Sonderband 2. International Council on Archives. Dritte Europäische Archivkonferenz, Wien 11. bis 15. Mai 1993. Tagungsprotokolle (1996)

2. Session /Séance. Regional (trans-border) Cooperation / Coopération régionale (transfrontaliere) - Brejon de Lavergnée, Marie-Edith: New economic Zones and their Archives / Nouvelles zones économiques et leurs archives (english 77 - français 100)

2. Session/Seance: Brejon de Lavergnée, New economic Zones and their Archives

The European Development Zone serves as a pilot project in trans-border cooperation for the redeployment of industry. The joint declaration of the three states of Belgium, France and Luxembourg of 19 July 1955 records the community of problems met with in the trans-border area Athus-Longwy-Rodange and considers that only a joint policy, jointly carried out, would allow the problems arising from the decline of the iron and steel industries to be overcome. It is obvionsly a matter of solving the enormous problems arising from the migration of industries: important industrial sites to be dealt with; a deteriorating environment, an infrastructure in need of redevelopment, the social management of several thousands of lost jobs. A programme has been established to this end with the initial aim of creating 8000 new jobs in the zone between now and 1995 and with a strategy which is trying to give the region new conditions for economic competitiveness and flexibility, allowing it to succeed in changing from an historical balance centred on one industry alone to a new economic dynamic. But the determining factor in this process is that it should be joint, from a „community of problems“ as the phrase often used has it, the three countries have moved on to a „community of activities“, making the Economic Development Zone called the Three Frontiers into a European laboratory for the testing of measures decided by the European Community Commission with the intention of setting up the Single Market: the EDZ is a large market without frontiers at a sccale of 1:1000 of the population of Europe, as Mr. Delors declared at Arlon on 12 May 1987.

In accordance with the guidelines governing the structure for the implementation of the management and promotion of the zone the responsible authorities of the three countries decided to create a single structure of cooperation to guide the project:- The Political Support Committee brings together at ministerial level the responsible authorities of the three countries. It is composed of members appointed by the Belgian, Luxembourg and French governments as well as by the regional executive bodies and those of the communities affected. Its role is to keep a watchful eye on the implementation of the joint declaration and on the programme of action and to give general guidance towards the achievement of stipulated aims.- The Standing Coordinating Commission is composed of 12 members appointed by authorities of the three countries. It fulfils a strategic role in the direction of the International Technical Team.- The International Technical Team is made up of the national operators appointed by the responsible authorities of the three countries. It is the body which implements the decisions arrived at by the Standing Cooperating Commission. For Luxembourg, this is the Technical Directorate of the EDZ located at Rodange, for Belgium Idelux at Arlon, for France, the Inter- ministerial Mission to the EDZ at Longwy in the département of Meurthe-et- Moselle. These three bodies, which make up the International Technical

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