EU: first Borders Forum. Launch of “European Cross-Border Citizens’ Alliance”

The first Borders Forum, organised by the Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière (MOT) with the support of the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions, has started today. Cross-border territories give home to 30% of the European population and 2 million Europeans are cross-border workers. “With the coronavirus pandemic, we have become more aware that Europe cannot thrive without cross-border solidarity”, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said in her opening remarks at the Forum this morning. According to Ferreira, there is a need for “stronger cooperation between cross-border territories, which are often peripheral, have fewer public services, and thus need special attention”. The objective of this two-day Forum is “to show the central role played by cross-border territories in keeping the European peoples together, to show the path to sustainable and inclusive growth, and to support integration”, the organizers explain. The Forum will be an opportunity to launch the “European Cross-Border Citizens’ Alliance”, an initiative aimed at making borders, opportunities and challenges even more visible to policy-makers. It will also be an opportunity to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the EU Programme “Interreg” and to pay tribute to the European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), a tool that has been supporting public authorities in the implementation of cross-border initiatives since 2006. The Forum is streamed live at https://bordersforum-webstreaming.eu/.
Sarah Numico