Webinar “Potentials of Cross-border Public Services for French and neighbouring border regions”

The freedom of movement of citizens is a cornerstone of the EU. Every day in Europe, hundreds of thousands of commuters cross a border to study, work, or access services in a neighboring country.

For most regions along the French borders, this cross-border mobility is a real asset that improves residents’ access to employment as well as to a wide range of services available on the other side of the border.

Over time, cooperation between elected officials, public administrations, associations, and businesses has developed and enabled the emergence of new genuinely cross-border services, jointly designed, operating on both sides of the border, and responding to shared needs of people living in the regions concerned.

With the support of the MOT, ESPON carried out a major study in 2018 on the state of cross-border public services. Based on a general overview at the European scale and on around ten detailed case studies, this study presents a series of recommendations for managing authorities of European programs (in particular those responsible for INTERREG programs), local authorities, and project stakeholders.