The 40 internal land border regions of the European Union (EU) are economically weaker than their national averages. For this reason, the 2021 Report “EU Border Regions: Living Labs of European integration” (COM(2021)393) and the 2017 Communication “Boosting Growth and Cohesion in EU Border Regions” (COM(2017)534) led to the set up of the “Border Focal Point” (BFP).
The work of the BFP in the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) Unit D.2 ‘Interreg, Cross-border Cooperation, Internal Borders’ focuses on providing support “beyond funding” to cross-border cooperation and complements Interreg.
This work includes actions of a political, technical, and legal nature.
Since 2017, challenges such as the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, but not only, have pointed to additional needs for cross-border cooperation.
The public consultation of the European Commission (2020) states that 65% of respondents were likely to perceive borders as an obstacle due to border closures. Border regions, are normally seen as “laboratories of European integration” because of their intense cross-border interaction. However, day-to-day activities (e.g., access to public services, daily commuting from home to work from one country to the neighbouring country, …) are currently hampered by numerous cross-border obstacles.
The report therefore not only reviews the progress made in implementing the actions announced in the 2017 communication, but also revisits the action plan.
Based on the lessons learnt, the 2021 Report proposes to refocus actions along four clusters:
The report does not propose new actions but looks at how initiatives and programs under the Multi-Annual Financial Framework 2021-2027 can be used to advance the recovery of border areas, in which economies have often been particularly disrupted by the recent crises.
The 2017 communication follows the 2015 Cross-Border Review of the European Commission which identified difficulties in cross border regions throughout several actions (public consultations, workshops with stakeholders, a study). To increase the socio-economic development and the integration as well as cooperation of border regions, the Border Focal Point assists to reduce current mostly legal and administrative border obstacles that hinder citizens from accessing work, education, public transport or emergency and health care services on the other side of the border. It also accompanies actors at various action levels.
Ten actions have been implemented in order to enhance the development of border regions.
In cooperation with the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR), DG REGIO launched b-solutions, an initiative that explores existing legal and/or administrative obstacles in border regions. AEBR has launched several calls for cases and continues to do so. The practitioners, legal experts and policymakers involved are asked to identify the legal root-causes obstacles to cross-border cooperation and find tailor-made and practicable solutions.
The overall analysis of the 150 cases demonstrates how border obstacles can impact various aspects of peoples’ lives. Solutions sometimes require changes to the applicable law, while in other cases, cross-border cooperation actions can be triggered or restored with practical adjustments.
The European Commission and AEBR have produced three thematic publications. These publications focus on specific policy areas: the European Green Deal, Cross-border Public Services and Cross-border Labour Markets.
The initiative continues supporting actions via calls for b-solutions 2.0: Solving Cross-Border Obstacles.
More general overviews on selected cases include:
The “Border Focal Point network”, an online platform for border stakeholders, brings together experts on cross-border issues, informs about projects and events and facilitates exchanges amongst stakeholders and researchers in the field of cross-border cooperation. It is a platform to discuss and present border issues and solutions. The key aim of the network is to create a stronger border community at European level and in consequence enhance the competitive and cohesive situation of border regions.
In 2021, the Border Focal Point Network initiated the ‘Beyond Borders: Breakfast Debates’. These online events are designed to exchange best practices on how to support cross-border regions in overcoming border obstacles and exploiting their untapped potential. Topics include public service cooperation, cross-border commuting, the clean energy transition, transport, SMEs, education and healthcare, among others.
Recordings of the previous debates can be found online.
“Vibrant Cross-Border Labour Markets”(2023)
The Conference “Vibrant cross-border labour markets”, a result of DG REGIO’s Cross-border review, was held in Brussels from the 18th until the 19th of January 2023 and brought together institutions, national, regional, and local authorities from all Member States, social and economic partners, non-governmental organizations, and academia.
The conference addressed the challenges and potential of cross-border commuting (working on one side of a border while residing on the other) from several different angles: information on and access to the labour market, recognition of qualifications, education, taxation, and social security.
Recordings of the panels and breakout sessions as well as the Power Point presentations can be found on the event website.
Enhancing Healthcare Cooperation in Cross-Border Regions (2018) and its publication
On the 4th of December 2018, the European Commission organised a big event to address healthcare cooperation topics in border regions. This ground-breaking event showcased the mapping study on successful cross-border health cooperation and its handy toolkit for practitioners keen to set up their own joint projects.
Through panel discussions, interactive workshops and networking opportunities, healthcare professionals, patient-care groups, policymakers, cooperation experts and other stakeholders brainstormed on how cross-border cooperation on health can be further developed throughout the Union.
The BFP has produced and contracted manifold publications and studies that have become an important reference for supporting cooperation beyond funding.
These include:
B-SOLUTIONS
Thematic publications:
HEALTHCARE
TRANSPORT
COVID-19
MORE
For further information, look at the official website of the Border Focal Point Network or contact DG Regio D2.
