Shaping Regions Across Borders

Common Ground

How can we overcome borders to achieve more together? Between 2022 and 2025, the Robert Bosch Stiftung supported and scientifically accompanied eight innovative cross-border participation projects in German border regions through its program Common Ground. These pilot initiatives showed that when municipalities, civil society, and citizens collaborate across borders on equal terms, powerful solutions can emerge to address the challenges of our time.

Teilnehmer:innen von Common Ground unter verschiedenen Länderflaggen

In border regions, a united Europe is part of everyday life. People often live and work naturally on both sides of the border. Yet these areas also face unique challenges - such as differing administrative systems or misaligned public transport schedules.

How can regions grow closer together? To strengthen democracy in Germany and Europe, Common Ground brings people together across borders and fosters meaningful participation in local communities. Whether through citizen forums, shared picnics, or cross-border bike tours, residents are actively involved, and new forms of participation are tested—boldly, creatively, and with visible success.

To receive funding, municipalities or districts had to form partnerships with civil society actors and public authorities from neighboring countries. Each region chose its own focus topic. Over the course of three years, the regions were closely supported by our implementation partner, the nexus Institut. Key objectives included:

  • systematically testing deliberative participation processes across national borders,
  • building participation skills within politics and administration,
  • encouraging citizens to engage in sustainable political involvement,
  • establishing lasting participation structures in border regions,
  • improving knowledge and learning exchange between border regions.

In Brief

  • Funding period: 2022–2025
  • Goal: Strengthening cross-border citizen participation and democracy
  • Participating countries: Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Swiss
  • Success factors: Innovative formats, inclusion of often-overlooked groups, overcoming language barriers, knowledge exchange, and creation of sustainable structures

How can citizen participation succeed when conditions differ from country to country?
A key element of Common Ground was understanding the specific participation cultures in each region. Experts from the participating countries examined legal and cultural differences and documented their findings in country reports. The pilot phase was a shared learning journey, with insights summarized in a scientific report.

Country Reports

Different Perspectives on Citizen Participation

 

Read the country reports available in multiple languages or the summary that highlights key insights and offers cross-border perspectives

Overcoming Language Barriers

Language was a central challenge. While simultaneous interpretation was essential for large events, the projects developed creative solutions for smaller groups—such as language buddies or monolingual working groups led by multilingual facilitators. In the tri-national project Climate Change and Health, digital tools and online formats were indispensable due to the region’s size and population of over 4 million.

A Diversity of Formats: Reaching People Across Borders

To engage diverse audiences, the projects used a wide range of formats and methods: 

Strong networks and regular exchange proved essential. In the Hochrhein Planning Region, this led to 22 municipalities signing a charter for joint spatial development. And Trialog in the Tri-Border Region improved cooperation between cities facing major transformations—a vital step forward.

Want to Learn More About Cross-Border Participation? Explore the stories behind the eight pilot projects—their successes, challenges, and the people who made them possible.

Common Ground Stories

    Common Ground

    Climate-Friendly Urban Planning Across Borders

    In the twin city of Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice, citizens came together across national lines to shape a climate-friendly urban center. Through cross-border picnics, workshops, and shared visions, a new chapter in participatory city planning began—one that puts people and sustainability at the heart of development.

    Read the article
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    Common Ground

    A German-Polish Border Region Comes Together

    In the German-Polish border region of Spree-Neiße-Bober, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities—but also sparked new forms of cooperation. Citizens turned shared challenges into a foundation for future resilience and democratic participation.

    Read the article
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    Common Ground

    Cross-Border Collaboration for Climate Resilience: A Tri-National Approach

    Floods in 2021 showed how climate risks transcend national boundaries. In response, the tri-border region of Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands developed a joint climate and health strategy—shaped by citizen input and cross-border collaboration.

    Read the article
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    Common Ground

    Participation as a Driver of Sustainability

    In the German-Luxembourg border region, citizen engagement turned an energy project into a broader climate vision. What began as a technical initiative evolved into a shared roadmap for sustainability—driven by local ideas and cross-border cooperation.

    Read the article
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    Common Ground

    A Cross-Border Citizens’ Council for the Future

    In the SaarMoselle region, a bold idea took shape: a cross-border citizens’ council to help guide the future of a shared urban space. Through inclusive participation and concrete dialogue, residents became co-creators of a regional vision.

    Read the article
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    View from southeast above Saarbrücken.
    Common Ground

    A Shared Vision for the Upper Rhine

    In the dynamic border region along the Upper Rhine, 22 municipalities joined forces to develop a cross-border spatial concept. Citizens played a key role in shaping the vision—balancing nature conservation with everyday infrastructure needs.

    Read the article
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    Common Ground

    Shaping the Future in Trialogue

    As coal mining winds down, the German-Polish-Czech border region faces a major transformation. Through a tri-national citizen dialogue, communities are helping shape a shared vision for a more livable and sustainable future—across languages, borders, and perspectives.

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    Common Ground

    Citizen Participation in the German-French Border Region

    In the German-French border region, local actors dared to rethink collaboration. Through citizen-driven participation, a dormant island in the Rhine became the starting point for a new kind of cross-border engagement—rooted in everyday life and shared values.

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