Programme of the Workshop on Cross-Border Labour Market, organised by the Association of European Border Regions and the Euroregion Sonderjylland-Schleswig

14:00  Registration

14:30  Opening: Simone Lange, Flensburg Oberbürgermeisterin (tbc)

Skills-shortage, brain-drain and unemployment

Introduction to the topic: AEBR Task Force Labour Market: Peter Hansen, Director of Euroregion Sonderjylland-Schleswig, and Martin Guillermo Ramirez, AEBR Secretary General

Intra EU Labour Mobility and Cross-Border Commuters

General overview of the theme Employment in b-solutions, lessons learned and policy recommendations, AEBR Team.

Presentation of b-Solutions 3 Pilot Actions:

• Facilitating cross-border mobility within the scope of dual education in the Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai EGTC (FR-BE)
• XBORDER – WORK: tackling administrative issues that hinder free movement of workers (IT-SI)
• Roadmap & factsheet for the recognition of qualifications for highly demanded professions: two practical documents for first line support and citizens (DE-NL)

Comments by ESPON/Spatial Foresight and participants.

Discussion

16:00  Coffee break

16:30  Border obstacles and barriers to mobility

         Keynote speech: 10 years of Grensnet; Peter Hansen (15 minutes)

         Presentation of b-Solutions 6 Advice Cases:

• 183 days rule obstructing cross-border mobility, Oost-Vlaanderen Province, Euregio Scheldemond (BE-NL)

• Juridical obstacles in establishment and financing of transnational business incubator, Lazdijai District Municipality (LT-PL)
• Dutch-German cross-border employment of students originally from outside the EU, Economic Board Arnhem-Nijmegen (DE-NL)
• Cross-border work for non-EU citizens, Euregio Rhein-Maas-nord (DE-NL)
• Current social and health insurance regulations as problem for borderland inhabitants working on both sides of the border at the same time, Borderland Association "Nasza Suwalszczyzna" (PL-LT)
• Double personality is a single reality: working in Portugal and paying taxes in Spain due to legal and/or administrative impediments, Duero-Douro EGTC (ES-PT)

The Role of entrepreneurs: Brief introduction to AEBR new focus on SMEs and business in general across borders.

Presentation of a best practice to promote business across borders by Mr Vasilios Apostolopoulos, Director of the Union of Hellenic Chambers.

Presentation of the problematic with the “A1 Certificate”.

Round table with Starforce (Interreg Project), ESPON, Spatial Foresight and other stakeholders (tbc)

         Debate

Summing up and proposals