On 5–6 February 2026, the French National Agency for Territorial Cohesion (ANCT) hosted the 5th annual meeting of the European Network for Cross-Border Monitoring in Paris. Organised by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) and the French Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière (MOT), the two-day event brought together experts and observatories to discuss the latest advancements in cross-border statistics, data collection, monitoring platforms, and their role in territorial policy-making. Our association was represented by Viktória Borsos, senior GIS expert, who gave an overview of CESCI, its achievements over the past year, and its future plans.

The opening day focused on updates from major European and international platforms. Participants received insights into the ACROSS Project and the Data Hub for Border Regions (JRC & DG Regio), the CrossGov Hub (ESPON), as well as the Local Data Portal (OECD). Subsequently, BBSR, MOT, and CESCI delivered short overviews regarding their own perspectives and fields of work. The next session explored the use of non-official data sources for analysing cross-border flows. Presentations covered accessibility analysis using GTFS data (BBSR) and the Analysis of Cross-Border Credit Card Purchases (INSEE). The afternoon concluded with a deep dive into the Study on Cross-border Data Collection, an official data collection project led by Statistics Netherlands.

On the second day, the focus transitioned to practical regional development applications. The presentation topics included the introduction of the DIALOG and LATI Interreg projects (Uni-GR), alongside the ESPON CrossGov and CORE-IB projects (ÖIR, ESPON). Furthermore, the Common Future Concept for the Polish-German Area of Connections was also presented.

The final part of the meeting addressed the potential for further network development. Participants discussed future cooperation opportunities, the harmonisation of monitoring processes, and the exchange of best practices. Finally, the objective of achieving more efficient advancement highlighted the need for a closer professional partnership.