Supporting the development of cross-border regions is a growing priority for many governments across the OECD. This reflects the important role these regions play, for example, in terms of their contribution to GDP. The growing attention to cross-border development also reflects the fact that these regions often face significant development challenges related to their proximity to national borders. In addition to trade barriers, behind and at the border, these include legislative, regulatory, governance, cultural and language obstacles. Depending on the country and regional context, these factors can constrain regional economic integration, impede the delivery of cross-border services (e.g. transport, healthcare, utilities, security, environmental protection) and/or hamper the co-ordination of cross-border disaster management efforts.
This OECD report synthesises findings from the “Building More Resilient Cross-Border Regions” project. This initiative was supported by and responds to a request from the European Commission to: i) assess how multi-level governance arrangements can support resilient cross-border development; and ii) develop analysis and tools that can help policy makers establish or reinforce cross-border governance mechanisms. The report draws on the OECD’s work with cross-border governance bodies in five European pilot regions. It provides insights and recommendations for other cross-border regions in the European Union, OECD and beyond to strengthen their development performance and resilience. The five pilot regions are located on the borders between: Belgium and France; Lithuania and Poland; Luxembourg and France; France and Spain; and Portugal and Spain.
The report starts by examining why the development of cross-border regions often lags behind non-border regions, and considers the multi-level governance mechanisms in place to bolster their development. Using insights from the five pilot regions as a basis, it then examines cross-border governance arrangements through the lens of the OECD Cross-border Governance Framework developed as part of this project. The framework identifies four complementary governance dimensions: cross-border governance architecture; ii) strategic planning; iii) funding and financing; and iv) promotion and advocacy for cross-border development. The report shows that, despite differences in development contexts and specific cross-border challenges faced by border regions, the cross-border bodies that are established to address these challenges often encounter similar obstacles. These include adopting practical strategies to guide co-operation efforts, securing funding to implement concrete initiatives and maintaining robust political support to address cross-border needs. Finally, this report includes considerations for subnational, national and international policy makers on how they can strengthen cross-border governance frameworks to enhance the resilience and socio-economic development of cross-border areas.
This report was developed as part of the Programme of Work of the OECD’s Regional Development Policy Committee (RDPC), a leading international forum in the fields of regional, urban and rural development policy and multi-level governance, which is served by the Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE). The RDPC emphasises the importance of multi-level governance and place-based approaches that are tailored to regional and local needs. To support the RDPC's leadership in this area, the OECD created the Multi-level Governance Studies series in 2016. This report contributes to the body of knowledge contained in this series. The report was approved by the RDPC through written procedure on 10 December 2024 (CFE/RDPC(2024)24).