Border Regions' instrument for development and growth (BRIDGEforEU)

The European Parliament adopted a legislative resolution approving without amendment the Council's position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a Border Regions’ instrument for development and growth (BRIDGEforEU).

The main objective of the Regulation is to provide a legal framework applicable to all Member States in order to help find solutions to legal and administrative obstacles that may hamper cross-border interaction and the development of cross-border regions.

The Council's position:

- provides for the establishment, on a voluntary basis, of cross-border coordination points in each Member State. Member States which choose not to establish at least one coordination point, and Member States which need time to establish a coordination point, must designate a competent authority;

- excludes natural persons from the definition of initiators;

- exempts island Member States from the obligation to designate a competent authority;

- provides for the voluntary use of a similar coordination framework for EU border regions to cooperate with candidate or associated countries;

- removes the obligation to set up national public registers of cross-border cases in each Member State. Instead, a single register will be maintained at EU level and fed by the data that Member States must transmit;

- specifies (i) that there will be no impact on the right of Member States to use existing international procedures or agreements to remove cross-border obstacles, or to create new such procedures or agreements; (ii) the list of tasks of the cross-border coordination points; (iii) possible transfers of cases between cross-border coordination points; (iv) the scope of remedies; (v) possible sources of EU financial support; and (vi) the applicable deadlines for responding to initiators.