This report is therefore structured around two sections. First, it reviews progress made in implementing the actions announced in the 2017 Communication’s action plan. Second, based on analytical work and consultations with stakeholders and drawing on the lessons learnt during the COVID-19 crisis, the report revisits the 2017 action plan to increase its effectiveness and adjust it to new realities.
No new actions are proposed, but the European Commission examines how initiatives and programmes under the Multi-Annual Financial Framework 2021-2027 can be used to stimulate the recovery of border areas, whose economies have often been particularly severely disrupted by the crisis. The report also considers the EU’s external borders with neighbours that have an agreed accession path to join the European Union.