What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text

19. Is outraged by the human losses and the destruction of homes and infrastructure in Ukraine; stresses the active role that cross-border cooperation programmes and the New European Bauhaus should play in sustainable post-war reconstruction and underlines the urgent need to support local and regional authorities in Ukraine while continuing to help neighbouring regions and encouraging increased cooperation;

20. Welcomes the initiative for the inclusion of Ukraine in the URBACT European Territorial Cooperation programme and the accession of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova as observer members of the European Observation Network for Territorial Development and Cohesion (ESPON);

21. Deplores Russia’s use of its energy sources as a means of exerting political and economic pressure; calls for swift inquiries into economic cooperation with Russia in the energy sectors of some Member States, along with further action to bolster renewables and enhance energy efficiency in order to reduce dependence on Russia in those Member States that have drastically decreased their cooperation with the aggressor and were affected by the sanctions, including neighbouring countries;

22. Deplores the increase in Russia’s influence in neighbouring countries, particularly through the use of manipulation and disinformation on both traditional media and online social media, and underlines the importance of enhancing cooperation with those countries, particularly in the education and cultural sectors, in order to keep their citizens informed and educated about democratic values;

Cooperation relating to sea basins

Black Sea basin

23. Stresses the importance of granting increased financial support to the programme, given the security challenges in the Black Sea resulting from Russian attacks and the blockade on sea and Danube ports, which aim to prevent grain shipments that are essential to Ukraine’s economy; highlights the security risk that these attacks pose to the Member States that have borders with Ukraine;

24. Highlights the potential of Black Sea energy sources, which are capable of contributing to a sustainable energy future in the EU too; stresses that, despite their potential, renewable energy resources remain largely untapped;

25. Considers that the Interreg NEXT Black Sea basin programme should facilitate sustainable economic development and the efficient management of shared resources;

26. Emphasises the importance of developing sustainable tourism in Black Sea coastal regions and advocates for all the actors involved to take a responsible approach to environmental protection;

27. Calls for a strong focus on the Black Sea, enhancing regional cooperation to address security issues, including those related to regional conflicts and energy security, and encouraging projects to upgrade ports and related infrastructure and increase their connections to existing transport hubs; calls in particular, therefore, for their connection to TEN-T corridors;

28. Insists that a cohesive strategy should be adopted for the Black Sea area and that synergies should be developed with the Danube Programme 2021-2027;

Mediterranean basin

29. Underlines the importance of strong economic and social partnerships with third countries from the Mediterranean basin; welcomes the fact that the number of countries participating in 2021-2027 Interreg Euro-MED programmes is on the rise;

30. Asks for a more coordinated and efficient use of existing funds, within the framework of current social, climate and environmental rules, to increase the competitiveness of the Mediterranean basin while fostering the potential of onshore and offshore renewable energy;

31. Considers that cross-border programmes must play an active role in addressing common security challenges and aim for regional stability;

32. Calls for migration flows to be managed and irregular migration and human trafficking to be combated, including by funding projects aiming to receive, care for and provide training for migrants to help them face the challenges of a competitive economic environment and better understand and respect European values, while fostering inclusiveness on both sides of the Mediterranean;

33. Recognises the crucial role of research and innovation in natural disaster risk prevention, sustainable water management and CO2 reduction and underlines the need to prioritise projects that have quantifiable objectives in terms of economic, social and environmental impact;

34. Stresses that, despite their potential, renewable energy resources remain largely untapped and that this potential should be stimulated, including by involving SMEs and mid-cap companies;

35. Welcomes the WestMed sea basin strategy in the Western Mediterranean and Interreg programmes such as MARITTIMO as good examples of direct and diversified cooperation, including at regional level, with shared objectives;

36. Welcomes the progress of the Adriatic-Ionian macro-regional strategy (EUSAIR), which has mobilised the member countries and their regions, third countries and their local authorities; considers EUSAIR a successful example in which the Union proved to be a driving force and a vector of openness; maintains that these same principles and a similar common approach must be applied to the other areas of the Mediterranean;

37. Invites the European Council to ask the Commission to submit a detailed macro-regional strategy for the Mediterranean, taking into account its New Agenda for the Mediterranean, in particular section 5 thereof (‘Green transition: climate change resilience, energy and environment’), and to adopt it; deplores the continuous degradation of the environment in the entire Mediterranean sea basin, the loss of biodiversity and the increase in air and marine pollution, particularly with plastic and domestic waste, and calls for these to be avoided, limited and managed by promoting the circular economy;

Challenges in the field of cross-border cooperation

38. Notes that the existence of different legal and institutional frameworks creates additional obstacles to project implementation and therefore makes the implementation of projects a challenge; recalls that administrative procedures can be complex and time-consuming, which may discourage local and regional authorities from participating in territorial cooperation; calls on the Commission to help simplify these procedures by making them more accessible and transparent;

39. Notes that language barriers and cultural differences make communication more difficult and may lead to administrative burdens, which should be overcome through appropriate measures;

40. Stresses that differences exist between states when it comes to the competences of authorities, as well as changes in regional authorities, which can cause delays; believes that dialogue between local authorities should be encouraged and the participation of civil society in territorial cooperation projects should be fostered, involving non-governmental organisations, social enterprises and other stakeholders;

41. Stresses the necessity of developing a long-term exchange and entrepreneurial collaboration programmes between institutions and businesses in cross-border regions to promote sustainable economic development and of enhancing administrative coordination between participating states by further developing, reorganising or, where appropriate, setting up sustainable functional structures for cross-border cooperation and networks;

42. Underlines the importance of establishing a short- and medium-term intercultural exchange system to promote the learning of common languages, foster a deeper understanding of regional cultures and facilitate collaboration between cross-border communities, highlighting that this system should also include entrepreneurial and administrative aspects to stimulate economic and administrative development;

43. States the need to adapt programmes to the individual needs and specifics of each participating country/region; calls for further efforts to be made in this regard;

44. Notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse impact on border regions and has affected the implementation of current programmes and projects;

45. Points out that the lack of adequate transport infrastructure and networks, particularly when it comes to maritime and island cross-border cooperation, hampers trade and mobility and complicates cooperation;

46. Points to the specific challenges of maritime borders and the need to recognise them as specific borders with their own needs, particularly in view of language and cultural differences, administrative and legal burdens, socio-economic disparities and environmental issues;

Cross-border cooperation opportunities

47. Stresses that in view of multiple crises and conflicts, cross-border cooperation with neighbouring countries requires investment in the resilience of countries and societies and that partnership priorities should contribute to substantially improving living conditions on both sides of the border, including by ensuring inclusive sustainable development, social justice, employment opportunities and economic prosperity;

48. Considers that cross-border cooperation may contribute significantly to strengthening local and regional democracy and the administrative capacities of partner countries; highlights the importance of the European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs) in facilitating and promoting territorial cooperation, in particular on the management of cross-border transport services or hospitals, the implementation or management of cross-border development projects and the exchange of knowledge and best practices;

49. Highlights the importance for EU cross-border programmes to include culture as an important indicator of regional development, in particular in border areas where people living on both sides of the border share the same cultural and linguistic background, in order to ensure lively regions and increase the regions’ attractiveness, increase cultural exchange and promote diversity and solidarity beyond EU borders;

50. Highlights the fact that the programmes offer opportunities for an in-depth dialogue with a range of stakeholders including civil society representatives, local and regional authorities, academia, citizens, NGOs and the private sector; stresses in particular the importance of cross-border programmes for the EU candidate countries, as they provide local and national authorities with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with EU legislation;

51. Notes that cross-border cooperation may contribute further to reducing regional disparities, promoting economic and social development, gender mainstreaming, employment, trade and territorial cohesion, and improving the mobility of people and the connectivity of the regions;

52. Stresses the importance of cross-border cooperation on digitalisation and underlines the need for common projects on digital infrastructure, particularly in public services, in order to provide a coherent and efficient public sector focused on the needs of all;

53. Stresses that the EU and the Member States should cooperate more closely with neighbouring countries in the field of healthcare and emergency services and should enhance the capacity of SMEs and mid-caps to operate across borders;

54. Stresses the importance of networking and benchmarking in eliminating obstacles to cross-border cooperation and notes that this should enable the better use of tools, such as EGTCs, the Integrated Territorial Investment tool and the Community-Led Local Development strategy;

55. Stresses the crucial role that investments in high-quality public services have on building social resilience and coping with economic, health and social crises;

56. Welcomes the UK Government’s continued commitment to the PEACE programme, which plays a key role for cooperation between the border regions of Ireland and Northern Ireland;

57. Underlines the vital role of the PEACE PLUS programme in maintaining good neighbourly relations in the regions and ensuring their socio-economic development;

Policy recommendations

58. Recommends greater complementarity between projects and stresses the need for synergies with other EU funding tools that have the same geographical and thematic coverage in order to avoid any double funding; emphasises the need, during the programming period 2021- 2027, for the targeted programmes to clearly identify the requirements and priorities that are common to the regions along the EU’s external borders and to complement other EU-funded initiatives, not overlap with them;

59. Considers that the role of EU macro-regional strategies in addressing challenges related to border regions should be further enhanced;

60. Recommends, in the area of cross-border governance, developing a fully integrated infrastructure strategy (road, rail, water), taking into account the cross-border region as a whole; stresses the importance of developing more sustainable mobility solutions throughout cross-border areas, including through the TEN-T policy; calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote smart mobility;

61. Recommends promoting EU financial instruments with added social and economic value in order to raise the level of awareness about the benefits of the EU;

62. Calls on the Commission to reduce the bureaucratic burden, considerably simplify procedures and reduce hurdles related to different legislation; insists that this should make it possible to meet the real needs of cross-border areas; stresses that sustainable and inclusive development requires action at all levels; explicitly recognises the importance of paying attention to rural areas in cross-border regions, as they are particularly affected by demographic challenges;

63. Calls for better coordination, dialogue and a further exchange of best practices between regions and states, for instance through a platform like INTERREG Europe; urges the Commission and the Member States to enhance cooperation in this regard and calls for the Member States to provide local and regional authorities with the tools and resources they need to foster ambitious cross-border cooperation; states that public educational and cultural services should be open, accessible and affordable to citizens from both sides of the borders;

64. Stresses that, in accordance with the partnership principle, regional and local authorities and representatives of civil society and the private sector should be involved, to the greatest extent possible, in the preparation and implementation of projects from the outset; calls on the Commission to consider providing technical support to local and regional authorities in neighbouring countries to help them develop and implement territorial cooperation projects; further calls for guidelines to be drawn up in this regard;

65. Calls on the Commission to continue integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into the future action plans for cross-border cooperation so that no place and no one is left behind;

66. Calls on the Commission to further cooperate with partner states to promote cross-border cooperation, supplying, where necessary, know-how in order to help counterpart authorities in partner countries and improve the information provided to them with respect to the procedures and conditions for accessing EU funding;

67. Calls for the overall budget for cross-border territorial cooperation to be increased;

68. Considers that the creation of joint cross-border local government councils, such as the one established between Romania and Moldova to help develop joint projects of mutual interest, could be an example to be followed;

69. Encourages efforts to bring partner countries closer to the EU, stimulate internal reform and capacity-building at local and regional level and promote local democracy, multilevel governance and decentralised cooperation, including through cooperation within EuroNest and the Conference of Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP) for the Eastern Neighbourhood and the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM) for the Southern Neighbourhood;

70. Stresses the need to step up efforts and allocate more resources with respect to cross-border projects aimed at developing IT infrastructure and expanding access to broadband networks so as to support economic and social cooperation between cross-border regions; highlights the key role that technology and the innovations brought by artificial intelligence can play in strengthening links, promoting sustainable development and improving and simplifying administrative procedures;

71. Emphasises the importance of identifying and avoiding project overlaps and unnecessary expenditures between different European programmes and initiatives;

72. Recommends conducting periodic evaluations of cross-border cooperation projects to ensure the efficient use of EU financial resources;