Question how many towns does it take to form a mètropole? The answer lies before us in the Mètropole Europèenne de Lille. This isn’t just one city. It is a network. Lille is its major city. The Mètropole Europèenne de Lille is an intercommunal structure. It links big cities. Roubaix and Tourcoing are included. So are Villeneuve d’Ascq and Armentières.
The Mètropole Europèenne de Lille is in northern France. It sits in the Nord department. This is in the Hauts-de-France region. It borders the Flemish and Walloon regions of Belgium. This location gives it a unique cross-border character. It was created in 2015. It replaced the Communauté urbaine de Lille. The MEL covers the French part of the Lille metropolitan area.
The Mètropole Europèenne de Lille has a rich history. The urban community was founded in 1967. Augustin Laurent was its first president. Arthur Notebart then succeeded him in 1971. Pierre Mauroy was elected in 1989.
The Mètropole Europèenne de Lille has many responsibilities. It coordinates local public transport. Ilévia operates the network. It includes buses trams and a driverless metro. The Lille Metro opened in 1983. It was the first automatic metro line in the world.
The MEL has cross-border cooperation. It encompasses only the French part of the urban area. The Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai is a transnational structure. It connects Lille with Belgian cities. Kortrijk Mouscron and Tournai are included. It was founded in 2008.
The Mètropole Europèenne de Lille consists of 95 communes. Lille is the seat. Damien Castelain is the president. The Mètropole Europèenne de Lille had a population of 1179050 in 2019. Its area is 671.9 km2. The annual budget was €1865 billion in 2018.
The Mètropole Europèenne de Lille is a region of innovation. It features advanced public transport. It drives cross-border cooperation. It boasts a rich history. The Mètropole Europèenne de Lille offers a compelling story of regional collaboration.