France

Kent has longstanding links with France, particularly the Nord-Pas de Calais region and in 2008 celebrated the 21st Anniversary of the signing of a formal Co-operation Agreement between KCC and the Regional Council.

This has brought considerable economic and social benefits to Kent and led directly to Kent becoming the first county in the UK to secure funding under the EU's Interreg programme. Kent benefited from a number of Interreg IIIA projects in 2000-2006. Recent examples include the 'Pride, Side-by-Side' KCC tourism project (€350k ERDF) which supported some elements of the Tour de France in Kent and 'Cross-Channel Greenways' (€1.1 million ERDF) which financed the Tonbridge to Penshurst cycle route.

These partnerships are being further developed under the new Interreg Programmes 2007 - 13 and a number of joint projects are being pursued.

Our main partners in France are:

• Regional Council of Nord-Pas de Calais
• the General Council of Pas de Calais (with whom a Partnership Agreement was signed on 8 November 2005)
• the Urban Community of Lille Métropole
• the Syndicat Mixte de la Côte d'Opale (SMCO) (Grouping most of the French coastal local authorities in the area of Dunkerque).