The MOT at EURegionsWeek 2025

This presence highlighted the Cross-border Energy Communities (CBEC) project, an initiative supported by DG REGIO aimed at encouraging the development of energy communities managed by actors on both sides of a border within the EU.

These cross-border energy communities aim to bring together citizens, SMEs, and local authorities on both sides of the border around concrete energy cooperation initiatives: cross-border sharing of district heating networks, energy from renewable sources, energy renovation projects for housing, or the creation of cross-border networks of energy stakeholders and promotion of the transition.

Over two days, there were numerous exchanges with stakeholders interested in these issues and the involvement of local stakeholders and citizens in energy self-consumption projects. They also provided an opportunity to present:

• The Handbook on Cross-Border Energy Communities, which provides a practical and legal framework for the implementation of such initiatives ;
• The Border Fiches, illustrating the energy integration frameworks of European border regions;
• The call for projects currently open to support seven pilot projects.

At the same time, EURegionsWeek provided an opportunity for discussions on the new BridgeforEU regulation, which aims to encourage the resolution of cross-border obstacles. The MOT was involved through the workshop “A dialogue for enhanced Cross-border cooperation to shape the BridgeforEU regulation,” organized by the AEBR, Interact, and ITEM.

The Liguria region presented the best practices for identifying obstacles from the Alcotraité project, in which the MOT is a partner within the framework of the Interreg ALCOTRA program. This Franco-Italian project provides a concrete illustration of the contribution of Interreg projects and existing cross-border cooperation structures, such as the border cooperation committees of bilateral treaties, to the future implementation of the European regulation.

The workshop provided an opportunity for dialogue with other initiatives to resolve obstacles at European borders, such as the Interreg project “Schakelpunt” on the Dutch-Flemish border and the Interreg project “ACCESS” on the Slovak-Hungarian border.