Association of European Border Regions - AEBR / AGEG / ARFE

15/06/2026

✨ Meet more of our speakers for next week’s strategic workshop on Cross border environmental cooperation through the lens of b-solutions!

We continue introducing the practitioners who will share hands on insights into dealing with legal and administrative obstacles in cross border environmental cooperation.

🎤 Catherine Christiaens: Coordinator, Eurometropolis Blue Park from Eurometropolis Lille Kortrijk Tournai. She works to strengthen cross border cooperation in culture, water based experiences and social cohesion. She leads the Het Blauwe Park initiative, connecting water, nature and mobility across France, Flanders and Wallonia.

🎤 Dr Péter Merza: Director, Pannon Európai Területi Társulás. He is a regional development expert with long-standing experience in EU funded urban and cross border programmes. In b-solutions, he contributes practical knowledge on addressing legal obstacles to Hungarian Croatian cross border energy communities.

🔗 Register for the Strategic workshop on Cross-border environmental cooperation through the lens of b-solutions: https://forms.gle/bLLGCKSyutyF27Ky8

📅 23 June 2026 | 13:00–14:00 CEST | Online

📌 Follow AEBR and b solutions for more news on our activities.

11/06/2026

📢 Resilient Borders webinar: sharing results and strengthening cooperation

AEBR and Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière(MOT) organise an online event on 25 June (11:00–12:00 CEST) to present the results of DG REGIO’s Resilient Borders initiative on cross-border spatial planning and crisis management.

🔎 What to expect:
📘 Presentation of new publications:
• a compendium of cases with practical experiences from 19 pilot cases across Europe
• a policy report with key lessons, methodologies, and recommendations
🌍 Insights and examples of how border regions developed joint action plans to tackle shared challenges
💡 Discussion on how these results can inform EU cohesion policy and territorial cooperation

✨ Join practitioners and policymakers to exchange ideas and strengthen the link between local realities and European-level discussions towards more resilient border territories.

👉 Register here: https://forms.gle/jEVPdHQGhUxagt8Y6.
👉 Learn more about the project: https://resilientborders.eu/

EU REGIO Interreg

10/06/2026

🌍 This week we take a closer look at b solutions’ thematic area of Institutional Cooperation.

📊 With 56 cases since 2018, this theme shows how closely connected border regions are in daily life, yet how differently their institutions often operate. When legal systems, administrative cultures and procedures meet at a border, even simple tasks can become difficult to coordinate.

🏛️ Many obstacles relate to how authorities exchange data, divide responsibilities or recognise each other’s procedures. They often stem from the simple fact that institutions rely on different tools, rules or interpretations of their mandates.

🔎 A story from the Norway and Sweden border
During an Interreg project on bioeconomy, a Swedish company wanted to test a new product in a Norwegian test bed centre. Everything was ready, but the administrative systems were not. National funding rules in Norway were not open to foreign companies and information on exceptions was unclear, which meant the company could not access the facility. Through b solutions, the Svinesundskommittén worked with an expert to clarify the rules and propose practical solutions, including joint funding schemes and clearer procedures for cross border access to innovation infrastructure.

📚 Explore more cases in our online library: https://www.b-solutionsproject.com/library

📅 If your organisation faces similar challenges in cross-border cooperation, or in any other thematic area of b solutions, you can still apply to the current open call until 30 June: https://www.b-solutionsproject.com/call-for-proposals

08/06/2026

Meet our moderator and first speakers for our online strategic workshop on Cross border environmental cooperation through the lens of b-solutions!

We are pleased to introduce the moderator and first speakers for our upcoming webinar, which will explore innovative approaches to cross-border environmental cooperation through the b-solutions experience. This session will bring together experienced practitioners to share insights about obstacles, needs, best practices, and concrete examples from across Europe.

🌿 Moderator
Caitriona Mullan, Senior Expert Advisor at AEBR, will guide the discussion. With over three decades of experience in public service, EU Funds, regional development and cross border governance, she brings deep expertise and a strong understanding of the challenges and opportunities in territorial cooperation

🎤 First Speakers
- Olivera Antić, Senior Consultant in Water Resources Management, Climate Change and Urban Resilience. With over 20 years of experience supporting international organisations across the Western Balkans, she has contributed significantly to transboundary water cooperation and alignment with EU environmental standards. She is also a b-solutions expert.

- Sónia Antunes, Technical Secretary of the AECT Rio Minho. With a background in Geography and Territorial Planning, she has been actively involved since 2006 in territorial development and European cooperation. Her work includes the management of successive Interreg POCTEP programmes, particularly in the fields related to environmental sustainability and multi level governance.

📌 Register for the event: https://forms.gle/bLLGCKSyutyF27Ky8

📅 23 June 2026 | 13:00 to 14:00 CEST, Online

03/06/2026

📊 After last week’s focus on Public Services, this week we take a closer look at b solutions’ second most popular thematic area: Labour market and education. With 62 cases in total, it represents 34% of all b solutions cases selected so far.

🧑‍🏫 Why is this theme so prominent?
Around 150 million Europeans live close to a border, in regions with a huge potential for economic growth and integration but whose development and interactions are hindered by legal and administrative discrepancies linked to the recognition of qualifications, remote work conditions, complex national tax and social security regimes. According to a study funded by the Commission, removing 20% of current obstacles would boost GDP by 2% in cross-border regions and create over one million jobs.

That’s where b solutions can help public bodies, such as municipalities, regions, Chambers of Commerce, and cross-border structures like EGTCs, address these border obstacles with a clear analysis and recommendations from a legal expert.

📚 Explore previous cases analysed through b solutions in our online library: https://www.b-solutionsproject.com/library

If your organisation faces similar obstacles affecting businesses, workers, jobseekers or students living in border regions, you can submit an application to the open call for new b solutions cases 👉 https://www.b-solutionsproject.com/call-for-proposals

03/06/2026

🚨 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 for b-solutions participants: https://borderexchange.fceer.org/ last chance to apply - find details below 👇

⏳ 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆!

What cross-border challenge should Europe solve next?

Your experience could inspire the next wave of cooperation across Europe.


We are 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟭𝟬 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 to welcome Interreg Europe stakeholders and showcase real solutions to cross-border obstacles through the Border Regions Peer Exchange.

✅ Share your experience

✅ Connect with European peers

✅ Expand your impact beyond your region

Whether your case is fully implemented or still evolving, your story matters.


📅 Application deadline: June 5, 2026 | 17:00 CET

🚀Don’t miss the opportunity to position your organisation as a European reference in cross-border cooperation.

Association of European Border Regions - AEBR / AGEG / ARFE

02/06/2026

📢 Our session on Cross-Border Energy Communities is almost here!

Join us on 9 June 2026, 16:30–18:00h, at the NH Berlaymont – Simone Veil in Brussels and online for our dedicated policy session on “Cross-Border Energy Communities and Interregional Cooperation: Fostering the development of energy communities across borders”.

🎤 Moderated by Katharina Krell, Thematic Expert – Greener Europe Policy Learning Platform, Interreg Europe

🗣️ Delia Bonsignore, Programme Manager – Interreg, European Commission DG REGIO Unit D2

🗣️ Martín Guillermo Ramírez, Secretary General, Association of European Border Regions (AEBR)

🗣️ Frans Folkvord, President, Arcen Velden Lomm Energy Cooperative

🗣️ Gilles Kittel, Team Leader – South-East Europe, European Commission DG REGIO Unit D1

🗣️ Marek Jaskólski, Sustainability Manager, Europastadt GörlitzZgorzelec

🗣️ Rachel Tully, Head of EU Projects Department, Extremadura Energy Agency (AGENEX)

📅 9 June 2026 | 16:30 to 18:00h
📍 NH Berlaymont – Simone Veil, Brussels + online

Save our session via the EUSEW2026 programme: https://sustainable-energy-week.ec.europa.eu/

EU REGIO Interreg

01/06/2026

🧓 Limits to early retirement for cross border workers

Workers who have spent most of their careers in Denmark can be denied access to Tidlig Pension, Denmark’s early retirement scheme for people with long working careers, if they receive even a small German pension. This situation conflicts with EU coordination rules and disproportionately affects those who have exercised their right to free movement in the Danish–German border region.

🔍 This cross border obstacle, submitted by Region Sønderjylland-Schleswig, is now being analysed by b-solutions expert Martine Stagelund Hvidt, who will examine the legal situation and explore possible ways forward.

📚 Explore this case and other selected b-solutions cases: https://www.b-solutionsproject.com/projects

29/05/2026

📢 Call for Abstracts: AEBR is inviting researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to submit proposals for the 10th Annual Cross-Border School, taking place in Dundalk, Ireland on 28 October 2026 📍.

We welcome contributions aligned with this year’s themes on sustainability and the WEFE nexus, trust building and citizen engagement, and cross border governance.

📅 The call ends on 26 June 2026

👉 See link for details on how to apply: https://www.aebr.eu/initiatives/sail-of-papenburg/

29/05/2026

🚨 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 for b-solutions participants, details below 👇

🚨 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟
Have you been part of a b-solutions case addressing real border obstacles?
Now’s your chance to 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 for the Border Regions Peer Exchange and showcase your impact to Interreg stakeholders from across Europe.

📢 This is more than a visit, it’s an opportunity to:
- Share your experience
- Exchange solutions with European peers
- Build long-lasting cross-border partnerships
- Multiply your impact beyond your region

Whether your case is fully implemented, evolving, or still facing challenges, your experience matters. Europe learns from real cooperation stories. 🌐

🗓️ Application deadline: 5 June 2026 | 17:00 CET

Association of European Border Regions - AEBR / AGEG / ARFE