In the history of b-solutions, obstacles identified under the thematic area of “Institutional cooperation” have always been the most numerous ones among the different thematic areas covered by the initiative.
As written in the European Commission’s Communication COM(2017) 534 final, they arise because “EU Member States have different administrative cultures and systems and this diversity can be a constraint when the systems meet” across the borders.
After the 16 obstacles identified in the course of the first two calls for proposals, 8 more have been selected under the third call for proposals to receive advice by legal experts.
They refer to several fields of cooperation and arise along 4 different boundaries, of which the Spanish-Portuguese border is the most represented one with a total of 4 obstacles.
Going further, 7 are the Member States involved with a variety of structures that addressed the hurdles:
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4 EGTCs;
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one Regional authority;
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one Province;
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one Municipality and
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one network of universities.
Finally, in the course of the fourth and last call for proposals in 2021, 9 new obstacles were selected in the same category.
They addresses issues identified across 7 European borders and involve cross-border structures and administrative bodies in 9 Member States of the European Union.
Obstacles to cross-border
institutional cooperation
Fourth call for proposals
Click on the pictures to discover how institutional cooperation is hindered along the European borders
Third call for proposals
Click on the pictures to discover how institutional cooperation is hindered along the European borders
Our participating organisations
More obstacles from the 1st and the 2nd calls for proposals
Pilot Actions
#HealthInsurance
Cooperation protocol on administrative procedures on health insurance for frontier workers
France - Germany
Obstacle:
A number of administrative difficulties contribute to making labour cross-border mobility a negative experience with many financial consequences for the frontier workers insured in one country and benefiting from health services in the other one.
Proposed Solution:
Creating an inventory of administrative difficulties faced by border residents, discuss them with the competent administrative authorities and drawing up an action protocol between French and German health insurance funds.
To know more click here.
#GroundwaterManagement
Lithuanian – Latvian institutional cooperation on cross-border groundwater management
Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre
Latvia - Lithuania
Obstacle:
Different rules and methodologies across the border prevent the creation of a joint system for preserve the water quality and conservation.
Proposed Solution:
Improving the data exchange, harmonising the methods for groundwater monitoring and developing a long-term monitoring plan and a preliminary transboundary river management plan.
To know more click here.
#GeodataHarmonisation
EGTC Grand Region - Summit Secretariat
Belgium - Luxembourg - France - Germany
Obstacle:
At the level of the Greater Region, the agencies responsible for producing cartographic data not only work independently, but also according to different legal, organisational and technical principles, preventing the cooperation across the borders in hydrographic analysis matters.
Proposed Solution:
The objective is to geometrically harmonise the topogeographic reference datasets creating a comparable reference digital terrain model, DTM, of all the partners in order to eliminate all gaps and overlaps.
To know more click here.
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#LocalProducts
CrossMarket – Enhance cross-border selling at local farmers’ market
Croatia - Hungary
Obstacle:
Lack of information, language knowledge gaps, administrative difficulties and tax differences hinder trade and cross-border cooperation among the farmers and market players.
Proposed Solution:
Analysing the needs and expectations of local farmers as well as their difficulties and comparing these findings with the actual regulatory and administrative framework, in order to identify the main legislative and administrative areas that need to be addressed in order to support the cross-border selling of local products.
To know more click here.
Advice Cases
#StaffProvision
Making EGTCs more powerful: legal certainty for provision of personnel to the EGTC
Germany-France-Switzerland
The aim of the EGTC is the coordination of the scientific and the administrative collaboration between the member universities. In order to activate as much as possible the inhouse competencies of the member universities for the collaborative projects, the personnel is delegated directly from the academic institutions (provision of personnel). However, the legal classification of the VAT payment in this matter needs to be clarified.
To know more.
#BorderlessTourism
Cross border tourism package
QuattroPole e.V. - Luxembourg, Metz, Saarbrücken, Trier
Luxembourg-France-Germany
The European Union Directive 2015/2302 has recently been translated into the respective national legislation and these new regulations have especially tightened the information requirements and increased the liability risks for travel agencies and tour operators that are now impossibilitated to keep selling the cross-border tourism package created by QuattroPole.
To know more.
#JointRescueServices
Cooperation protocol aimed at simplifying LT-PL cross-border institutional cooperation in emergency management
Vilkaviskis District Municipality Administration
Lithuania-Poland
When an accident occurs on the Lithuanian side of the border, it would take only 15 minutes for the fire-rescue team based in the close Polish town of Wizajny to reach the area. Nevertheless, the absence of legal basis and administrative procedures on this field prevents the team to do it and, therefore, limit the empowerment of a joint border emergencies management plan.
To know more.
#MinorsMobility
Simplifying cross-border mobility of minors to carry out cultural or educational exchanges
EGTC Galicia-Norte de Portugal
Spain-Portugal
In the territories / towns close to the border of the Euroregion Galicia North Portugal one of the biggest obstacles for a smooth cross border relationship is related to the regulation for carrying out school exchanges of minors (travelling without their parents / guardians) between the two states. Nowadays, the bureaucratic requirements for a child going from Cerveira to Tomiño, two towns.
To know more.
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#CircularEconomy
Administrative common barriers blocking real implementation of environmental management system
Axencia Galega da Calidade Alimentaria – AGACAL
Spain-Portugal/Spain-France
While implementing the project WETWINE, AGACAL found some remarkable obstacles, namely some limitations posed by a group of legal and political regulations that are not unified between territories and that block a correct transfer and applicability of the real results to the wine sector, which has a significant economic impact throughout the territory of the South-West Europe
To know more.
#MunicipalManagement
Cross-border share of municipal management services
Hungary-Slovakia
The Grouping is implementing a project (called ’Builcogreen’) that aims to enhance institutionalised cooperation between the urban service provider companies and institutions (such as municipalities, NGOs, etc.) of the border region. Theoretically, the machines used for different purposes (e.g. to cut down larger trees, to shift snow, baling, etc.) can be rented from each other by using an online database. However, it is not clear if the trucks and other larger vehicles and special tools having the necessary technical approvals in Hungary can use public roads in Slovakia and vice versa.
To know more.
#CrossborderYouthCare
Improvement of cross-border communication and care for cross-border children and young people
Netherlands-Germany
Different systems of child and adolescent care and contrasting administrative procedures prevent an effective management of difficult cases involving vulnerable youngsters and families. This becomes a major problem when children live on one side of the border and go to school on the other side. Incidents and problems are not reported or recorded and are not addressed in a coordinated way since there is no clear division of tasks and responsabilities.
To know more.
#SpatialPlanning
Cross-border transport of CO2 as a resource for industrial processes
Belgium-Netherlands
North Sea Port and companies located in the area have some severe problems concerning obstacles hindering improvement of sustainability policy/circular economy. In particular, there are confusing laws and requirements concerning the construction of cross-border pipelines, the usage of the existing ones, the nature itself of CO2 as a waste product and a lack of information on national designated environmental areas and strategic spatial planning.
To know more.
#WasteManagement
Consolidation of the circular economy concerning the WEEE
Spain-Portugal
The absence of unified environmental management criteria concerning the waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) on both sides of the border prevents the Diputacion de Pontevedra to efficiently implement its project “Sustainable cross-border strategy for WEEE” aiming at the creation of a secondary raw materials market. The creation of a harmonized market and a full adoption of a circular economy system in the area would lead to an increase of job opportunities and would encurage innovation on both sides of the border.
To know more.
#HigherEducation
Bulgarian-Romanian Institutional Cooperation Constraint - BRICC
University of Ruse “Angel Kanchev”, represented by BRIE
Romania-Bulgaria
Since 2002, in line with the adoption of standards of Bologna process in Bulgaria and Romania, BRIE has been providing joint 2-year master programmes for international students, who have been admitted on the grounds of jointly agreed prerequisites. However, changes in national legislations of the two States concerning the higher education systems, have posed several obstacles in terms of recognition of the prior learning experiences of the applicants, limiting their recruitment and an incisive joint implementation of the academic activites.
To know more.
#Kindergartens
Shared cross-border public services: French-German crèches
European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation Eurodistrict SaarMoselle
France-Germany
Several problems occurred while trying to develop public crèches at a cross-border between France and Germany. Differences in national legislations that prevent the creation of these kind of structures were found in the following matters: cofinancing, tax implications (property tax, VAT…), staff qualification and safety rules. The abscence of harmonised management systems, therefore, results in the impossibility of implementing quickly and effectively public services.
To know more.
#MinorsProtection
Joint to Protect Children
Portugal-Spain
The recurring movement of families across the border leads to a difficult management of the social services in support to to vulnerable children, since there is not a joint Spanish-Portuguese system. When this happens, the national social and youth protection services of the families are in complete lack of information, which, in many cases, worsens the child/youth endangerment situation. Furthermore, there are many cases of duplication of social allowances intended to support families with economical dependency. This translates into an over expenditure of government resources between the two countries.
To know more.
