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RUSSIA - FRANCE
T
he eighth scientific conference
about the future of France and
Russia in the world of today that
was organized in Nice in May 2018 was
dedicated to the dialogue of civil
societies and the challenges for higher
education, science, economy and
regional development. Today, more than
fifty French local authorities work
together with their Russian counter-
parts in the framework of a hundred
cooperation projects.
The movement was created in the
1960s; at that time, it was mainly
twinning between towns that offered
cultural and academic exchanges.
After the collapse of the USSR in
1991, some French towns forged new
ties with Russian cities in fields other
than culture and education, such as
the economy and local public servi-
ces. Other levels of local government
are involved in this: regional and
general councils and then, more
recently, intercommunal bodies. The
scientific conference that was held
recently in Nice highlighted some
major challenges in this area. The
topics of the debates were digital
development strategies, the digital
economy and the integration of
economic, social, ethno-political and
environmental issues in a modern
metropolis
(1)
.
Bordeaux - Saint Petersburg: a
twinning with potential
Bordeaux and Saint Petersburg have
set an example with their very
dynamic twinning. The seeds planted
in 1992 during the officialization of
relations between the two cities bore
their fruits until 2010: fifty-four
projects coordinated by the munici-
pality of Bordeaux were launched,
including thirty-three jointly with
Saint Petersburg. Since then, their
potential has continued to develop
and diversify. Programmes have been
launched involving several partners
from Bordeaux to promote innovative
projects: eco-friendly houses, eco-
companies, agencies responsible for
UNESCO, the urban community of
Bordeaux, Alstom, the Gertrude
smart traffic control system, etc.
Sustainable urban development was
one of the priority issues for coopera-
tion between the two cities from 2011
to 2013. Raising the awareness of
populations to sustainability was
implemented, as was cooperation in
the fields of renovation, urban plan-
ning and architecture, especially on
issues related to the UNESCO
World Heritage label. There were
also many exchanges of experience
about urban mobility policies, road
traffic regulation and technological
innovation for tram networks.
Cultural exchanges took place, as
well as student exchanges.
There is still a potential
However, according to a report by the
French Senate on 16 July 2018,
decentralized cooperation between
France and Russia is a field of the
relationship that still needs to be
developed. Beyond the intensification
of institutional relations between
local stakeholders, it is also likely to
foster and diversify the opportunities
for contacts between the peoples.
There is great potential for this
cooperation. The report also stresses
the fact that less than half of the forty
partnerships between French and
Russian local authorities are still
active. The economic and budgetary
difficulties of the two countries is one
explanation, as well as the recent
regional reform in France, which led
to certain projects being temporarily
frozen. Russia has a predilection for
cooperation in the economic field,
while France is more interested in
social issues, such as youth, educa-
tion, environmental issues and the
protection of heritage. The senators
advocate the widening of the Russian
approach in this field to make it pos-
sible to boost this decentralized
cooperation. On the Russian side, it
should not be the just the prerogative
of regions but concern cities more.
After the fourth congress of Franco-
Russian decentralized cooperation
Nice in 2012, the fifth congress is
scheduled to take place in Russia in
the first half of 2019
(2)
.
If all the levels of local government are active in Franco-Russian decentralized cooperation, there is
still a potential for development. Analysis.
Decentralized cooperation
is intensifying
Source: (1): Cités unies France, 3 May 2018 ; (2): French Embassy in Moscow, 26 February 2018
©Christian Musat - AdobeStock
>
Inmay 2018, Nice was organised in Nice the eighth scientific conference about the future of France
and Russia in the world of today.
