Cross-border cooperation in crisis – international scientific workshop at the Andrássy University Budapest

The Andrássy University Budapest organised a two-day workshop on 21 and 22 October 2022 dedicated to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on cross-border cooperation within the EU, where the UPS-CESCI Research Group of CBC was also represented.

The Andrássy Gyula German Speaking University Budapest (AUB) founded in 2001 offers courses on International Relations and European Studies which give a good environment for activities in the field of Border Studies as well. Accordingly, the university organised a scientific conference in 2021 on the topic of cross-border cooperation (CBC) coupled with a study visit to Esztergom and Štúrovo. In 2022, the subject of the workshop was given by the COVID-19 pandemic which has profoundly changed the conditions for CBC.

The scientific event was organised and moderated by Martina Eckardt and Stefan Okruch form AUB and Annika Jaansoo from the University of Twente. The key question of the workshop was whether institutionalised cross-border cooperation has played a positive role in cross-border crisis management. The majority of the speakers answered with a cautious ‘yes’ to this question.

The theoretical background was given by Annika Jaansoo and Sebastien Gschrey (University of Twente). Florian Bucher and Martina Eckardt (AUB) presented their spatial econometric model assessing the success factors of the EGTCs. Sabine Zillmer (Spatial Foresight) talked about the impacts of the pandemic on cross-border public services in general.

Further speakers presented case studies on cross-border management of the coronavirus. The example of the Tyrol-South-Tyrol-Trentino EGTC was analysed by Alice Engl (EURAC Research Institute of Bolzano), the case of the Upper Rhine cooperation area was reviewed by Michael Frey and Rahal Alia Müller (University of Applied Sciences of Kehl), while the best practices of the PAMINA EGTC was presented by Fiona Faas and Nadine Hügler (from the same university).

The Research Group of Cross-Border Cooperation established by the University of Public Service and CESCI was represented by Gyula Ocskay, secretary general of CESCI who highlighted the role of inter-personal contacts in managing the effects of the pandemic – instead of the institutionalised structures. The organisers plan to publish the presentations in a separate volume in 2023.