On June 14, eight committed border regions were welcomed into the new “Common Ground” funding programme at a public evening event held at the Robert Bosch Stiftung in Berlin. The selected projects address a wide range of cross-border challenges, from developing sustainable energy supplies and examining the health impacts of climate change in flood-prone regions to improving cross-border public transport.
“A joint process of dialogue and negotiation creates space for good ideas, increases acceptance of political decisions and strengthens trust in democracy,” said Claudia Rolf, Team Lead Democracy at the Robert Bosch Stiftung. “With Common Ground, we therefore want to support local participation processes that bring citizens together across borders to exchange ideas and jointly develop solutions to the challenges facing their regions.”
Bridging Language Barriers and Cultural Differences
Border regions are unique spaces with their own particular challenges. Language barriers need to be overcome, different mindsets taken into account, and administrative frameworks coordinated across borders. At a kick-off workshop, the nominated regions joined representatives from politics, public administration and civil society to discuss how this can be achieved. How can democratic processes in Europe be strengthened? What role does the participation of local people play? And what particular opportunities and challenges does this create for border regions?
Common Ground aims to establish participatory structures that will endure beyond the duration of the programme. The selected regions are supported in their work by the nexus Institute for Cooperation Management and Interdisciplinary Research, headed by Professor Christiane Dienel.
