Provisional agreement on BRIDGEforEU, a new tool to empower EU border regions

EP and Council teams have reached an agreement on an instrument for overcoming administrative cross-border obstacles that hold back border regions.

On Monday, negotiating teams from the European Parliament and the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU reached a provisional agreement on a Border Regions’ Instrument for Development and Growth (“BRIDGEforEU”) in order to find cross-border solutions to administrative and legal obstacles in border regions.

To resolve administrative and legal issues involving cross-border infrastructure or public services that make citizens’ lives more difficult and hold back economic growth, the proposal would empower regional or local authorities and private bodies to flag cross-border obstacles to coordination points set up by member states that wish to participate.

After assessing the problem and underlying reasons, the coordination point can use a number of voluntary tools (including ones foreseen by international agreements) to address the obstacle. For example, it can contact the national competent authorities and notify them of the issue, so that they can evaluate which administrative changes within their remit could resolve the issue.

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After the vote, rapporteur Sandro Gozi (Renew, France) said: "Today’s deal is an unprecedented victory for border regions and their citizens, whose lives and opportunities are hampered by outdated bureaucratic walls. Through BRIDGEforEU, we provide local authorities and private bodies with a voluntary framework they can use to signal cross-border obstacles, and to request or propose a solution. This was the key purpose of the Parliament initiative in 2023: building bridges among territories and communities, and contributing to vibrant labour markets, easier access to essential cross-border public services, and increasing economic and social cohesion."

Background

Around 150 million Europeans live in a border region. The European Parliament estimates that cross-border administrative and legal obstacles amount to a yearly loss of 457 billion euros at EU level, while the European Commission estimates that removing 20 % of current obstacles would boost EU GDP by 2 %.

The Commission made its original proposal for a mechanism to resolve cross-border legal and administrative obstacles in May 2018. Although the European Parliament adopted its position in February 2019, the Council did not find a general approach on the proposal, leaving it in limbo.

In September 2023, MEPs adopted a legislative initiative report seeking to break the deadlock on the proposal. The text proposed Cross-border Coordination Points and Cross-border Committees as a possible solution. In December 2023, the Commission proposed an amended version of the law, taking up key parts of the Parliament’s proposals and leading to the present negotiations.

Next steps

Before it can enter into law, the proposal needs to be formally adopted by both Parliament and Council.