Transgression of European Border Regions

Due to European unification, border regions are acquiring a new role; these areas are increasingly becoming spaces of opportunity, places where innovative ideas and collaborations can emerge. However, realising this potential requires overcoming a fundamental challenge: the lack of standardised, transparent, and accessible data.

On the 2nd of September Vereniging Delta metropool hosted an online session, building from a session held in April which explored how European border regions can act as catalysts for deeper collaboration across Europe. The guiding question for the session was:

“How can we build cross-border data infrastructure that reflects shared realities, and what role can governance, design, and practice play in this process?”

The session featured two distinguished speakers who represented complementary approaches to this challenge. Johan van der Valk from Statistics Netherlands shared insights from the Werkinzicht, demonstrating how we can create meaningful cross-border labor market data. Sebastiaan Hupkes presented the systematic approach of Schakelpunt Grensbelemmeringen, showing how comprehensive databases help identify and prioritize border obstacles.

Disclaimer: This video is set to unlisted on YouTube. It is not publicly searchable, and only those with the direct link are able to view the session.

Initiatives

CBS Statistics Netherlands: Johan van der Valk presented on developing cross-border statistics, including the Grensdata portal (for Netherlands, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Belgium) and the Werk in zicht Interreg project. These initiatives provide open data on labour markets, demographics, economics, and more.

Flanders-Netherlands Cross Border Coordination Point (Schakelpunt Grensbelemmeringen) Sebastian Hupkes discussed this initiative, launched in September 2024, which addresses obstacles arising from regulatory and administrative differences between Flanders and the Netherlands. It uses Benelux legal instruments and aims to find ways to deviate from existing regulations rather than creating new laws. The European Commission has adopted a regulation requiring all EU member states to establish similar coordination points.

Challenges

Institutional Structure: Statistical offices typically limit their work to national borders, and there’s a lack of explicit mandates for cross-border statistics, making it difficult to convince colleagues to look beyond national boundaries.

Perception and Quality Concerns: Some countries deem cross-border work unimportant or cite data quality issues as excuses, though these are often considered invalid without proper documentation of limitations.

Different Data Definitions: Variations in data definitions between countries pose a significant challenge. The definition for housing is different across european nations for example.

Limited Awareness: There’s a need for greater awareness at ministry and political levels about the importance of cross-border data collection.

The Complexity of GIS Data: definitions, traffic models that don’t communicate across borders, and foreign destinations being represented as single points. Proposals included integrating GIS for “proximity statistics” (cross-border amenities like hospitals), making exact locations available for analysis, and using satellite data.

Need for Structural Financing and Political Support: Both Johan and Sebastian emphasised that these initiatives require structural financing beyond temporary project funding (like Interreg) and greater awareness and support from ministries and political levels to ensure their long-term sustainability. The potential for EU regulation to mandate standardised cross-border data collection was discussed as a necessary step to mobilise countries.

Measuring Success: Sebastian explained that measuring the success of cross-border coordination initiatives is challenging. Indicators of success include: getting topics on government agendas, opening discussions with previously inaccessible departments, facilitating stakeholder dialogue, and implementing specific solutions (e.g., cross-border ambulances). They are still developing evaluation metrics, with politicians ultimately making the decisions on implementation.

In closing, Johan stressed the need for cross-border statistics to become part of regular statistical work, not just one-off projects, requiring stronger political awareness and support. He noted that new EU regulations requiring coordination points offer a clear opportunity to move from pilot projects to lasting, institutionalised cross-border knowledge. The session aimed to explore concrete steps towards initiating a shared cross-border data ecosystem.

Speakers

Johan van der Valk  works at Statistics Netherlands (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek) as project manager of Werkinzicht, an initiative that maps cross-border labor market developments within the theme of labor. The project focuses on providing comprehensive insights into employment dynamics across national boundaries. Johan initiated a pilot project examining cross-border labor flows between the Netherlands and Germany. The success of this initiative captured the attention of Dutch policymakers, leading to expanded interest in collecting and providing similar insights for data at the Belgium border region.

Sebastiaan Hupkes Coordinator of Schakelpunt Grensbelemmeringen Vlaanderen-Nederland (Switch Point Border Barriers), a cross-border initiative established to tackle border barriers that arise in cooperation between people, businesses, organizations, and governments across the Dutch-Flemish border region. His work involves maintaining and overseeing a database system that serves as a repository for cross-border issues. This database helps inventory, identify, analyze, select, and put border obstacles on the agenda of responsible administrators in the Netherlands and Belgium. The system functions as both a collection point for reported obstacles and an analytical tool for identifying patterns and prioritizing solutions. Read more on the website