vita-futura.com to find out more about funding opportunities and the application process. Take this opportunity to actively participate in forward-looking projects and help shape the development of the region!