Author: Publisher:
ISBN: 9789279704857
Category :
Languages : de
Pages :
Book Description
Easing Legal and Administrative Obstacles in EU Border Regions
Author: Easing Legal and Administrative Obstacles in EU Border Regions
Author: Publisher:
ISBN: 9789279704888
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
This case study focuses on 'complex rules' and other obstacles hampering cross-border business activity in the Bulgarian-Greek (BG-EL) border region. At European Union (EU) level, a series of European Single Market initiatives have been seeking to remove such obstacles. Since the momentous events of 1989 cross-border business activity has flourished across the BG-EL border. Cross-border cooperation between Greece and Bulgaria has received support from the EU from the beginning of the Interreg programmes, in the 1989-1993 period. Although various obstacles have been eased or removed during the last 25 years, the general conditions in the BG-EL border region are not fully conducive for cross-border business activities. Several obstacles prevail, one of which concerns the complexity of rules on the Greek side of the border that hamper the cross-border business activities of Bulgarian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). It forms part of a tight cluster of inter-linked obstacles relating to regulatory complexity and business environment, public procurement, frontier workers mobility and transport bottlenecks. These obstacles have considerable adverse effects on businesses, notably, in terms of time delays and higher costs. Moreover, a lack of transparency or consistency and an array of other interconnected problems become an entry barrier mostly for SMEs and micro-businesses. In seeking solutions, the national level in both Greece and Bulgaria can play a crucial role by improving the harmonisation of the legislative and administrative arrangements concerning business development. The existing good cooperation climate is a major asset and more can be done also at regional and local levels by establishing a cross-border business observatory and business advice service, providing project-based support to SMEs such as mentoring and cross-border clusters, and creating a regional cross-border forum that could also bring periodically together high-level government representatives from the two neighbouring countries.
Easing Legal and Administrative Obstacles in EU Border Regions
Author: Publisher:
ISBN: 9789279704901
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
This case study focuses on 'burdensome tax rules' and other obstacles affecting cross-border trade in the land border region between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Since the mid-1990s, associated with the Northern Ireland peace process, there has been a significant easing of cross-border obstacles in this border region; cross-border trade has shown a long-term upward trend and various, mostly new, cross-border structures have been active. Yet, a wide range of obstacles persist, both trade-related - Value-Added Tax and other taxation aspects, public procurement and industry accreditations - and in other fields. One of the obstacles concerns taxation rules in the Republic of Ireland which require a mandatory transfer of Northern Ireland workers employed by a Northern Ireland company if active in the Republic of Ireland for more than six months. This affects businesses in the construction sector but its impact has declined since the end of the property boom in the Republic of Ireland. The trade and other related obstacles form a tight cluster which has considerable adverse effects; not only in terms of time delays and higher costs. Lack of transparency or consistency and an array of often small but interconnected problems can amount to an entry barrier that affects mostly smaller businesses with capabilities and capacity constraints. Cross-border structures and processes, operating in a climate conducive to cooperation, are key components of solutions aiming to ease and remove obstacles. They can underpin 'better harmonisation' solutions at Member State level (best pursued in a preventative manner such as through consultations prior to transposition of European Union directives) and 'better information and support' solutions at regional level. This represents a pragmatic approach which acknowledges that obstacles cannot be wholly eradicated and that differences between national regulatory regimes will remain, notably in view of the recent decision of the United Kingdom to exit the European Union.
Easing Legal and Administrative Obstacles in EU Border Regions
Author: Publisher:
ISBN: 9789279704925
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
Differences between national crisis, disaster and emergency management systems pose a threat to safety and the provision of care and services in EU cross-border regions. Emergency services and crisis management systems fail to provide the same level of service in the border regions as in the rest of the countries. Effective cross-border cooperation is often hindered by a lack of legal advice and information, administrative challenges as well as language and cultural barriers. Cross-border crisis and emergency management systems cover a wide range of issues from emergency medical services and rescue operations to flood relief and water management. This case study looks at both these examples of emergency management. Careful coordination is required in cross-border areas in order to ensure an effective and efficient coverage of emergency health care. In spite of existing EU legislation, e.g. the Directive 2011/24/EU on the application of patients' rights, healthcare crisis management systems in the EU are faced with numerous legal and practical obstacles which hinder efficient crisis management in the field of emergency rescue services. Differences in healthcare, health insurance and financing systems as well as language and cultural barriers, lead to a lack of clarity in what emergency services can do and who is responsible for them. There is considerable scope of improvement through the introduction of further legislation, its practical implementation as well as the further development of institutional cooperation. In the field of natural disasters, flooding in particular has been a major issue in the last decades. Substantial progress has been made with the introduction of the Directive 2007/60/EC on the assessment and management of flood risk, the establishment of the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) and the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (CPM). Also, interesting cross-border projects have been carried out in this field. Nevertheless, given that the danger of flooding is likely to increase through climate change in the future, much remains to be done. The illustrative case tackled in this case study is the border between Hungary and Slovakia. Here, the main obstacles are the historic differences in legislation and administrative structures responsible for civil protection and disaster management. The Slovak regions are much larger than the Hungarian regions and the latter are self-governed whereas the former are more dependent on the state government. To coordinate joint projects, a Hungarian and Slovak Intergovernmental Joint Commission for cross-border cooperation with 12 intergovernmental joint commissions on specific themes were set up in 2001. Since then, a number of bilateral cooperation agreements have been reached between regional or local authorities on both sides of the border. Successful projects have particularly been carried out in the field of water management, but also in the field of emergency and rescue services.
Easing Legal and Administrative Obstacles in EU Border Regions
Author: Publisher:
ISBN: 9789279704871
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
In this case study, local spatial planning decisions are used to shed light on the obstacles to cross-border public consultation procedures. The complex features of cross-border entities, sometimes overlapping each other's competences, increase the difficulty to assess the cause, scale and consequences of the obstacles identified. This case study provides evidence that spatial planning is particularly important for cross-border cooperation, since it can provide a way of managing and steering development in a cooperative way, thereby creating a more stable climate for investment and fostering a better quality of life. More specifically, the installation of wind turbines in the municipality of Wervik in Flanders, located at the border of Belgium and France is used as an example to illustrate the complex aspects of cross-border public consultation procedures. An inventory of more than 200 cross-border obstacles between Belgium and France (BE-FR) was published in 2007. Within this long list of obstacles, 14 of them relate to spatial planning issues. The inventory process was steered by a cross-border Task Force made up of 12 members of the two national Parliaments (6 from each country). This initiative led to the creation of a spatial planning coordination platform hosted by the Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai, which was formed in 2008 as a European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). Despite this major step forward in the spatial planning governance of the BE-FR cross-border area, difficulties have yet to be overcome and many problems remain unresolved, especially with regard to consultation procedures on the installation of wind turbines. While the inventory of cross-border obstacles was updated in 2014, taking into the progress made in different fields including spatial planning, the issues related to wind turbine installations remain. Several solutions to obstacles provide learnings on spatial planning methods while others refer to good governance. These include: Adopting an end-user approach to cross border obstacles; Including 'information-sharing' as the first item on the agenda of each EGTC's meeting; Referencing spatial planning obstacles into a common matrix; Implementing concerted management; Designing an EU compendium of spatial planning tools and practices; Steering the spatial planning process; (Re) establishing good neighbourly relations; Establishing a network of planners as contact points across relevant borders; Coordinating vertical cooperation in spatial planning decisions; Setting common provisions for the implementation of cross border cooperation in the EU.
Easing Legal and Administrative Obstacles in EU Border Regions
Author: Publisher:
ISBN: 9789279704864
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
European Union (EU) legislation gives EU citizens the right to receive healthcare services in all EU Member States, as well as the right to work in a different EU Member State. This is particularly important in order to ensure the health and well-being of EU citizens and to offer healthcare workers the opportunity to relocate where labour market needs exist. According to the available data, the mobility of patients and healthcare professionals across EU borders is quite low. However, studies show a strong willingness of healthcare personnel to work in a different Member States and of patients to access services in other countries. Multiple and interrelating factors contribute to the low mobility levels of patients, including: differences in the organisation and delivery of health services; differences in reimbursement procedures; tensions between healthcare authorities on the reimbursement of treatments; lack of information concerning the services available abroad; and lengthy procedures for the authorisation of services or their reimbursement. With regards to healthcare professionals, the main factors are differences in qualifications and job titles, and in some cases lengthy recognition of qualifications. Access to cross-border healthcare is particularly important for citizens living in cross-border regions, where access to healthcare in the neighbour country might be the best option in terms of proximity of care, access to healthcare services lacking the home country or to better quality services. Similarly, healthcare professionals can have access to more job opportunities and in some cases better working conditions; most importantly they can respond to the labour market needs of the neighbouring country. The case of the Torne Valley (or Tornio-Haparanda Region), situated in the Northern part of Finland and Sweden, is used to illustrate the obstacles of different healthcare systems in cross-border context. The Torne Valley region is characterised by a long history of cooperation, also in healthcare. However, some obstacles persist to cross-border mobility, both in terms of access to healthcare for patients and the mobility of health professionals. Differences in coverage and reimbursement of services, imbalances in the mobility of patients and professionals, lack of skilled personnel in some areas, difficulties in the use of IT and telemedicine; difficulties in sharing information between health centres and inadequate IT infrastructures are some of the issues that the case of the Torne Valley highlights. Some of these problems have been the object of cooperation and have been partly solved while others persist and will need further interventions and initiatives to be effectively addressed. The impact of these obstacles is not easily quantifiable, however, three main issues are worth noting: potential shortages and mismatches in the healthcare labour market; missed opportunities for increasing healthcare quality and healthcare delivery efficiency. These are highlighted in the report.
Easing Legal and Administrative Obstacles in EU Border Regions
Author: Publisher:
ISBN: 9789279704840
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
This case study analyses administrative obstacle, the access to social security services for frontier workers (also known as cross-border workers in everyday EU terminology). This issue affects both workers contemplating cross-border work as well as workers who are already employed and working across the border. Two European Union (EU) directives are particularly relevant: Directive 2004/38/EC on the EU freedom of movement and residence and Directive 883/2004 on the coordination of social security. The EU does not have competence to regulate social security systems; these are set by Member States. Social Security portfolios and their build up can therefore differ European citizens. To help coordinate social security for cross-border work, the EU defines "frontier workers" as: "any person pursuing an activity as an employed or self-employed person in a Member State and who resides in another Member State to which he/she returns as a rule daily or at least once a week". Frontier workers can face a significant amount of administrative complexity in receiving access to social security services. This is related to their being officially registered as residents in one country, while working and contributing to certain social security services in a different country. Common causes here are insufficient language capability and expertise amongst authorities to address the issue of cross-border workers' social security. Additionally, while individuals often inform themselves before going to work abroad, some obstacles only appear once a person is working in another country; these obstacles arise primarily due to inefficient administrative systems. This case study explores how this particular obstacle has manifested and been addressed in the Greater Region in Luxembourg, parts of France, Belgium and Germany. Evidence points to a number of good practices and potential solutions to this issue. These include: quicker, more efficient administrative processes through shared, digital information systems; creating some form of regularly updated organisational protocol or schematic of the different relevant authorities and administrative levels, along with who is in charge of the different departments. Involving the full range of useful and relevant actors and a centralised body was considered good practice in the case of the Greater Region, as was a European framework for conducting bilateral negations and agreements between countries with cross-border workers.
Easing Legal and Administrative Obstacles in EU Border Regions
Author: Publisher:
ISBN: 9789279704970
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
Freedom of movement is enshrined in EU law. For economies to be efficient, and create jobs and opportunities, it is especially important in cross-border regions to address obstacles that impact negatively on the ability of citizens from one country to work in a neighbouring country. Failure to do so can result in unfilled vacancies, skills gaps and economic linkages between businesses and between businesses and their employees being impaired, impacting on the prospects for economic health and growth. Commuting between countries is actually more limited than it might be expected and especially in the EU15 group of Member States. There are multiple, complex reasons that are interrelated and that provide obstacles to those wishing to commute from one region to another in an adjacent country. These include differences in tax and pension regimes, restrictions on non-EU nationals working in cross-border regions, and restrictions on unemployed workers taking jobs in adjacent regions/countries. The importance of specific obstacles varies between cross-border regions but it is the combination of obstacles that has proven to be a brake on commuting. The illustrative case in this study is the Öresund region in Sweden and Denmark. There have been close economic links for many years but it took the construction of the Öresund Bridge to prompt an increase in commuter flows. The flows are dominated by commuting from Sweden to Denmark in view of finding higher paid jobs and addressing skill gaps and unfilled vacancies in Denmark's business community. However, local research has shown the economic potential of increased cross-border commuting and has suggested that commuter flows could be increased to the advantage of the region, its business and employment base. Öresund has an evolved governance structure that has made those obstacles that hinder economic integration a priority, and has planned actions to address them. In respect of commuter flows some obstacles have been tackled but a set of interlinked obstacles are part of the current programme to address all legal and administrative obstacles. These include: taxation of pensions, unemployment benefit affiliation and restrictions on work placements across the border. The means of handling these obstacles include improved information services, bilateral agreements and court cases (at Member State rather than EU level). The case study highlights the following general lessons and good practice examples: The role of bespoke cross-border organisations (such as the Freedom of Movement Council, and the Öresund Committee) is generally not to solve the cross-border obstacles. Rather, it is about identifying the obstacles and facilitating the process to resolve them. Many cross-border obstacles can only be solved through the involvement and engagement of politicians. An important challenge for many border regions, including the Öresund region, is therefore to provide politicians with the evidence and information that they require to take necessary actions, as well as securing their engagement ; Targeted and continuous information services can also help improve the knowledge of cross-border commuters.
Easing Legal and Administrative Obstacles in EU Border Regions
Author: Publisher:
ISBN: 9789279705007
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
This case study focuses on the extent to which different healthcare systems can hamper the effectiveness and efficiency of delivering services in cross-border regions. The specific example is the Valga (EE)-Valka (LV) twin towns at the border of Estonia and Latvia. In this example the specific obstacle examined is the access to hospital service for residents of Valka, the nearest hospital in Latvia being some 50 kms away from Valka; administrative obstacles restricting access to the nearby hospital in Valga. There are as yet no agreements - despite attempts to do so - in place at the national or municipality level to facilitate guaranteed medical assistance between the two towns. The administrative obstacles include the lack of accessible information, consultation with specialists, complex healthcare service payment procedures and insufficient institutional cooperation at municipal level and inter-governmental level. Patients face obstacles, since there is no clear and easily-readable information of the procedure phase. The information to be gathered is fragmented, since it is accessible from different entities and medical institution across the border.
Easing Legal and Administrative Obstacles in EU Border Regions
Author: Publisher:
ISBN: 9789279704932
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
International mobility of trainees, students and teachers in vocational education is seen as a more and more important and even essential ingredient to vocational education. Mobility mainly covers two forms: mobility related to being educated and passing exams in another country and mobility related to internships and traineeships in other countries or foreign exchanges etc. At the European Union (EU) level, policy for vocational education and training (VET) focusses on the internationalisation of VET and the mobility of trainees, students and teachers in general (mainly by promoting work experience, internships, seminars, etc.); it does not specifically focus on cross-border mobility in border regions. The specific obstacle examined here is the case of German students in secondary vocational education in the Dutch part of the German-Dutch border region, who have to pass exams in the Dutch language, according to Dutch law. This law hampers the cross-border mobility of students in secondary vocational education, which becomes especially apparent in border regions. This obstacle can be seen as an administrative barrier, because it arises from the language requirement found in the national law. It would appear that this administrative language obstacle is especially apparent for German students in secondary vocational education who want to study in the Netherlands but not vice versa. Dutch students in secondary vocational education are less interested to receive education in Germany. In general, students in secondary vocational education are less interested in attending a school on the other side of border, because the radius that these young students (15 - 16 years old) can travel is limited. It is only in specific cases that these students are interested in a school on the other side of the border, for example if a specific course is not available in their own country, which is the case for some courses provided in the Netherlands but not available in Germany. The European Commission (EC) cannot amend national law to resolve the specific barrier as Member States are responsible for their own education and training systems. These are entirely national competences and so the Dutch State legislates as it sees fit regarding which languages should be used. Furthermore, the Dutch government is not inclined to change the law on this specific aspect. To cope with the specific language requirement in national law, specific language courses are offered to students requiring it, although this does not seem sufficient in all cases (especially for the higher level courses of secondary vocational education). The case study addresses the administrative language obstacle identified in the horticultural sector in the Venlo-Niederrhein region. In this case, the barrier in secondary vocational education appears to be strongly related to the integration of regional cross-border labour markets and regional cross-border economies. This integration is hampered by lack of knowledge of languages and cultures across the border. This is recognised by several institutions and several initiatives and good practices can be implemented to improve education of cross-border languages and cultures. In this context, three initiatives are presented in this case study: the GROS project, neighbouring language education and the learning Euregio.