Building More Resilient Cross‑border Regions

5. Promotion and advocacy for cross-border development

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the fourth dimension of the OECD Cross-border Governance Framework: Promotion and advocacy for cross-border development. First, it considers a range of challenges that cross-border governance bodies face in generating sustained political commitment to cross-border action, and provides recommendations to help address them. Second, this chapter considers the extent to which public awareness and support for cross-border co-operation is important for addressing cross-border needs. Finally, it explores the challenges faced by cross-border governance bodies in building public support, and provides recommendations and examples of good practices that can help overcome them.

Introduction

Promotion and advocacy play an important role in building political and public awareness of and support for cross-border co-operation. In turn, elected officials and the public can help cross-border governance bodies bolster economic development, improve public service delivery and enhance the well-being of residents in cross-border regions. Ensuring political commitment and support for cross-border co-operation over time is essential for resolving challenges within a transboundary area. Political actors at the subnational and/or national levels can use their powers to enact legislation and adjust regulations—for example, to reduce regulatory barriers to cross-border service delivery—as well as to approve funding for cross-border bodies or specific projects. In so doing, they can establish the necessary framework conditions for cross-border action.

Ensuring public awareness and support for cross-border co-operation by non-governmental actors (e.g. private sector, civil society organisations, academia, residents) also has a number of benefits. It can foster active engagement in the design of cross-border strategic planning documents and initiatives, ensuring that these efforts are well-aligned with local needs. Increased awareness of the need for and/or benefits of cross-border co-operation can also help shore up support for the implementation of cross-border projects. Additionally, heightened public awareness surrounding cross-border action can encourage politicians to establish or strengthen cross-border co-operation initiatives. Informed residents can also draw the attention of politicians to specific cross-border challenges they want addressed. Finally, when residents are aware of the cross-border goods and services available to them, they are more likely to use them, which, in turn, can contribute to improved social and economic well-being on both sides of the border.

Evidence from the five pilot regions suggests that: i) long-term political support for cross-border initiatives can often be hard to generate or sustain; and ii) public awareness of cross-border co-operation and its tangible benefits is often limited. Advocacy and strategic engagement activities can reinforce political support because they help direct or refocus political attention to cross-border challenges and opportunities. Meanwhile, promotional activities can play an important role in improving public awareness by enhancing, for example, the visibility of the cross-border services and goods available to local residents.

This chapter focuses on the fourth dimension of the OECD Cross-border Analytical Framework: promotion and advocacy for cross-border development. The first part considers the importance of ensuring sustained political awareness and support for cross-border co-operation, and the challenges faced by cross-border governance bodies in achieving this goal. It also provides recommendations on how cross-border governance bodies can help address these challenges. The second part considers the extent to which public awareness and support for cross-border co-operation is important in addressing cross-border needs. It explores the challenges faced by cross-border governance bodies in building this support, and provides recommendations and good practice examples that can help overcome them. In doing so, this chapter offers guidance to subnational, national, and international policy makers to build and sustain political and public support for cross-border co-operation.

Box 5.1. Recommendations to ensure sustained political and public awareness of and support for cross-border co-operation

To foster sustained, long-term political interest and support for cross-border co-operation, cross-border governance bodies could consider:

• Improving elected representatives’ awareness of i) local challenges, and ii) the role that cross-border co-operation can play in helping to address them, including by:

  • Periodically surveying cross-border residents to gather insights on their challenges, needs and priorities for cross-border action, and presenting the results to relevant decision makers;

  • Organising field visits within the cross-border region for elected representatives, enabling them to explore specific cross-border challenges and opportunities in detail;

  • Conducting or commissioning targeted research that gathers and presents evidence on specific challenges and opportunities within the cross-border region, and presenting the findings to relevant decision makers.

• Developing ways to consistently and strategically engage with public actors (e.g. national or regional authorities) that have relevant competences and resources to address specific cross-border challenges, including by:

  • Organising periodic events (e.g. conferences) in order to inform relevant public actors of local challenges and create space to look for solutions;

  • Developing advocacy and lobbying materials to help engage strategically with relevant public actors. Such materials could, for example, highlight the ‘costs of inaction’ (e.g. such as economic losses and inefficiencies in public services due to a lack of cross-border co-operation), and underscore the urgent need for action.

• Developing induction materials that provide newly-elected officials with information on: i) cross-border needs, priorities and activities; ii) how the cross-border governance body functions; and iii) examples of successful cross-border projects and their benefits to the region. This can mitigate the loss of knowledge on cross-border co-operation due to regular electoral cycles.

To foster sustained, long-term political interest and support for cross-border co-operation, national governments could consider:

• Organising initiatives that raise elected representatives’ awareness of the benefits of cross-border co-operation (e.g. national award ceremonies for high-impact cross-border initiatives).

To foster high levels of public awareness and support for cross-border co-operation, cross-border governance bodies could consider:

• Organising public communication and engagement activities that help build awareness and interest among residents in using cross-border public services.

• Setting up national-level co-ordination points to support liaison with public and private actors in cross-border regions, on the one hand, and relevant national public actors, on the other, in order to help address legislative and regulatory obstacles to cross-border development.

Source: Author’s elaboration.

Political commitment and support for cross-border co-operation

Initial political commitments on cross-border co-operation can only be translated into concrete action and results through sustained, long-term political interest and support. Common political obstacles to cross-border co-operation often include an early surge of enthusiasm from politicians that gradually wanes over time. National governments may also lack awareness of cross-border needs, and there is often limited understanding of the potential benefits (e.g. increased competitiveness) that enhanced cross-border co-operation can bring (OECD, 2023[1]). Furthermore, regular national and subnational electoral cycles can lead to a loss of institutional knowledge of cross-border issues and priorities if elected officials cycle out of office, diluting the levels of commitment and support.

Declining political momentum behind cross-border co-operation

Often, the establishment of a cross-border governance body is the result of a build-up of political interest and support for cross-border co-operation, although this can be difficult to sustain (OECD, 2023[1]). Changes in political leadership, such as after elections can lead to waning interest, as successors may not prioritise or value cross-border co-operation as much as their predecessors. Furthermore, political interest may diminish when the benefits of cross-border governance are not immediately visible or measurable within electoral cycles.

The experience of the Eurometropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai (Belgium and France) is instructive in this regard. This European Grouping of Territorial Co-operation (EGTC) was established in 2008 thanks in part to strong political enthusiasm and practical political agreement on both sides of the border for joint action (OECD, 2023[1]). However, in recent years, the level of enthusiasm has dropped, evidenced by lower participation of elected representatives in General Assembly meetings—only around 25% have attended its recent deliberative sessions in 2023 (OECD, 2023[1]). The immediate result is a lack of follow-up to ensure that cross-border decisions are implemented (OECD, 2023[1]). Such outcomes can create a number of risks for cross-border governance bodies.

First, reduced political participation in decision-making bodies of a cross-border governance body can limit the inclusiveness and scope of cross-border deliberations, as essential representatives from different levels of government may not be present to discuss and support initiatives. This absence can reduce the diversity of perspectives needed to address cross-border challenges effectively, leading to decisions that may not fully reflect local needs or that do not secure the backing necessary for successful implementation. In the end, it narrows the scope of cross-border decision making (at best), or could conceivably halt decision making completely (at worst).

Second, a loss of interest in cross-border co-operation can sometimes lead to a lack of follow-up on the implementation of cross-border actions. This, in turn, risks undermining the ability of the cross-border governance bodies and their founding partners to deliver concrete results in line with their cross-border objectives.

Where political interest in cross-border co-operation is waning, cross-border actors would need to strategically engage elected representatives in order to refocus the latter’s attention on cross-border issues and bolster their participation in cross-border decision making and implementation.

Governance bodies can bolster political support by raising politicians’ awareness of local needs

As politicians are ultimately accountable to their constituencies and depend on them for their votes, their enthusiasm and commitment to any initiative—cross-border or otherwise—depends largely on whether they see such actions as beneficial for their local priorities. Cross-border governance bodies can help bolster political momentum for cross-border action by raising elected representatives’ awareness of the benefits of cross-border co-operation, especially those emphasised by non-governmental actors (e.g. voters). Additionally, cross-border governance bodies could demonstrate how cross-border initiatives effectively address specific local needs, thus making these initiatives more relevant to local politicians.

To support such efforts, cross-border governance bodies could develop and disseminate surveys aimed at residents of the cross-border region. This would help them gather insight into the challenges (and opportunities) of living and working in a cross-border region, and identify their needs and priorities for cross-border action. The results of the surveys could then be shared with elected representatives. Alternatively, or as an additional step, cross-border governance bodies could offer to organise field visits within the cross-border region, in order to enable elected officials to explore specific cross-border challenges in detail and in dialogue with local stakeholders. A good example comes from the Eurometropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai, which supports regular peer-to-peer exchanges (known as réunions de proximité) between local mayors on both sides of the border to help identify cross-border challenges and find joint solutions (OECD, 2023[1]).

Another measure to increase politicians’ awareness of local needs is to conduct or commission targeted research that gathers and presents evidence on specific challenges in the cross-border region. This research could assess the impact of these challenges on socio-economic development, service delivery, or resident well-being, as well as identify potential cross-border solutions. By presenting this evidence, cross-border governance bodies can offer elected representatives an evidence-based picture of the issues at hand, while illustrating how cross-border collaboration could benefit cross-border regions. For example, the EGTC Alzette Belval—along with its partners Pôle Métropolitain Frontalier (PMF) and PRO-SUD1—works with various research institutions, such as Fondation IDEA. Together, they encourage public debate on important socio-economic challenges facing the Franco-Luxembourgian cross-border region through research projects and publications on issues such as cross-border mobility (OECD, 2023[1]; Fondation IDEA, 2024[2]). Through these types of activities, cross-border bodies can enhance elected representatives’ awareness of cross-border challenges, which, in turn, can help encourage them to explore opportunities for cross-border co-operation in areas of mutual need.

At the national level, governments can play an important role in bolstering political momentum for cross-border co-operation. In particular, they can organise initiatives that raise elected representatives’ awareness of cross-border initiatives and their benefits for local communities, thereby encouraging additional cross-border action. For instance, in 2022, the European Committee of the Regions’ EGTC organised an awards contest to recognise cross-border governance bodies that have implemented initiatives with significant potential to enhance economic and social well-being in border communities (EGTC GO, 2022[3]). National governments could organise similar contests, which could reward high-performing cross-border governance bodies while also providing a learning opportunity for their peers. This could help refocus the attention of political actors within EGTCs on cross-border opportunities, and could spur additional cross-border action.

To maximise the visibility and impact of such an award initiative, national governments could involve a broad spectrum of public and non-governmental representatives, including regional and local politicians, particularly from border regions. For instance, establishing a jury with political representatives from different governmental levels would not only enrich the evaluation process but also raise their awareness of cross-border governance initiatives and the unique challenges they face. Additionally, organising the awards ceremony within a larger event, such as the annual conference of an association of local governments, would ensure the presence of relevant stakeholders, amplifying the initiative's reach and impact.

Insufficient support from public actors to resolve practical cross-border issues

Another challenge faced by cross-border governance bodies is insufficient political support to resolve practical cross-border issues. While many cross-border governance bodies receive a baseline level of political support that ensures their continued operation (e.g. through recurring membership contributions), they often struggle to generate or maintain the backing that is needed from national and subnational decision makers to resolve specific cross-border challenges. This may be the result of insufficient co-operation between governance bodies and the levels of government with the mandate and resources to resolve these challenges (OECD, 2023[1]).

In the case of the EGTC Rio Minho, for example, environmental protection of the Minho river has been a priority for the organisation and its founding members. However, the organisation, which is composed of local governments from Spain and Portugal, has very limited co-operation with the national and regional governments with the relevant competences in river management (e.g. environmental protection) (OECD, 2023[1]). This lack of co-operation hampers the EGTC Rio Minho’s ability to share critical information on local needs and priorities, and explore possible solutions with relevant regional and national government bodies (e.g. Galician Department of Environment Territories and Housing, or the Portuguese Environmental Agency) (OECD, 2023[1]).

Another significant challenge for cross-border co-operation bodies lies in getting relevant actors, such as national government agencies, to prioritise finding solutions to local cross-border challenges. In some cases, relevant stakeholders (e.g. national ministries) may lack awareness of local challenges or the problems being encountered by the cross-border co-operation body working to address those challenges. This issue is often compounded when the challenge is unique to a specific cross-border body or cross-border region, rather than one shared by multiple regions, which might otherwise prompt higher prioritisation by decision makers (OECD, 2023[1]).

Two relevant examples come from the EGTC Cerdanya Hospital. First, while the hospital does appear on the official list of French healthcare facilities (Fichier National des Établissements Sanitaires et Sociaux), it is often not considered a French hospital for practical purposes as it is located in Catalonia, Spain (OECD, 2024[4]). For example, when purchasing medical equipment from French companies, the hospital is at times charged higher prices because it is not considered a fully French institution, even though France’s Ministry of Healthcare is one of its founding members. Moreover, the hospital is excluded from some French information systems and certain funding opportunities, such as a public investment fund for medical equipment (OECD, 2024[4]). This can be explained by the limited awareness and understanding among many public and non-governmental actors of what the EGTC is and how it works.

Second, the EGTC Cerdanya Hospital had to engage in a long-term campaign to encourage Spain’s Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, and Sport to accelerate the process of recognising diplomas of its French staff, which could take several months to complete. Streamlining this process was critically important for the hospital’s operations, as it would have enabled newly hired French staff to swiftly be able provide medical services on both sides of region’s border. However, it was only in 2024, following several years of requesting relevant support, that the Ministry adopted a fast-track system to provisionally recognise the healthcare qualifications of French doctors working for the hospital (Box 5.2). One possible reason for the delay may be that it has limited applicability, as few other Spanish hospitals face the same cross-border staffing needs.

Box 5.2. EGTC Cerdanya Hospital: efforts to streamline the diploma recognition process in Spain

The formal diploma recognition process, which is managed by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, and Sport of Spain used to take several months. The slow process hindered the hospital’s ability to efficiently integrate cross-border medical professionals and provide seamless care. In 2021, after years of lobbying by the EGTC Cerdanya Hospital, the Ministry agreed to assign a specific staff member to handle and prioritise EGTC requests for the recognition of diplomas of its staff in order to reduce delays. While this temporarily led to improvements, the contact person soon left the Ministry, meaning that up until 2024, the hospital had to contend with significant delays in processing diplomas.

In 2024, the Ministry agreed to a fast-track system for provisionally recognising healthcare qualifications for French doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, provided they work in the EGTC hospital and serve the Cerdanya cross-border region. This provisional recognition lasts for one year, with the possibility of a one-year extension. In the meantime, the medical diploma goes through the standard recognition process. The adoption of the fast-track system means that French healthcare professionals, such as radiologists, can fully carry out their work within a week after being hired by the hospital. The hospital continues to lobby for the adoption of a special recognition framework that would allow for the automatic recognition of medical diplomas for both French and Spanish staff working at the hospital.

Source: Author’s elaboration, based on (OECD, 2023[1]; OECD, 2024[4])

Approaches to direct the attention of decision makers to specific cross-border challenges

Cross-border governance bodies need to consistently and strategically engage with public actors that have relevant competences and resources to address their cross-border issues. This engagement can ensure that key decision makers from various levels of government are informed about cross-border priorities and can work collaboratively on shared challenges. Depending on the issue at hand, this engagement might involve inviting relevant public actors to join the supervisory or advisory organs of a cross-border governance body. Such involvement could offer the cross-border governance body an opportunity to share with relevant actors the challenges the body and region face, and explore how these can be addressed through joint action.

Moreover, depending on local challenges, cross-border governance bodies could organise activities to inform national and regional authorities of local challenges and create a space to find solutions together. For example, to address practical challenges in managing the Minho River, the EGTC Rio Minho could collaborate with other EGTCs operating along the river and hold regular conferences on issues such as water quality and navigation (OECD, 2023[1]). Such activities could provide a forum for local governments, non-governmental actors (e.g. academia) and relevant regional and national government bodies to discuss local challenges and explore potential solutions. A practical example of this approach comes from the EGTC Alzette Belval, which organises regular meetings with relevant public authorities in France (e.g. Regional Health Agency) and Luxembourg (Ministry of Health and Social Security) to address regulatory challenges to cross-border healthcare delivery (OECD, 2023[1]).

Cross-border governance bodies could also engage strategically with public actors by developing lobbying and advocacy materials. These materials could provide key decision makers with targeted information on specific cross-border challenges. They could, for example, highlight the ‘costs of inaction’ (e.g. such as economic losses and inefficiencies in public services due to a lack of cross-border co-operation), and underscore the urgent need for action. Additionally, advocacy and lobby materials would provide concrete recommendations for steps that decision makers can take to address these challenges.

Two examples of lobbying to address specific cross-border challenges can be seen in the France-Luxembourg cross-border region. A regional association of French border municipalities, PMF, has been lobbying the Luxembourg government to provide financial support to sustain public childcare facilities in France, as many of these facilities receive the children of French workers employed across the border in Luxembourg (Box 5.3) (OECD, 2023[1]). In addition, PMF has been lobbying both Luxembourg and French authorities for public investment in a multi-modal mobility system (e.g. creating more park-and-ride spaces) to ease cross-border traffic congestion (La Semaine, 2024[5]).

Box 5.3. PMF: an example of lobbying efforts to ensure Luxembourg financial support for French creches

The children of many French cross-border workers active in Luxembourg go to French public creches, which are funded and managed by French municipalities. However, municipal financial capacity to provide this service is limited, because, among other reasons, French cross-border workers pay income tax in Luxembourg and there is no income tax compensation system between the two countries. As such, PMF has been lobbying the Government of Luxembourg to provide financial support to French municipalities as a means to “make up for” the loss in income tax revenue and help cover the costs of creches in French cross-border communities.

PMF’s lobbying efforts have focused on highlighting the fact that providing support to French creches would be less costly than ensuring creche services in Luxembourg for the children of French cross-border workers.

Source: Author’s elaboration, based on (OECD, 2023[1])

There may also be opportunities for national governments to play a more proactive role in helping cross-border governance bodies address specific cross-border challenges. As noted in Chapter 2, a draft European Union (EU) regulation on facilitating cross-border solutions will be considered for adoption by EU Member States next year (Council of the European Union, 2024[6]). A key element of the proposal relates to the voluntary establishment of cross-border co-ordination points by EU Member States.

If the regulation is adopted, national governments will be able to set up co-ordination points that can act as ‘one-stop shops’ for handling cross-border ‘files’ (e.g. descriptions of specific regulatory challenges encountered in a cross-border region and their consequences). Public or private entities in cross cross-border regions will be able to initiate these files when they encounter cross-border obstacles. Where cross-border obstacles pertain to laws or regulations, co-ordination points will be able to work with relevant actors (e.g. line ministries) to identify whether legislative or regulatory adjustments can be made to address them (Council of the European Union, 2024[6]). As a result, establishing cross-border focal points, could help improve the awareness of national and regional governments of specific challenges facing cross-border communities, and encourage them to identify relevant solutions.

Loss of knowledge on cross-border co-operation due to regular electoral cycles

The decision-making organs of cross-border governance bodies are frequently affected by elections held at various levels of government in co-operating countries. While the challenges related to political churn are not unique to cross-border regions, they may be more profound as the electoral cycles in co-operating countries are generally not in sync. This leads to more frequent disruptions and the need for continuous political engagement. For instance, between 2020 and 2023 there were three elections that affected the French and Luxembourgian membership base of the EGTC Alzette Belval (French Ministry of the Interior, 2024[7]; Luxembourgian Ministry of Home Affairs, 2024[8]):

• 2020: Municipal elections in France;

• 2021: Regional and departmental elections in France;

• 2023: Municipal and national elections in Luxembourg.

These elections affected the composition of the EGTC’s internal governing bodies (e.g. General Assembly, Executive Bureau, President), which are composed of elected representatives (e.g. mayors, local and regional councillors). Frequent elections can lead to political churn and, by extension, a loss of institutional knowledge within decision-making bodies of cross-border challenges, the remit of the EGTC, its priorities, etc. (OECD, 2024[4]; OECD, 2023[1]). Constant efforts to build or renew political awareness and support for cross-border co-operation among newly-elected politicians is therefore required.

Developing induction materials can help bring newly elected representatives up to speed on cross-border priorities

Tools that enable the cross-border governance bodies to strategically and consistently engage with newly-elected officials can help build the latter’s awareness, enthusiasm and commitment to cross-border co-operation. For instance, developing and disseminating induction materials among newly-elected representatives can equip them with important information (e.g. on local needs, the work of the cross-border governance body). This approach can help mitigate the loss of institutional knowledge that may result from electoral turnover and can take time to rebuild.

Such an approach is used by the EGTC Alzette Belval, which provides newly elected representatives with access to a number of cross-border resources, including a map of the cross-border region and a summary of the current EGTC strategy (OECD, 2023[1]). It has also supported the development of a booklet providing information on the similarities and differences in the electoral systems and competences of the municipalities in the cross-border region (OECD, 2023[1]).

Building on the EGTC Alzette Belval’s current practices, cross-border governance bodies could consider developing clear induction materials to bring newly elected members up to speed on cross-border needs, priorities and activities, while improving their understanding of how the cross-border governance body functions. Such materials might include information on:

• Key challenges and priorities for the cross-border region;

• The governance structure of the cross-border governance body (e.g. the roles and responsibilities of the different internal governing bodies and how such bodies interact);

• Existing strategic planning documents outlining cross-border priorities;

• Examples of successful cross-border projects and their benefits to the region;

• Results that the cross-border governance body has helped achieve to date;

• Testimonials from businesses or citizens about the cross-border initiatives implemented by or together with the governance body.

Public awareness of and support for cross-border co-operation

Public interest and support are often driving forces in establishing and sustaining cross-border initiatives. When citizens are actively engaged and see tangible benefits from cross-border projects, they are more likely to advocate for their continuation and expansion. This civic backing can also nudge political leaders to maintain a consistent focus on cross-border co-operation, even amidst changing political landscapes or electoral cycles. Additionally, public engagement in the work of a cross-border governance body, for example to co-design a strategic planning document or design a project proposal, can create a sense of ownership among residents, which, in turn can strengthen their commitment to the success of these co-operative initiatives.

Cross-border governance bodies are often established to meet citizen demands for specific cross-border services (e.g. public transport, environmental or civil protection, education, healthcare) (ESPON, 2022[9]). Despite this, beyond their founding members, few non-governmental stakeholders are aware of the work carried out by cross-border governance bodies (OECD, 2023[1]). Cross-border governance bodies from all five pilot regions suggested that many residents and other non-governmental actors (e.g. academia, civil society and the private sector) have limited awareness of their governance body or the cross-border initiatives that it supports (OECD, 2023[1]). Nevertheless, some governance bodies have been more effective in mobilising public support for cross-border initiatives and have garnered greater public visibility than others.

Variations in public support for cross-border governance bodies can be attributed to a host of factors. These include differences in the structure of the cross-border governance bodies’ internal organisation. Notably, the extent to which they allow for non-governmental participation varies significantly across the different bodies. For instance, the Eurometropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai established a Civil Society Forum and thematic working groups that help develop proposals for the design and implementation of cross-border initiatives (Eurometropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai, 2021[10]; OECD, 2023[11]). Such structures can foster public interest and support by involving local stakeholders directly in decision-making processes and ensuring that initiatives better reflect the needs and priorities of border communities. At the same time, many other cross-border governance bodies do not have formal spaces for participation by non-governmental actors.

Another factor behind variations in the visibility and public support enjoyed by cross-border governance bodies lies in the different types of cross-border services provided to border residents. While some cross-border governance bodies play a crucial role in delivering essential public services, such as healthcare, others primarily broker information on public goods and services available in the cross-border region. This distinction in the type of services provided influences the strategies governance bodies use to build public awareness and support, as explored below.

The benefits of active engagement and communication with non-governmental actors

High levels of public awareness and support for cross-border co-operation can be valuable for governance bodies, whether their mandate is broad or focused on a specific public service. However, the specific added value of strong public engagement may vary depending on the scope and nature of each governance body’s mandate.

Cross-border governance bodies need to remain responsive to both public and political priorities

Many cross-border governance bodies are not established to support cross-border co-operation within a single sector, and rather have a broad mandate to facilitate cross-border co-operation in a range of potential areas (see Chapter 2). For instance, in the case of the EGTC Nemunas-Niemen, the founding statutes outline seven broad topics that cross-border co-operation may focus on: from improving access to local public services to supporting entrepreneurship and labour market integration (EGTC Nemunas-Niemen, 2023[12]). In such cases, developing robust mechanisms for engagement with residents and other non-governmental actors is particularly important. This engagement can help define the governance body’s strategic objectives and specific cross-border activities, ensuring they are well-aligned with local needs.

A further benefit of such engagement is that it can also help mobilise in-kind and financial contributions from non-governmental actors to support cross-border action. Cross-border governance bodies, however, must balance this focus on engagement with non-governmental actors with the need to build political interest and support for cross-border initiatives among their founding members.

The experience of the Eurometropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai provides a good example of the benefits of investing in engagement with non-governmental actors, while also highlighting potential risks. On the positive side, the involvement of non-governmental actors in the organisation’s thematic working groups has helped ensure that cross-border proposals enjoy support from individual residents and other non-governmental actors, and take account of specific local needs (OECD, 2023[1]). It has also enabled the EGTC to mobilise in-kind contributions for cross-border action. For instance, non-governmental actors within one of the working groups were mobilised to develop a database that supports territorial studies related to water quality (OECD, 2023[1]). However, an emphasis on civil society engagement may also have diverted time and attention from engaging with founding members, and contributed to the decrease in political enthusiasm for cross-border co-operation. This underscores the importance of maintaining a balanced approach, ensuring that cross-border governance bodies remain responsive to both public and political priorities, while advancing its cross-border objectives.

Outreach to residents can create a demand for cross-border public services

Investing in engagement with non-governmental actors also offers benefits for cross-border governance bodies focused on delivering a specific public service. In such instances, opportunities for co-designing initiatives may be limited. For example, in the case of the EGTC Cerdanya Hospital, the delivery of healthcare services is guided by regional and national healthcare planning, medical protocols, and healthcare regulations, leaving limited space for residents to support the co-development of healthcare procedures or service offerings. Nevertheless, effective engagement and communication with non-governmental actors, particularly residents, remain critical for two reasons.

First, ensuring that residents are aware of and understand how to access a cross-border public service is essential to encourage uptake. For instance, providing clear information on how the service works and who is eligible to use it can help enhance residents’ confidence in its accessibility and affordability.

Second, strong demand for the cross-border service from residents serves as a powerful reminder to politicians of its public value within the cross-border region. A clear demonstration of public value is essential for securing lasting political support for the service.

In light of the above, the case of the EGTC Cerdanya Hospital provides a pertinent illustration of the importance of effective public communication around cross-border service delivery (Box 5.4). A priority for the hospital is to clarify that it provides equal access to healthcare for both French and Catalan residents of the cross-border region. This is due to a public misconception that services are tilted in favour of Spanish residents (e.g. due to hospital location, staff nationality, predominant staff language), which has affected the willingness of some French residents to use the hospital’s services (OECD, 2023[1]).

Box 5.4. EGTC Cerdanya Hospital: efforts to change the public’s perception of the hospital

The EGTC Cerdanya hospital was established in 2010 to help address declining access to healthcare in the Cerdanya cross-border region. While French and Catalan (Spain) cross-border residents have equal access to the hospital, the majority of demand still comes from Catalan residents. For example, while Catalan residents represent 60% of the population of the cross-border region, Catalan residents made up 73% of hospitalisations in 2022. This imbalance in demand from French and Catalan residents is primarily related to the fact that the majority of the hospital staff is Spanish and the hospital is located in Catalonia. These factors contribute to the perception that the EGTC Cerdanya Hospital is a Catalan hospital, and not one that serves Catalan and French cross-border communities equally.

The hospital wants to strengthen its identity as a truly shared healthcare facility that serves Catalan and French border communities equally. For example, enhancing regular communication among French general practitioners and EGTC medical professionals could help address misconceptions about the EGTC and result in a smoother patient referral process.

Source: Author’s elaboration, based on (EGTC Cerdanya Hospital, 2023[13]).

Public communication and engagement activities can help to build resident awareness and interest in using cross-border public services. However, such activities are likely to be better targeted and more effective when cross-border governance bodies have a solid baseline understanding of resident perceptions and experiences with these services, including whether or not they use them.

To identify how cross-border residents perceive cross-border services, cross-border governance bodies can consider developing and disseminating periodic surveys. For instance, such surveys might include questions covering:

• The perceptions and experiences of residents regarding the cross-border service, including whether they perceive it to be a genuine cross-border service;

• Previous use of the cross-border service;

• Perceptions of quality, affordability and accessibility.

Insights from the surveys could help the EGTC and its founding partners identify key perception issues and define actions to enhance awareness, trust, and accessibility of cross-border services. For example, the EGTC may choose to launch targeted communication campaigns, or organise informational briefings in local communities.

Where surveys are being periodically conducted, cross-border governance bodies can also track whether or not resident perceptions and use of the cross-border service are improving over time. Based on the findings, they can decide if any adjustments to their public communication and engagement activities—or even to the service itself—may be necessary.

Promoting shared goods and services to help build support for cross-border co-operation

Even when cross-border bodies are not responsible for providing a specific cross-border service, there are different ways in which cross-border governance bodies can build public awareness and support for cross-border co-operation.

One approach is to communicate about the public goods and services available to residents of the transboundary region, such as universities, swimming pools, parks and museums. For instance, the EGTC Alzette Belval has developed and published an interactive map on its website that provides information on public goods and services in the cross-border region (e.g. sport clubs, libraries, parks) (OECD, 2023[1]). This approach enables residents to easily identify nearby resources and opportunities, encouraging them to explore and utilise these shared assets. Raising their awareness of goods and services that are available to the whole cross-border region may also help residents see the value in launching new cross-border initiatives, which could deliver additional benefits to citizens.

Another strategy for building public awareness and support is to organise events and activities that enable residents to actively engage with the cross-border region. The Eurometropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai, for example, has organised guided tours on foot, by bike and by boat showcasing the cross-border region’s shared green and blue spaces (OECD, 2023[1]). It has also organised an annual festival in order to raise awareness of the cross-border region among residents (OECD, 2023[1]).

Finally, a further approach to bolstering public awareness and support for cross-border co-operation is to collaborate with local, regional, and national authorities, as well as businesses, to provide unique benefits to cross-border residents. Such an approach has been adopted by several cross-border governance bodies within the EU (Box 5.5).

Box 5.5. Examples of partnerships with public and private actors to promote cross-border regions

A number of cross-border actors within the EU have developed partnerships with public and private actors to promote their cross-border region to local residents. For instance, the border cities of Verín (Spain) and Chaves (Portugal) created a Eurocitizen card that offers benefits to local residents. Thanks in part to EU financial support, it provides residents with free entry to municipal museums, discounts on cultural events and shops, and opportunities to participate in cultural, sporting and recreational activities on both sides of the border.

In France and Germany, regional governments and public transport companies in the Strasbourg-Ortenau cross-border region offer special public transport tickets to facilitate cross-border mobility. Specifically, they allow people to buy a single ticket for traveling on different French and German bus and train networks, thereby increasing the ease of cross-border travel.

Source: Author’s elaboration, based on (Eurociudade Chaves Verín, n.d.[14]; Ortenau, 2018[15]).

Conclusion

Ensuring continuous political and public awareness and support for cross-border action can make the difference in the sustainability of cross-border governance. Generating lasting political support for cross-border co-operation can encourage governments to use their powers to enact legislation or adjust regulations to reduce barriers for cross-border service delivery, for example, or to approve funding for cross-border bodies or projects. Equally, investing in public awareness and support for cross-border co-operation among non-governmental actors can offer significant benefits. For instance, high levels of public engagement can foster active involvement in cross-border planning, helping to ensure co-operation initiatives are aligned with local needs.

Different measures can be taken by cross-border governance bodies to bolster political support. These include ensuring frequent engagement with relevant political actors, particularly those who may not be formal members. This could be done by inviting them to participate in advisory bodies or organising activities (e.g. conferences) to inform relevant authorities about local challenges and create spaces to look for solutions. Additionally, to address the challenges posed by a loss of knowledge on cross-border co-operation due to political churn, cross-border governance bodies could invest in developing induction materials to help bring newly elected representatives up to speed on cross-border priorities.

For policy makers aiming to garner public support for cross-border co-operation, ensuring that cross-border initiatives provide tangible benefits to residents is essential. Cross-border co-operation should not remain an abstract concept for the public. Rather, where possible, it should offer concrete advantages such as access to information, services, and opportunities that enhance daily life in the region. Action to provide public services, organise cultural events, and disseminate clear information on available cross-border goods, jobs or other resources or benefits can help residents perceive these efforts as directly relevant and valuable to them, potentially strengthening both support and engagement.

Moreover, sustaining long-term public interest and support requires consistent, visible engagement and communication that reflects the unique identity and needs of the cross-border region. By promoting shared goods, services, and cultural assets, cross-border governance bodies can foster a sense of belonging and shared identity among residents. Cross-border governance bodies should therefore consider integrating regular communication efforts, community events, and collaborations that keep cross-border benefits top of mind among residents.

References

[6] Council of the European Union (2024), Amended proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a Council on a mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context.

[13] EGTC Cerdanya Hospital (2023), Memoria Anual 2022/Rapport Annuel d’Activité 2022 (Annual Activity Report 2022), https://www.hcerdanya.eu/media/upload/arxius/qui-som/memories/memoria-rapport-annuel-hdc-2022.pdf (accessed on 23 August 2024).

[3] EGTC GO (2022), EGTC GO wins the EGTC Award 2022, https://euro-go.eu/en/notizie-ed-eventi/news/il-gect-go-riceve-il-premio-egtc-awards-2022/ (accessed on 8 November 2024).

[12] EGTC Nemunas-Niemen (2023), Statutes: European Grouping of Territorial Co-operation Nemunas-Niemen (with limited liability).

[9] ESPON (2022), Cross-border Public Services 2.0 (CPS 2.0), https://archive.espon.eu/sites/default/files/attachments/Final%20report%20Cross%20Border%20Public%20Services%202.0.pdf (accessed on 30 October 2024).

[14] Eurociudade Chaves Verín (n.d.), Cartão Eurocidadão [Eurocitizen card].

[10] Eurometropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai (2021), Statuts du Groupement européen de coopération territoriale Eurométropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai [Statues of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation Eurometropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai], https://www.eurometropolis.eu/upload/attach-document/statutsstatuten2021-2.pdf (accessed on 25 July 2024).

[2] Fondation IDEA (2024), Qui sommes-nous? [Who are we?], https://www.fondation-idea.lu/quisommesnous/ (accessed on 23 July 2024).

[7] French Ministry of the Interior (2024), Les archives des résultats des élections en France [Archives of election results in France], https://www.archives-resultats-elections.interieur.gouv.fr/ (accessed on 2 August 2024).

[5] La Semaine (2024), Comment a évolué le Pôle métropolitain frontalier depuis sa création ? [How has the Metropolitan Border Hub evolved since its creation?], https://www.lasemaine.fr/comment-a-evolue-le-pole-metropolitain-frontalier-depuis-sa-creation/ (accessed on 9 August 2024).

[8] Luxembourgian Ministry of Home Affairs (2024), Local elections, https://maint.gouvernement.lu/en/dossiers/2022/elections-communales.html (accessed on 2 August 2024).

[4] OECD (2024), Interviews with local stakeholders, conducted as part of the “Building More Resilient Cross-border Regions” project.

[1] OECD (2023), Interviews with local stakeholders, conducted as part of the “Building More Resilient Cross-border Regions” project.

[11] OECD (2023), Questionnaire for the “Building More Resilient Cross-border Regions” project, filled out by EGTC Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai.

[15] Ortenau (2018), Europass folder 2018.

Note

← 1.  PFM and PRO-SUD are regional associations of local governments on the French and Luxembourgian sides of the cross-border region, respectively.