Conclusion

• Author: Rubio, Jean; Peyrony, Jean; Viaggi, Raffaele
• Pages: 147-147

147

V. CONCLUSION:

Border regions and their inhabitants have suffered a lot during the crisis. They

were impacted more severely than others. This has significantly contributed to

raise awareness, locally, but also at national and European level, on the need to

develop more EU solidarity and integration within and for border regions.

To conclude, the negative impacts of the crisis, disproportionally more severe in

border regions than in non –border regions, justify that that CB regions are

identified by TFEU article 174 as deserving specific attention of public policies. The

crisis has proved that the border is a handicap when it creates obstacles, but an

asset when the border is open. Borders are places to imagine new policies, not

only to face crises, but also ordinary situations.

Targeted actions are needed to prevent future crises; EU coordination is needed;

multi-level governance is essential; contextualised and bottom up is a must.

These lessons do not only concern crises, but the permanent question of border

management and cross border development. Border closures have been a

counterfactual of CB cohesion. Interdependences revealed by the crisis require

new CB policies: functional approach considering persons in their CB living areas;

bottom- up multi-level governance involving CB regions, States and EU. The

relevance of ETC’s new devices, such as new policy objectives “Europe closer to

citizens” (PO 5), “A better cooperation governance” (ISO 1), and the draft

regulation “European cross border mechanism” (ECBM) is confirmed.

CB regions will be test cases, for the recovery and beyond. The present crisis

means danger, but also opportunity for Europe, to overcome, learn and develop

new policies in favour of persons and their living areas.

Taking into account the reality of CB interdependencies now invites us to give a

political dimension to cross-border and European integration. The contributions of

CB stakeholders, which will be collected through the process launched by the

Committee of the Regions in November 2020, under the label of the European

Cross-border Citizens Alliance, should be a major contribution to the Conference

on the Future of Europe.