Dr Anthony Soares Deputy Director, Centre for Cross Border Studies
MISSION The Centre for Cross Border Studies empowers citizens and builds capacity and capability for cooperation across sectors and jurisdictional boundaries on the island of Ireland and further afield. This mission is achieved through research, expertise, partnership and experience in a wide range of cross- border practices and concerns.
contributing to the increased social, economic and territorial cohesion of the island of Ireland through: addressing information gaps and other barriers that constrain cross-border mobility and cross-border cooperation through research and provision of resources, tools and other practical support; promoting and improving the quality of Cross-Border Cooperation between public bodies, and between public bodies, business and civil society; and improving the capacity of people involved in social and economic development of the island to engage in mutually beneficial Cross-Border Cooperation
1998 Good Friday/Belfast Agreement (Strand II) EU Sustainable Development Policy EU Territorial Co-operation Programmes (INTERREG & PEACE) EU Cohesion Policy
EU 28 EU 27
EU Council Guidelines In view of the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland, flexible and imaginative solutions will be required, including with the aim of avoiding a hard border , while respecting the integrity of the Union legal order (Para 11).
EU Commission Directives (Annex) Nothing in the Agreement should undermine the objectives and commitments set out in the Good Friday Agreement and its related implementing agreements; the unique circumstances and challenges on the island of Ireland will require flexible and imaginative solutions . […] Existing bilateral agreements and arrangements between Ireland and the United Kingdom, such as the Common Travel Area, which are in conformity with EU law, should be recognised [para 14].
Cooperation at the Norway-Sweden Border designed as the EEA (Erik Hagen, INTERREG A Programme Manager, Hedmark Regional Administration) The Norway-Sweden Border: Overcoming obstacles (Annika Daisley, Project Manager, Border Obstacles, Svinesundskommittén) French Cooperation with Switzerland (Mr Maxime Lefebvre, French Ambassador for Transboundary Cooperation) Question and Answer Session
Cooperation at the Norway-Sweden border and the EEA Dublin 16th May 2017 Erik Hagen Program manager Interreg Sweden-Norway
The European Economic Area (the EEA)
The EEA «Two-pilar structure»
The Interreg Sweden-Norway partnership
The Interreg Sweden-Norway «two pilar structure» EU EU Audit Authority Commission Auditor Monitoring Swedish Norwegian General of Committee Government Government Norway Norwegian Steering Committe Secretariat North region North region Managing Norwegian authority, Steering Committee Secretariat first level Central region Central region control Norwegian Steering Committee Secretariat South region South region Swedish Co-work secretariat
” Models of Cross-Border Cooperation for a Post-Brexit Context ” The Norway-Sweden border: Overcoming obstacles 16 th May Dublin
What does the EU agreement on free movement mean? • The EU’s basic principle is that there should be free movement of people. • EU citizens have the right to travel to another EU country and to stay there for a longer or shorter time. • The Schengen cooperation complements the rules on free movement. • EU citizens are allowed to stay longer than three months to: work or run their own business • • study • live in retirement
EU external border
Nordics
This is the Svinesund Committee • A political collaboration between Østfold and Västra Götaland. We create opportunities for business, jobs and development between countries. • The Svinesund Committee works with the mandate of its members and The Nordic Council of Ministers.
Tourism Green growth Four focus areas Border obstacles/opportunities Blue growth
An active border region with great potential • The Sweden- Norway border is one of the EU’s external borders and one of the longest. • A customs border that affects businesses and people, but also a border crossed by most commuters between Sweden and Norway. • The border region is the most densely populated and accounts for the largest trade exchange.
The Nordic region focuses on facts
Most trade is with Norway and Germany (2016) Swedish exports to Norway: EURO 12,9 billion (13,1 billion to Germany) • Equivalent to about: 10% each of Sweden’s total exports. • Swedish imports from Norway: EURO 10,3 billion (23,6 billion to Germany) • Equivalent to about: 8% of Sweden’s total imports. (18% to Germany) •
Most commuting in the Nordic region takes place between Sweden and Norway Nearly 60,000 Swedish commuters and part-time commuters earn their income entirely or partly from Norway. • The border region between Oslo and Gothenburg sees the most commuting compared to other regions along • the Swedish-Norwegian border.
Many Swedish companies establish operations in Norway Around 2,000 Swedish foreign-controlled companies in Norway. • Equivalent to about 30% of all foreign-controlled companies in Norway. • Denmark in second place, with approximately 900 companies. •
Definition: What is a border-obstacle? • "Any obstacle that prevents, hampers or restricts the potential of people to operate freely across the national borders" (Nordic Council of Ministers) • When we talk about border obstacles, we put them into one of three categories: • Formal obstacles • Informal obstacles • Administrative obstacles
Border obstacles, Sweden-Norway • Border obstacle work is conducted within the Nordic cooperation. • Main focus on citizens, businesses have lower priority. • Sweden- Norway is the EU’s external border, the EEA agreement does not cover the EU customs union and the EU’s internal market. • The customs border creates barriers that hinder trade for businesses.
From border obstacles to border opportunities • Border obstacles occur regionally and must initially be addressed regionally to reach the Nordic level. • Don’t see obstacles where there aren’t obstacles. • We need to create a regional structure which can cooperate at national and Nordic level. • Border obstacles are now being discussed in the EU, with the Svinesund Committee in the working group.
Some examples that affect business between Sweden and Norway • Entrepreneurs having to put up their house as a guarantee to get job on the other side of the border. • Complicated VAT management for conference purchases. • Long processing times – cross-border commuters may have to wait six months to get parental money. • National cross-border commuters are missing in national statistics.
How do we work to overcome border obstacles? • Arrange information seminars together with border-related actors. • Increase the potential of solving border obstacles. • We are also involved in a project to increase movement across the border.
Annika Daisley Svinesundskommittén
Potential for business between Sweden and Norway? • If we assume that 1% of business between Sweden and Norway is hindered by border obstacles, it would mean EURO 250 million in lost business. • 21% of companies responding to one of the Nordic Innovation surveys said that the reason they did not conduct business across the border was because they did not know the rules and that they could not find information on laws and regulations. This can be interpreted as the amount of lost business.
Large, attractive regions are the winners of the future The potential lies in our differences – but we must be ‘moderately’ different.
Follow us annika.daisley@svinesundskommitten.com Mobile: +46 733 35 85 12
Nordic Council of Ministers Freedom of Movement Council 38
The Transboundary Cooperation of France with Switzerland Maxime Lefebvre May 16th 2017
I I – The EU-Switzerland Relation - Free Trade Agreement of 1972 - Two Packages of Bilateral Agreements (1999 / 2004) - including free movement of persons and application of Schengen and Dublin conventions - Negotiation of a new framework Agreement (internal market)
II II – Sig ignification of f the French-Swiss Boundary ry - Free Movement of Persons and Workers / coordination of social systems - Switzerland doesn ’ t belong to the Customs Union ( Customs control, Border Control Points) - Switzerland cooperates on the basis of its own interests (Federal State, Cantons)
III III – An efficient Transboundary ry Cooperation - Transboundary dialogues - Specific solutions : - Sharing of Income Tax (Transboundary workers) - Rhone River - Bâle-Mulhouse Airport - INTERREG Programmes
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