{"id":3254,"date":"2024-04-25T15:35:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T13:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crossborderitem.eu\/broad-prosperity-in-border-regions-not-easy-but-essential\/"},"modified":"2024-12-12T15:50:19","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T13:50:19","slug":"broad-prosperity-in-border-regions-not-easy-but-essential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crossborderitem.eu\/en\/broad-prosperity-in-border-regions-not-easy-but-essential\/","title":{"rendered":"Broad Prosperity in border regions: not easy, but essential"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On 27 and 28 March 2024, the \u2018Limburgse tweedaagse\u2019 (two-day event) of the National Network Broad Prosperity took place in Maastricht, organised by NEIMED, the province of Limburg and the programme coordinators of the National Network. ITEM and NEIMED jointly hosted a workshop on broad prosperity in border regions during which the importance of steering for impact in the broad prosperity perspective was discussed. Moreover, the recommendation was made to better take into account the specific situation of border regions by creating a better picture of the border area in terms of numbers and interactions. <\/em><\/p>\n\n

Workshop<\/strong>Pim Mertens, scientific coordinator at ITEM, and Inge Hooijen, research manager Brede Welvaart Limburg at NEIMED, gave this workshop, partly as a follow-up to the joint research in the latest ITEM Cross-border Impact Assessment. \u2018Broad prosperity is actually still a blind spot in border region\u2019 was the press release<\/a> surrounding the publication of the ITEM Cross-border Impact Assessment 2023. Broad prosperity has a great deal of social, political and policy attention, but the study shows that we do not sufficiently take into account the specific situation of border regions. From a Broad Prosperity perspective, three dimensions are used in time and place, stemming from an international framework: \u2018here\u2019 versus \u2018elsewhere\u2019 and \u2018now\u2019 versus \u2018later\u2019. \u2018Elsewhere\u2019 refers to broad prosperity beyond national borders and the influence national and regional policies have on it. <\/p>\n\n

‘Here and elsewhere’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Border regions are in a sense at the interface where the dimensions \u2018here\u2019 and \u2018elsewhere\u2019 intersect. After all, functioning and life in the border region does not stop at the national border but is cross-border. Broad prosperity \u2018here\u2019 is also influenced by \u2018elsewhere\u2019 and vice versa. Think of the recent protest<\/a> against German wind farms from citizens in the Dutch municipality of Winterswijk, but also crossing the border to fill up with petrol cheaper<\/a> or do some shopping<\/a>. These are day-to-day examples where the broad prosperity in the border region is influenced cross-border, both positively and negatively. These are day-to-day examples where the broad prosperity in the border region is influenced cross-border, both positively and negatively.<\/p>\n\n

Trade-off<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Toch stopt bijvoorbeeld dataverzameling op het gebied van Regionale Brede Welvaart aan de grens. Ook beleidsmatig wordt nog onvoldoende met de verwevenheid van de dimensies in grensgebieden rekening gehouden. Het sturen op brede welvaart vereist zogenoemde \u2018afruilen\u2019. Omdat meer brede welvaart op het ene aspect of dimensie doorgaans ook betekent dat er op een ander aspect of dimensie minder brede welvaart is \u2013 niet alles kan altijd en overal \u2013 zijn keuzes noodzakelijk. Afruilen kunnen bestaan in tijd, ruimte en thematisch. Een simpel voorbeeld is het realiseren van een windmolenpark dat enerzijds de duurzaamheid en energietransitie bevordert, maar anderzijds de waardering van de leefomgeving negatief kan be\u00efnvloeden. <\/p>\n\n

Applied to the case study of the protest in Winterswijk against German wind farms, the broad welfare perspective can be positive on the German side of the border but negative on the Dutch side. On the other hand, opportunities and growth potential can be found across the border, as several studies by ITEM and others have already pointed out. Concrete examples are the cooperation and coordination of sustainable energy<\/a>, Euroregional cooperation in healthcare to maintain accessibility of care and specialisms (such as through the Euroregional Children\u2019s Surgery Centre<\/a>) and the stimulation of a cross-border labour market and economy where supply and demand can be better exchanged across borders. This requires an integrated and cross-border approach and consideration of advantages and disadvantages and more appropriate policies for the entire cross-border region. <\/p>\n\n

Opportunity or threat<\/strong>Integral and cross-border considerations are necessary, but can also be difficult to interpret. During the workshop, we discussed two more concrete cases in the Zeeuws-Vlaanderen border area, such as on cross-border care<\/a>. For Zeeuws-Vlaanderen residents, it is equally easy to get care on both sides of the border, and sometimes it is even easier in Belgium. In an ageing and shrinking region where facilities are under pressure, the cross-border perspective can promote broad patient welfare. However, the more Zeeuws-Vlaanderen residents use care across the border, the more care in their own region comes under pressure. It is one of the examples where the border can represent both an opportunity and a certain threat to broad prosperity in the border region and requires specific trade-offs. <\/p>\n\n

Recommendations<\/strong>In het onderzoek worden door Inge en Pim daarom ook verschillende aspecten in de brede welvaartscyclus aanbevelingen gedaan om beter rekening te houden met de specifieke situatie van grensregio\u2019s. Te beginnen met een beter beeld van het grensgebied in cijfers en interacties, want de samenleving in het grensgebied laat zich niet scheiden in twee aparte dimensies van \u2018hier\u2019 en \u2018elders\u2019. <\/p>\n