‘Conceptualising Cross-Border Regions in the European Union's Legal Order: From Covidfencing to Constitutionalisation’

26 Jun 2023

Cross-border regions embody the success of a borderless internal market within the EU and bring increased economic activity as well as tangible benefits to citizens in the form of increased cooperation and innovation. 

On a daily basis, the functioning of cross-border regions affects the livelihoods of millions of people and companies across Europe. However, the effective functioning of cross-border regions has repeatedly been hampered in crises relating to terrorism, migration and most prominently in respect of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. How are cross-border regions conceptualised in EU law? How do people living in these ‘enclaves’ respond to crisis measures such as border closures, lockdowns and the ongoing effects of ‘covidfencing’? What sorts of ‘bordering behaviours’ can we see in cross-border areas, and what methodologies and theoretical innovations can be brought to studying problems that arise in these spaces?

Dr Henrietta Zeffert visited Lund University Faculty of Law from 31 May-2 June for a roundtable seminar looking at these questions as part of the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond-funded project ‘Conceptualising Cross-Border Regions in the European Union's Legal Order: From Covidfencing to Constitutionalisation’. The roundtable brought together researchers and stakeholders to address the topic of the functioning and management of cross-border regions from a multitude of disciplinary angles. The project is being led by Marja-Liisa Öberg (Associate Professor of EU Law, Lund University), Rhiannon Pugh (Senior Lecturer in Innovation Studies, CIRCLE, Lund University), Jasna Pocek (Post-doctoral Researcher, Blekinge Institute of Technology and Free University of Bozen-Bolzano) and Jacob Öberg (Professor of European Union Law, University of Southern Denmark, and Associate Professor of EU Law, Örebro University). Pictured above are roundtable participants in the Lund University Faculty of Law meeting room, decorated with portraits celebrating Lund women in law.