Working across the Flemish-Dutch border remains difficult due to legal hurdles and sectoral mismatches, leaving the economic potential of cross-border work underutilized. As Sander Kramer and Pim Mertens (ITEM) say, “What is a mosquito to the government is an elephant to the people affected.” The Coordination Point Border Obstacles Flanders-Netherlands (Het Schakelpunt Grensbelemmeringen) aims to remove these obstacles, but real progress requires better cooperation and policies to increase opportunities for cross-border work. The ITEM researchers stress the importance of testing legislation for effects across borders and in the border region: prevention is better than cure.
Interview with ITEM researchers: Free movement for workers halts at the Flemish-Dutch border
NewsLabour market and economy, Pension, fiscal and social security
