Border permeability and cross-border mobility in Europe, 1960–2020

This paper presents a long-term comparative assessment of border permeability across Europe at 10-year intervals between 1960 and 2020. Using a novel 10-point typology of border regimes, it traces spatio-temporal changes in border openness and their relation to the structural potential of cross-border mobility in adjacent regions, operationalised through demographic mass, economic attractiveness and other structural determinants. The results reveal evolving patterns of cross-border mobility potential, where permeability conditions enable the emergence of functional cross-border regions over time.