BridgeforEU : tearing down borders, building up Regions

Gorizia and Nova Gorica, Italian and Slovenian cross-border cities, European Capitals of Culture in 2025, struggle every day to organize joint events in the Piazza Transalpina due to a number of administrative obstacles.

On the cross-border section of the Danube, between Slovakia and Hungary, kayaking activities are impossible due to legislative inconsistencies between the two countries, hampering the development of river tourism.

Located on the French-Spanish border, the recruitment of doctors for the Cerdagne cross-border hospital is considerably delayed by the lengthy procedures required by the Spanish administration to recognise French diplomas.

There are so many other concrete examples of obstacles to effective, straightforward cross-border cooperation within the European Union. These impact the daily lives of the 150 million Europeans - a third of the Union's population - who live in border regions. The cost of these malfunctions is considerable, estimated by the European Parliament at around 457 billion euros a year.

But, last night, after six long and difficult years of negotiations, the EP finally reached an agreement with the Council on a Commission regulation proposal aimed at facilitating cross border cooperation. This was made possible thanks to the impetus of our political group Renew Europe, which tabled an own-initiative report in 2023 calling on the European Commission to take action to remove administrative obstacles.

BridgeforEU is a genuine instrument for cohesion and proximity with the local realities. On a voluntary basis, member states will be invited to set up a cross-border coordination point at national or local level. This will be a one-stop shop for local authorities and businesses. Ultimately, according to European Parliament estimates, this tool will remove 20% of cross-border obstacles and generate economic gains of over €120 billion a year.

This is a real victory for the European Parliament. The dossier had been blocked in the Council for several years. Thanks to our proposal, which brought together all the political groups, the rapporteur Sandro Gozi (Renaissance, France) facilitated the relaunch of negotiations on the basis of a new text. This regulation, the need for which was reiterated in the Letta report, is a further step towards completing the internal market.

EP rapporteur Sandro Gozi, said : “Renew Europe proves once again to be the main driver of European integration across borders. The deal on BRIDGEforEU is the result of a long negotiation Parliament led to break the impasse and to provide regions, mayors, associations and firms with a voluntary framework they can use to signal cross-border obstacles to cooperation, and to propose or request a solution to national or regional authorities. More vibrant labour markets, easier access to education, healthcare and cross-border public services, and increasing economic and social cohesion: This is the purpose of BRIDGEforEU!”