On behalf of the European Commission’s DG REGIO, the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) has recently launched a new call for proposals in the framework of the b-solutions 2.0. Solving Cross-Border Obstacles initiative with the aim to enhance cooperation across borders through technical support.
- 02 December 2022
The call for proposals’ objective is to offer support by legal experts to overcome legal or administrative obstacles that hinder cooperation in neighbouring regions. As such, it addresses those instances where projects to improve life in border regions are complicated to implement because the laws, or their applications, are different on the two sides of the border. This can affect access to healthcare, the management of common resources, but also the regulation of remote work when a person works in one country and lives in another one – a reality in many border regions.
With the new call launched with the b-solutions 2.0 initiative, AEBR and DG REGIO aim to identify further cases of legal or administrative obstacles which hinder cooperation across borders, and to help them find solutions to them. Eligible are all land and maritime borders between EU countries, EU-IPA countries and EU-EFTA countries. As such, b-solutions complements the work of Interreg programmes and offers new tools to actors in border regions.
Public bodies (cities, regions, hospitals, transport agencies, …) and cross-border structures such as Euroregions and EGTCs are invited to submit cases of cross-border obstacles.
Selected cases receive technical assistance from legal experts who analyse the root causes of the obstacles and suggest potential solutions to overcome the obstacle.
Participation can be useful for stakeholders to follow up on the implementation of Interreg projects and can benefit cooperation in the regions of an Interreg Programme. It also helps raise awareness on cross-border cooperation and design better policies for European integration.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis with immediate implementation. Deadline to apply is 28 February 2023.
More information and the link to apply can be found here: https://www.b-solutionsproject.com/call-for-proposals.
The b-solutions team is also at disposal to exchange individually with potential applicants via a 30 minutes Zoom Call to clarify doubts or guide you through the application. They can book a slot for a call here, based on their availability and preference: https://calendly.com/b-solutionsaebr/30min.
From simplifying the procedures of remote working along the border between Portugal and Spain to improving cross-border healthcare services along the Polish-Lithuanian border, b-solutions is a useful tool that has proved its significance in the cross-border world. 90 cases of legal or administrative obstacles have already been collected and analysed, resulting in numerous solutions to improve the life of people in border regions. With the new call, more solutions can be identified, for better cooperation across borders in the European Union.
Contact: b-solutions@aebr.eu.