CrossGov EU
Project
Strong Together in Local Government. Cooperation and knowledge exchange between municipalities for EU professionalisation in the border region
CrossGov EU addresses the issue that local administrations in the German–Dutch border region often face legal, administrative and capacity-related challenges that limit effective cross-border cooperation and the strategic use of European opportunities. These challenges are closely linked to how European and cross-border topics are embedded in municipal organisational structures, workflows and competencies. The project therefore focuses on strengthening this organisational anchoring as a prerequisite for more effective and sustainable cross-border governance.
The project brings investigates municipalities from both sides of the border to jointly reflect on current practices, identify concrete barriers and practical needs, and highlight existing good practices in EU-related municipal work. A mixed-methods approach combines interviews, focus groups and surveys with targeted workshops that allow participants to validate findings and collaboratively explore solution pathways.
Building on these shared insights, CrossGov EU develops an agenda for sustainable cross-border cooperation, defining priority themes, capacity-building needs and organisational options for municipalities. By fostering dialogue, mutual learning and structured collaboration, the project lays the groundwork for long-term cooperation, follow-up initiatives and stronger integration of municipalities into European networks, enabling more effective and resilient cross-border governance beyond the project’s lifetime.
ACEEU's Role:
As project partner, ACEEU supports the design and implementation of interviews, surveys and workshops, brings in comparative insights from its work with public institutions across Europe, and helps identify transferable good practices. ACEEU also supports the development of the cooperation agenda and the translation of project results into concrete follow-up perspectives, including alignment with EU frameworks and future Interreg initiatives.
SDG relation:
