German stakeholder perspectives on the provision of cross-border public services

Differences in the legal and administrative frameworks of the member states of the European Union (EU) have been identified as presenting major challenges to achieving territorial cohesion. The policy debate culminated in 2018 with a Commission proposal for an EU Regulation on a ‘European Cross-Border Mechanism’ (ECBM). While the proposed legal instrument is still under negotiation, this paper analyses the experiences of stakeholders in Germany’s border regions on navigating obstacles in the provision of cross-border public services. The paper concludes that while more legal certainty for crossborder cooperation would generally be welcome, stakeholders in border regions do consider local and high-level political support; financial incentives to address complex border challenges; and dedicated local and regional ‘policy entrepreneurs’ to be at least as important for realising complex joint projects.