BRUSSELS, June 19,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The two-day event,
"Reinforcing Cross-Border Governance for Development",
organised by the European Commission and the
OECD, brought together experts and practitioners from across
the EU to introduce a new tool aimed at strengthening
governance in cross-border regions. The tool identifies key areas
for improvement and provides actionable recommendations to help
regions enhance their cross-border cooperation.
Drawing on initial findings from the Commission/OECD project
"Building More Resilient Cross-Border Regions", the event showcased
the experiences of five pilot regions located in seven countries:
Belgium and France (Eurometropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai);
Lithuania and Poland (EGTC Niemen-Nemunas); Luxembourg and France (EGTC Alzette Belval, Pôle
Métropolitain Frontalier and PRO-SUD); France and Spain (EGTC Cerdanya Hospital); and
Portugal and Spain (EGTC Rio Minho).
"The Commission aims to improve cross-border cooperation, as
30% of the EU population lives along a border and as it is very
much needed to make the full use of the many benefits of the EU.
This goes beyond the funding provided by Interreg. In this work
with the OECD, we wanted to explore the best ways to improve
cross-border governance," said Jean-Pierre Halkin, DG REGIO, Head
of unit for cross-border cooperation.
The event featured thematic sessions and a workshop to
facilitate dialogue among cross-border experts and practitioners.
Discussions focused on the core components and recommendations
included in the tool, covering topics such as joint development of
cross-border strategies; providing public cross-border services;
securing sustainable funding for cross-border bodies; advocating
for cross-border issues; and managing multi-level
relationships.
"We are thrilled to host this event together with the
European Commission, leveraging the knowledge and experience of the
pilot regions to develop a tool that will help other regions in
establishing or strengthening their cross-border governance
mechanisms," said Dorothée Allain-Dupré,
Head of the Regional Development and Multi-level Governance
Division at the OECD. "Based on the outcomes of the event,
the OECD will further refine the tool to ensure it serves as a
comprehensive resource for policy makers at national, regional, and
local levels, helping build more resilient cross-border
regions."
The tool covers four main pillars:
- Establishing and/or reinforcing the organisational
structure of cross-border governance bodies.
- Planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating cross-border
initiatives.
- Ensuring sustainable funding and financing for cross-border
bodies and actions
- Promoting and advocating for cross-border development.
The final tool will be published in December 2024 as part of the project synthesis
report and will be available for free on the OECD's website.
For more information about the event, visit here.
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SOURCE OECD