Through the b-solutions initiative, DG Regio aims at exploiting better border regions’ potential and to overcome existing difficulties, such as reduced accessibility, lack of cross-border public services, fewer incentives for SMEs, etc. These have direct and indirect impacts on regions’ daily life: certain activities are still more complicated to perform across an internal EU border than they are inside a Member State. For instance, it is still difficult to take up a job on the other side of the border or to get treated in a hospital there even if there is very close proximity.
On the other hand, there are Europe numerous examples of institutional cooperation across borders that have made cross-border activities simpler, less costly and altogether more attractive.
Promoted by the European Commission’s DG REGIO and managed by the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR), b-solutions is a unique opportunity to receive support for obstacles hindering cross-border cooperation, give visibility to the difficulties that actors in border regions face, and demand for solutions to facilitate the integration of services and projects across borders in the EU. It is a 4-year pilot initiative and one of the actions proposed in the referred Communication Boosting Growth and Cohesion in EU Border Regions. The AEBR manages the initiative since December 2017. The general objective of b-solutions is to identify and promote sustainable methods of resolving border obstacles of a legal or administrative nature along EU internal land borders. The initiative consists of four calls for proposals involving practitioners and policymakers to identify obstacles to cross-border cooperation and possible solutions.
After the 4th call for proposal, selected cases will receive advice from legal experts. The outcomes will then be published in a report to be distributed to stakeholders at European, national and regional level.
To participate, a short description of a legal or administrative obstacle already experienced in your region is sufficient. For more information, please visit the b-solutions website.
An information session to look at the details of the call for proposals will take place on Thursday, 18 February at 12 pm. If you are interested to take part, please register here.
Deadline to submit a case within b-solutions’ 4th call for proposals is on 11 March 2021.
Contact AEBR at b-solutions@aebr.eu
Source: AEBR website
