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EU regional and urban development

An open-and-shut case on cross-border COVID-19 restrictions

  • 19 Mar 2021
Panorama - Stories from Regional and urban policy

In Focus

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has gripped the world since March 2020, has created specific legal and administrative challenges for the EU’s cross-border regions. A recent study, entitled ‘The effects of COVID-19 induced border closures on cross-border regions’, analyses the impact of the restrictions implemented by Member States on around 150 million Europeans during the first three months of the crisis.
An open-and-shut case on cross-border COVID-19 restrictions

The EU has internal borders between 27 Member States and external borders with Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Andorra with several other countries. There are close to 40 land borders and around 150 million Europeans live in border regions. Over the past five years, the European Commission has presented evidence showing that, despite much progress, significant obstacles still negatively impact life in border regions. Many aspects of people’s lives are affected, such as access to employment, healthcare, education and training, the application of different technical standards, non-recognition of qualifications, and the lack of local cross-border public transport.

While prevention measures to contain the spread of the virus are undoubtedly necessary, they should not lead to unjustified constraints on movement or to violations of the four fundamental European principles.

For future reference

The publication comprises two volumes: the main report, split into four chapters, and a detailed compendium of 20 case studies on 20 European borders. Together, they aim to draw lessons from an assessment of the impact of COVID-19 measures along EU internal borders on cross-border communities (businesses, workers, citizens) and to present recommendations on how cross-border regions’ resilience could be strengthened should further crises emerge.

At the border-region level, it recommends focusing on local cross-border communities’ needs, building shared evidence and mutual trust, and enabling the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation to lead the way. For the multilevel approach, it promotes cross-border bilateral and multilateral solutions and acknowledging the diversity and complexity of border regions. Finally, at the EU level, it recommends harmonising border crisis management and deepening the EU/Member States/cross-border regions partnership, with specific actions proposed for Interreg at all levels. 

Open to new opportunities

Border regions and their inhabitants have been impacted more severely than others during the crisis, raising awareness of the need for greater EU solidarity and integration both within and for border regions. The pandemic has shown that a border is a handicap when it creates obstacles, but an asset when it is open, providing opportunities to imagine new policies, confront crises and to make people’s lives easier.

Cross-border regions will be test cases for the recovery and beyond. Although the present crisis is dangerous, it also presents an opportunity for Europe to overcome, learn and develop new policies to support citizens and where they live.

The reality of cross-border interdependencies invites a political dimension to cross-border and European integration. Contributions from cross-border stakeholders, collected through the process launched by the Committee of the Regions’ European Cross-border Citizens Alliance, in November 2020, should make a major contribution to the upcoming Conference on the Future of Europe.