The integration of EU is the dream of a Europe without borders. Belgian and German border areas are an integral part of their daily lives for thousands of people in Maastricht. Although there are no more passport controls, differences in legislation still stand in the way of realising the European dream. Martin Unfried and ITEM research people in European border areas and make their case.
The Meuse-Rhine Euroregion (EMR) comprises three countries, five regions, three languages, four million inhabitants and the cities of Maastricht, Liège, Aachen, Hasselt and Eupen. That sounds complicated – and it is. “In research on European integration – from whatever angle – there is a kind of white spot when it comes to border regions,” says Martin Unfried, senior researcher at UM’s Institute for Transnational and Euregional Cross-border Cooperation and Mobility (ITEM).Read the interview with Martin Unfried on the Maastricht University website