Journal of Advanced Studies on Borders, Cooperation and Development

Editorial

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The first issue of the journal (following the zero edition of 2024) comprises a selection of lectures given by researchers and practitioners at the conference ‘What Future for the Concept of Borderless Europe’ held in Budapest, at the Ludovika University of Public Service (LUPS) on 13 and 14 May 2025. The conference was organised by the LUPS-CESCI Research Group on Cross-Border Cooperation and the Transfrontier Euro-Institute Network (TEIN). TEIN is a pan-European platform of universities, research institutes and training institutions focusing on cross-border cooperation.

Narrating Europe at the Border

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This article explores the narratives that shape perceptions of European integration in the Franco-German border region. Drawing on a three-fold approach combining media content analysis, political interviews, and citizen focus groups conducted within the Horizon Europe project B-SHAPES, the study identifies three dominant narrative frameworks: Franco-German friendship as a symbolic foundation of cooperation, a functional yet politically distant European Union, and a border that remains latent but reactivates during crises. By analyzing these narratives across those thee sources, a complex 'border narrative ecology' is revealed, in which integration is experienced, contested, and reimagined. The findings underscore both the symbolic centrality and structural fragility of border regions as 'laboratories of European integration'.

Towards a borderless Europe

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The contribution answers the research question of which legal tools can be used to further develop cross-border cooperation away from cross-border cooperation in geographically or functionally defined border areas towards ubiquitous cross-border cooperation, i.e. applicable everywhere on the territory of the Member States. The contribution, which is based on jurisprudential methodology, discusses the possibility of non-territorial experimental and opening clauses and, by further developing the rights developed from EU citizenship, considers how the border can ultimately be overcome as an element of the offense, but at the same time also as an exclusionary element for the application of EU law.

Cross-border mobility as a cause and justification for cross-border cooperation no longer only takes place in geographical or functional border regions. Today, for example, a citizen entitled to freedom of movement can not only be active across borders, for example on foot or by bicycle between Strasbourg (F) and Kehl (D), but also between Stuttgart and Strasbourg or between Kehl and Paris (by high speed trains such as TGV), but also between Paris and Berlin (by plane) or even digitally from any location within the EU to any other location, for example in a home office. As a result, geographical or functional border areas are becoming useless as a justification for cross-border cooperation and exemptions developed for this purpose. The contribution shows how such exceptional provisions (such as the opening or experimental clauses popular at the political level) can be developed in the legislative process (by means of a cross-border impact assessment) in such a way that they do not require geographical differentiation criteria. With a view to overcoming the limits of the current legal system, the article considers whether a further development of EU citizenship might not also enable the ubiquitous application of EU law without a cross-border element, i.e. without the (internal) border as a point of reference, to create a legal system that is cross border friendly. A conclusion and an outlook resolve this contribution.

EU policies’ impact on cross-border cooperation’s institutional frameworks in the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine

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Cross-border cooperation (CBC) is a key instrument for advancing local democracy, balanced socio-economic development, regional security, and the integration of candidate countries into the European Union (EU). Although CBC has existed in Europe since the 1950s, its institutional typology remains underdeveloped, especially in candidate countries like Ukraine. This article examines the institutional landscape of CBC in Ukraine, focusing on the Transcarpathian region. It addresses two questions: (1) which institutional forms of CBC are established by Ukrainian legislation for public actors; and (2) how EU policies influence the institutional choices of public and non-profit actors in the region.

The study analyzes Ukrainian legislation, particularly the 2024 Law ‘On International Territorial Cooperation,’ and empirical data from EU-funded programs such as the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI, 2014–2020) and Interreg NEXT (2021– 2027). It identifies institutional forms including bilateral and multilateral agreements, joint projects and programs, Euroregions, Euroregional Cooperation Groupings (ECG), and European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). However, implementation is constrained by legal inconsistencies and limited local administrative capacity. The EGTC ‘Tisza’ is currently the only active example involving Ukraine.

EU policies shape institutional choices by setting eligibility criteria, incentivising formal partnerships, and promoting administrative professionalisation. Key participants include local governments, development agencies, NGOs, and service providers. Nonetheless, disparities in capacity and resource access create uneven participation. While Ukraine has made significant legal progress aligning with EU principles, subnational implementation remains incomplete and uneven.

Challenges of Border Control in Europe’s Schengen Area – The SCHEVAL Initiative

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In a supranational body like the European Union, how do we understand public order and internal security in a continent without internal borders? In the 1957 Treaty of Rome, four fundamental freedoms—movement of people, goods, services, and capital—were established to strengthen the internal market and boost economic growth. However, real border-free movement began only in 1985, when five countries signed the Schengen Agreement, committing to remove internal border checks. The process required many compromises, especially regarding economic and security concerns. Despite challenges and difficult negotiations, the agreement marked a turning point in Europe’s approach to borders. But why were these compromises necessary? Issues like customs, taxes, money, and—most importantly—security played a key role. Today, security is once again a central concern. With a borderless EU of 449.2 million people, how can we ensure their safety? Is current external border control sufficient, or does it need to be improved? The author of this research, an expert in Schengen evaluation, has participated in assessments across several member states—including Greece, Poland, the Baltics, Italy, Spain, and others—on behalf of the European Commission since 2012. Each evaluation focused on identifying weaknesses in border management and how countries respond to threats. In this presentation, the author will highlight the main threats, border-related crimes, and common shortcomings that undermine safety in a borderless Europe.

The Bilingual and Intercultural Border Schools Project (PEBIF) as a Strategy for Linguistic Integration and Cross- Border Cooperation

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This article analyses the experience of the Bilingual and Intercultural Border Schools Programme (PEBIF) as a policy for linguistic integration and cross-border cooperation, situated on the border between Northern Portugal and Galicia. It discusses its contributions to promoting plurilingualism, interculturality, and cross-border citizenship. Based on a qualitative approach—combining participant observation, interviews with teachers, and document analysis—the study describes collaborative pedagogical practices developed between mirror schools in Salvaterra de Miño (Galicia) and Monção (Portugal). By understanding border regions not merely as geopolitical boundaries, but as territories traversed by flows, tensions, and social ties, the article helps fill an empirical gap in studies on European integration by giving visibility to the voices and concrete actions of teachers who, in their daily school routines, implement strategies of intercomprehension and appreciation of local languages. The analysis proposes a critical reflection on the factors that foster or hinder cross-border integration, highlighting the role of language policies, identity pressures, and regional authorities in constructing a plurilingual education that is sensitive to border realities and to the individuals who inhabit them.

Co-Crossing Borders through Neighbouring Languages Teaching and Learning

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Border studies in Europe have traditionally been shaped by disciplines such as law, sociology, geography and history. However, the humanistic and educational dimensions— particularly those related to language education—remain under-recognised in both value and practical application. In border regions such as those between Italy and Slovenia, language plays a critical yet often overlooked role in fostering integration, collaboration, and social cohesion. This paper aims to reframe the discourse by placing applied and educational linguistics, language policy and pedagogy, and geopolitical awareness within school communities at the centre of border-related inquiry. It begins with an analysis of territorial policy frameworks in border regions, drawing on the example of the Gorizia– Nova Gorica 2025 European Capital of Culture initiative, the policies of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), and the Adriatic–Ionian Euroregion. This analysis is anchored in relevant European recommendations and communications on border region policies. The paper then introduces a methodological proposal for language education – the CoBLaLT method -, developed and validated through recent fieldwork on the Italian, Slovenian and Croatian border. Particular attention is given to a research segment that explores how participating school communities perceive the lack of coherent language policies in their cross-border context. The study concludes by underscoring the relevance and potential impact of integrating humanistic research—such as the work presented here—into the formulation of policies for border regions, complementing and enriching traditional sectoral approaches.

Education Across Borders

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This article offers a critical analysis of schools located along the Portuguese-Spanish border, framing them as spaces of curricular invention and the construction of a transnational educational identity. Drawing on the analysis of the Bilingual and Intercultural Border Schools Project (PEBIF), it examines how teachers, as epistemic and political agents, build collaborative pedagogical practices rooted in the territory and oriented towards the common good. Through a qualitative and cartographic methodology, the study highlights formative episodes in which teaching emerges as a practice of listening, co-authorship, and intercultural mediation. The concept of the border is redefined from a logic of separation to that of a borderscape — a relational, ethical, and political space where bonds, belonging, and relational justice are forged. Emerging from a critical and situated pedagogy, the experience analysed challenges monocultural and securitization paradigms, proposing new educational grammars grounded in plurality, linguistic hospitality, and the making of a shared commons. The article argues that the teachers involved in PEBIF not only reinvent the curriculum but also reposition the school as a territory of resistance and transformation. By recognizing the role of teachers in constructing shared forms of belonging, the text suggests that this experience contributes to rethinking, beyond the educational field, transborder public policies, pointing to the urgency of cooperation practices centred on local actors as knowledge producers and mediators of intercultural justice.

Bosworth, M., & Zedner, L. (ed.) (2022). Privatising Border Control. Law at the Limits of the Sovereign State. Oxford University Press

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Oxford University Press published an edited volume in 2022 that aims to investigate the phenomenon of privatizing border control through interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological perspectives. The collection of articles looks at the increasing involvement of the private sector in border control.

ITEM. (2024). Dossier 2: Proposal for an EU Regulation ‘Facilitating cross-border solutions’ – Cross-Border effects across European cross-border regions (ITEMTEIN joint study)

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The European Union and the integration process aim to promote a unified Europe with a single internal market, ensuring an increased flow of goods, services, people and capital. In this process, border regions, which are the true laboratories of European integration, play a key role. These regions are the most exposed to border limitations due to differences in national legislations resulting in legal and administrative obstacles. These obstacles generate significant and multivalent limitations for the cross-border flow of people and businesses, potentially undermining integration and single market efforts in the long term.