GREATER REGION | Security: neighbouring countries step up cross-border cooperation

Security knows no borders. That was the message delivered at the ‘Otzenhausener Gespräche’, held on 23 October 2026 at the European Academy of Otzenhausen, in Saarland.

Around the table were Luxembourg’s Minister for Home Affairs, Léon Gloden, his Saarland counterpart Reinhold Jost, and representatives from Rhineland-Palatinate, France and the German-speaking Community of Belgium. The aim: to better coordinate resources and operations in response to risks affecting the entire cross-border area.

Fires that cross borders!

Among the priorities is the fight against forest and wildland fires. Last summer’s operations demonstrated the importance of being able to rapidly deploy emergency resources across national borders.

Luxembourg notably sent a firefighting robot and rescue teams to Illingen, in Saarland, to work in particularly dangerous areas.

Two declarations of intent were highlighted to facilitate operations by fire and rescue services and to strengthen cooperation against wildland fires. The partners wish in particular to better catalogue the equipment available, coordinate its deployment and organise joint exercises. France is examining the conditions for its participation in the wildland fire initiative.

Police cooperation also stepped up!

Another major issue: the fight against organised crime and cross-border criminal activity.

Since summer 2026, the Luxembourg police have been carrying out regular joint patrols with the German Federal Police. A joint alert plan between Luxembourg, Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate is also being prepared to facilitate coordination at border crossing points when needed.

The authorities are also working on setting up a direct radio link between the police forces concerned.

A real issue for residents!

For residents of the Greater Region, where daily journeys between France, Luxembourg and Germany are commonplace, this cooperation can play an essential role in emergencies.

The aim is to enable emergency services and security forces to share their resources, communicate better and intervene more effectively when the situation demands.

As Léon Gloden put it: ‘We are not a border region, we are the Greater Region.’

A statement that sums up the ambition of these talks: to make cross-border cooperation a practical tool serving everyone’s safety.

Radio Tripoint — Local and cross-border news at the heart of the Greater Region.