Reducing EU cross-border administrative-legal environmental barriers via EU <i>b-solutions</i>

This paper discusses the EU b-solutions initiative’s contribution to mitigating persistent environmentally related cross-border barriers in several EU cross-border regions. Launched by the European Commission in 2018 as a concrete pilot initiative to identify continuing legal and administrative obstacles, b-solutions has been implemented via more than 190 cases. These have included specific actions to reduce environmentally related cross-border barriers, particularly in policy domains such as the circular economy, energy, biodiversity, environmental, water and risk management, sustainable mobility, food systems, pollution, and sustainable urbanization. Approximately one in five b-solutions cases has been dedicated to mitigating environmental cross-border barriers, in line with the European Green Deal. They have delivered positive impacts in stimulating cross-border cooperation processes, specifically in cross-border circular economy, energy, water and risk management; and in stimulating further approaches by other cross-border regions. However, to have a broader and more sustained positive impact on reducing persistent cross-border environmental barriers in the EU, b-solutions is not enough to address the ‘Green’ domain more consistently. Border regions should establish cross-border strategic frameworks with their neighbours and set clear roadmaps. And mainstream policies should also consider cross-border realities and consequences, and a climate change narrative can be drawn from the analysed cases.