At the invitation of the Euro-Institute in Kehl / Upper Rhine, which specializes in cross-border cooperation in the Upper Rhine region (Baden, Southern Palatinate, Alsace, Northwestern Switzerland), the managers of the transnational LEADER region Miselerland Moselfranken, Thomas Wallrich & Matthias Faß, had the opportunity to present their cross-border LEADER strategy and the resulting cooperation projects during a full-day seminar.

The seminar was held under the theme "Rural Development in Europe: Exchange on Needs, Projects & Opportunities." Participants included representatives from LEADER regions, local authorities, and nature parks from the German-French Upper Rhine area. The European Commission was also represented by a member of the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (REGIO).

LEADER Miselerland-Moselfranken was invited to speak because it is the only cross-border LEADER region. In their presentation, the two LEADER managers explained why and how they work together in concrete terms, and which projects have been and are being jointly implemented. They also emphasized the close cooperation and numerous synergies with the development concept of the Upper Moselle Valley, which serves as a functional area under the INTERREG programme.

The managers of LEADER and EOM also used the trip for a working meeting with the Eurodistrict Strasbourg-Ortenau. This meeting, with Secretary General Annika Klaffke and her deputy Katrin Neuss, focused on exchanging experiences regarding the tasks, structure, and projects of this municipal alliance of German and French communities on both sides of the Upper Rhine. The Eurodistrict comprises the 61 municipalities of the Strasbourg Eurometropolis and the municipal association Canton d’Erstein, as well as the 51 municipalities of the Ortenau district—altogether representing 940,000 inhabitants. As a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), it is an independent legal entity—perhaps a model for the German-Luxembourgish cross-border region?