Nominations for the European Ombudsman "Award for Good Administration" in order of receipt:

1. Digital ethics: An introduction by comic book

An entertaining and informative guide to data protection, privacy and ethical challenges in the digital era. The comic book is in its third reprint after having proved popular with citizens, MEPS and officials.

European Data Protection Supervisor – Information and Communication sector

2. Mobile app to encourage interaction at conferences

The EDPS created a free app for use at its 2018 International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners. The app was downloaded by almost 1 000 participants and led to increased interaction at the conference (questions; voting) and a reduction in the use of paper.

European Data Protection – Information and Communication sector

3. Raising awareness about the social economy in regions and cities

A pilot project to raise awareness about the social economy attracted the interest of 32 regions and cities, which started organising events. A concerted effort to ensure European Commission representation at these events meant ideas were collected and participants informed about EU social economy schemes. The pilot will now become a dedicated project on inter-regional collaboration.

European Commission – DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs – Advanced Technologies, Clusters and Social Economy Unit (F2) – Social Economy Team

in collaboration with 7 other Commission services (DG JRC, DG EMPL, DG ECFIN, DG CNECT, DG AGRI, DG NEAR, DG RTD) who joined DG GROW colleagues and represented the European Commission at regional ESER events

4. Bringing EU institutions closer to citizens

The visits team in the General Secretariat of the Council – consisting of seven people – each year welcomes hundreds of visitor groups (around 20 000 people) from all over the world. Information sessions are tailor-made to particular groups, with a focus on story-telling, and actively counter the myth of “faceless EU bureaucrats”.

General Secretariat of the Council and European Council – Outreach unit in the GSC – the Visits service

5. Experiencing Europe through young peoples’ eyes

This project is about young people communicating with other young people about Europe. Eight people (selected from over 2 000 applicants) travelled around Europe (+12 000km and over 20 countries) visiting over 50 EU-funded projects. They posted videos and pictures about their adventures. The project reached 53% of young Europeans aged 18 to 24 who have a Facebook or Instagram account.

European Commission – DG Regional and Urban Policy – Unit A.2 (Communication)

6. Involving cities in policy-making

The Urban Agenda for the European Union (UAEU) recognises the important role of cities as the level of government closest to citizen. It gives urban authorities a seat at the table alongside Member States and EU policy makers by allowing partnerships on different urban challenges. These thematic partnerships have led 17 Commission DGs, 22 Member States, 107 cities and 23 urban stakeholders to work hand-in-hand. The cooperation is facilitated by an interactive website.

European Commission – DG Regional and Urban Policy – Unit 03 (Inclusive Growth, Urban and Territorial Development)

7. Inclusive communication in 24 languages – a world first

A guide, produced by the General Secretariat of the Council – is a world first in inclusive communication, offering advice on how to produce language and visuals that avoid stereotypes and discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, ethnic origin, nationality, or religious or other beliefs. The guide has been sent to national bodies, international organisations and NGOs, and is on the Council's website.

Council of the European Union – General Secretariat of the Council's Equal Opportunities Office together with the Translation Service

8. Council canteens – sustainable, healthy and environmentally-friendly eating

The Council’s canteens – serving almost 2 000 meals daily – have managed to secure the “Good Food” label after a concerted effort to turn themselves into sustainable eateries. To get the “Good Food” label, which is awarded by Bruxelles Environnement, the canteens introduced several measures, including getting rid of plastic cutlery and cups; organising weekly donations of unsold food to the Red Cross and using seasonal ingredients.

Council of the European Union – General Secretariat of the Council's – Protocol and Meetings – Catering

9. Jargon-free communication about science

The JRC´s Clear Writer Network ensures that scientific texts are understandable for non-specialists so the audience (such as citizens, stakeholders and policy-makers) does not feel alienated by jargon-heavy literature. The Network has delivered 28 leaflets explaining the JRC and its activities in Member States. Other Commission departments as well as agencies are interested in the initiative.

European Commission – DG Joint Research Centre – Clear Writers' Network

10. Opening up joint research facilities

The JRC is opening up its research facilities (located in BE, DE, IT & NL) to external experts, including those in the nuclear and radiological fields, chemistry, biosciences/life sciences, physical sciences and ICT. Since June 2017, JRC provided access to more than 200 users. Access, which is granted following a transparent procedure, helps spread scientific knowledge and foster innovation.

European Commission – DG Joint Research Centre, Scientific Development Units (A.5)

11. ARTEFACTS exhibition – connecting citizens, science and EU policies

The JRC – along with Berlin’s Natural History Museum – in 2018 opened the ARTEFACTS exhibition which showcases art, science and nature. It includes ‘meet the scientist' sessions where visitors can interact directly by video-link with JRC scientists. The exhibition asks how we want to live on our planet and is part of JRC’s new approach of interactive communication with citizens.

European Commission – DG Joint Research Centre – Unit H.2 (Knowledge for Thematic Coordination)

12. Financing the best solutions to improve EU citizens’ health

A special group set up by DG SANTE collects proven best practices for preventing non-communicable diseases and helps countries to implement these practices. The initiative has, for example, provided assistance for cancer screening in Romania and replicated cardiovascular initiatives from Italy. The project shows the benefits of identifying best practices around Europe and then financing their widespread implementation using different EU programmes.

European Commission – DG Health and Food Safety – Unit C1 (Health programme and chronic diseases)

13. European Coordinators: multi-level governance in practice

A high-level group of coordinators engage with Member States, regions, infrastructure managers, users, civil society and other stakeholders to help bring about the transport corridors that are a part of the EU major infrastructure project, TEN-T corridors. Their on-the-spot presence helps build public acceptance for the projects. They are supported by advisors in DG MOVE, as well as in DG REGIO, the EIB and the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency – a good example of internal and external cooperation for the benefit of a common goal.

European Commission – DG Mobility and Transport – Unit B1 (Transport Networks) plus Colleagues of unit B.2 (Transport Investment), INEA, DG REGIO and EIB

14. Inter-institutional cooperation to serve multilingualism

The translation services’ latest version of its terminology database (IATE) is more accessible as the database can be linked to other resources; can be accessed via smartphones and is more user-friendly for people with visual, motor or colour impairment. The new-look IATE– the tool has been open to the public since 2007 – was achieved through close work with representatives from all institutions as well as dedicated team in the Translation Centre.

Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union (CdT) – IATE Management Group - on behalf of the 10 IATE partners: the translation services of the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Central Bank, the European Court of Auditors, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Committee of the Regions, the European Investment Bank, and the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union (project lead). Observer: Publications Office of the European Union

15. Bringing EU agencies to the cloud

EFSA oversaw a project for a framework contract to help 20 EU institutions in 14 Member States move to cloud computing. The scale of the project means efficiency savings of around €6.7m. A shared cloud infrastructure is needed for EU institutions’ digital transformation. The agencies are also using the contract for issues such as Big Data analytics, Genome sequencing and early Artificial Intelligence applications.

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) – Business Services Department – Digital Transformation Unit

16. Raising awareness about the plight of bees

Bees – which pollinate most of our crops – are disappearing at alarming rates. EFSA’s Brussels office has been at the forefront of EU cooperation to help save bees and raise awareness about the problem. An EU Bee Partnership, set up in 2018, enables cooperation between academics, scientists, beekeepers, industry and NGOs in order to gather European data on declining bee populations and the reasons behind it.

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) – EFSA’s Brussels Liaison Office (Communication Engagement and Cooperation) and EFSA Parma (Risk assessment & Scientific assistance; Scientific Committee and Emerging Risks Unit)

17. A smarter way to fight counterfeit goods

EUIPO organised a 48 hour coding marathon aimed at building the best blockchain anti-counterfeiting solutions. The “Blockathon” allowed international coders supported by top specialists in law, IP rights, ecosystem dynamics, logistics and many other experts to work together. Until now many solutions worked independently of one another. A “Blockathon” forum aims to take this cooperation further, as each year millions of citizens tricked into buying a fake products.

European Union Intellectual Property Service (EUIPO) – cross team from Digital Transformation Department and European Observatory on Infringements of IP Rights – Blockathon Team

18. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the customs union

A multi-faceted campaign to explain the customs union to citizens, including with promotional materials (luggage tags saying “You travel. We protect.”), and videos – the most popular showed a day in the life of a customs sniffer dog. Stories about customs officers from different parts of the EU explained the different activities performed by customs. The results: over 9 million video views and more than 2.5 million engagements online.

European Commission – DG for Taxation and Customs Union – Communications Unit

19. Integrity Pacts – reducing corruption in public tenders

DG Regio joined forces with Transparency International to tackle corruption in public procurement. The resulting Integrity Pacts are an agreement between the contracting authority, the company concerned and civil society. Under the agreement, the bidders and public authority pledge to abstain from corrupt practices while the civil society organisation monitors the whole process. The aim is to increase public trust in the process.

Transparency International with European Commission – DG Regional and Urban Policy – Unit E.1 (Competence Centre Administrative Capacity Buildling; Solidarity Fund)

20. Raising awareness about sexual violence in conflict zones

With just a small budget, the communications unit in DG ECHO produced a highly successful video on combatting sexual violence in conflict zones. The video, produced in five languages, has had over 2m views on YouTube – its success largely due to a combination of treating the subject in a respectful and thoughtful way and testing the message beforehand.

European Commission – Humanitarian Aid & Civil Protection – Communication Unit

21. MeToo EP: Zero tolerance for sexual harassment in the workplace

MeTooEP, a cross-party coalition of workers in the European Parliament, draws attention to the right of all staff to a safe workplace. It organised an internal protest in the EP aimed at making sure a recently-agreed resolution on combatting sexual harassment was fully implemented. It also launched a blog with anonymous testimonies of victims of sexual harassment in the EP.

Cross-party coalition of employees of the European Parliament working in the political or administrative field

22. EU country roadmaps for engagement with civil society

In just five years, DG DEVCO has developed 107 country roadmaps for civil society – strategies for engaging with civil society over a three-year period. Civil society û which is under threat in many countries – strongly shaped the roadmaps. Examples of roadmaps in Ecuador, Colombia and the Pacific Region have been highlighted in videos.

European Commission – DG International Cooperation and Development – Unit A5 (Civil Society and Foundations)

23. A European network for marine observation and data

The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) is a network of organisations observing the sea, processing the data and making that information available. This "collect once and use many times" philosophy benefits all marine data users, and is estimated to save €1bn a year. EMODnet provides access to European marine data related to bathymetry, geology, seabed habitats, chemistry, biology, physics and human activities.

European Commission – DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries – Maritime Policy and Blue Economy – Maritime innovation, Marine Knowledge and Investment (MARE.A.1)

European Commission – Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Entreprises (EASME) Unit A.3 EMFF

24. Fighting food waste together across Europe

The EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste brings together public entities, farmers, processors, consumers, policy makers, research scientists, food banks and others to provide advice on drawing up and implementing policy to tackle food waste – for example on the Commission’s guidelines on EU food donation. The platform helps spread best practices and find innovative solutions.

European Commission – DG Health and Food Safety – Unit E.1 (Food information, and composition, food waste) – the Food waste team

25. Empowering citizens to participate in the EU decision-making process

A web-portal allows citizens and others to provide feedback on Commission initiatives at different stages of the legislative lifecycle. The public can comment on delegated and implementing acts, legislative proposals and roadmaps. In 2018, the portal was made more user-friendly with the proactive publishing of key upcoming initiatives. Yearly visits reached 900 000 in 2018 while the biggest share of contributions came from citizens (47%).

Several services within the European Commission: Secretariat-General (project leader), DG COMM and DG DIGIT

26. Helping those in need navigate the EU’s health insurance system

The PMO has set up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) to help those caring for a disabled child or who are themselves suffering from a serious illness to navigate the EU institutions’ health insurance system. The CoE has specialised teams which focus on different areas of expertise, and aims to build up trust with beneficiaries. The CoE also raises awareness (it organised a course for parents of autistic children) and works with NGOs such as the European Disability Forum.

European Commission – Paymasters Office (PMO) – Centre of Excellence (CoE)

27. A clear and transparent EP trainee application procedure

T-People is a new application that integrates candidates, supervisors and sectors for an accessible and transparent recruitment process. Since November 2018, candidates can apply to individual traineeship offers that include unit, DG and city, a description of the tasks and a clear indication of the profile required. The screens are user-friendly and designed for people who are unfamiliar with the EU institutions. There were a record number of applications in November 2018. Feedback is encouraged and used to improve the procedure further.

European Parliament – Traineeships Sector – Contract Staff and Trainees Recruitment Unit – Directorate-General for Personnel

28. Giving the EU a friendly face

Using storytelling, simple language and an attractive look and feel, corporate campaigns such as EUandMe have given the EU a friendly face. The campaign divided the Commission’s political priorities into three main messages - a Europe that delivers, a Europe that empowers, and a Europe that protects – in all 24 EU languages. The campaign broke down barriers between EU institutions (by using one EU emblem) and within the Commission itself. Where possible, influencers such as bloggers and Youtubers were used.

European Commission – DG COMM – Unit B.1 (Strategy and corporate campaigns)

29. Empowering staff to shape policies

The director-general of TAXUD initiated an open reflection within his DG on the future of the EU, and on tax policies. Taking a little under a year, the process involved working groups; a dedicated online platform, concept papers and then a final presentation of ideas and debate with all staff. The ideas will be passed on to the next EU commissioner in charge. The exercise was motivating and rewarding for staff.

European Commission – DG TAXUD

30. Promoting young cybersecurity talent across Europe

With a growing demand worldwide for cybersecurity experts, ENISA complements Member State efforts to look for talented young cyber experts by organising an annual European Cyber Security Challenge. It brings together young talent, selected from national competitions from across Europe, to have fun and compete in cyber security.

European Union Agency for Network and Information Security – Operational Security Unit, European Cyber Security Challenge Team

31. Launching the new €50 banknote

The new €50 banknote, which went into circulation in 2017, has security features that allow citizens to easily check the authenticity of the banknotes without sophisticated equipment. The new banknotes also include special features for visually impaired people. The launch, overseen by the ECB’s banknotes directorate, meant getting 5.4bn €50 banknotes ready on time, and then helping the cash industry to adapt to the new notes. The launch was accompanied by a major communications campaign.

European Central Bank – Directorate Banknotes

32. Mobilising citizens for a healthier and greener Europe

With thousands of visitors each year, the EP decided to encourage – using apps, special signs, a dedicated website and leaflets – people to use the stairs. Short films helped to spread the word and ensure press coverage. A competition entitled the “2018 Stairs Challenge Champion” (an in-house developed app compared stair-users’ performance) was such a success that the next goal is the organisation of a world-wide stairs-using competition.

European Parliament – IDEA Unit (DG ITEC); Innovation Service (DG ITEC); in collaboration with other DGs of the European Parliament

33. Explaining what we do – EU agencies photo exhibition

EU agencies deal with everything from the safety of medicines and food, to the sustainability of our environment, the protection of our savings and the quality of our education. To illustrate their work, they organised a travelling photo exhibition and online slide show (which has had tens of thousands of impressions on Twitter). It premiered in Poland, was moved to Italy and will continue to be shown around the EU.

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and FRONTEX – on behalf of the EU Agencies Network

34. Making open source software secure – an innovative approach

The EU-FOSSA 2 pilot project is about improving the security of widely used open source software. After a public vote on what should be audited first, bug bounty programmes were set up so developers could look for security vulnerabilities. EU-FOSSA 2 is also organizing three Hackathons for software developers from the EU institutions to collaborate with other open source software developers. The project is run as openly as possible, and results communicated widely.

European Commission – DG DIGIT– Unit B.3 (Reusable solutions)

35. Making the 'Europe for Citizens' programme more accessible

The ‘Europe for Citizens’ programme brings together citizens, civil society organisations and local authorities and small-scale activities (e.g. town twinning projects). The programme has developed a simple application form and pioneered lump-sum payments to avoid cash-flow issues for the organisations. The programme reaches large numbers of citizens (est. several million yearly) who are not otherwise engaged in the European project.

Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) – Unit C.1 (Europe for Citizens)

36. Using data analysis for better policy-making

A data analytics tool (DORIS) visualises responses to EU public consultations in a user-friendly way and helps with rapid analysis and summary of responses. DORIS has processed more than 150 consultations from 25 DGs, including, over a few days, the 4.7 million replies to the “summertime” consultation. The tool helps to achieve the Commission’s aim of being responsive to citizens’ opinions.

European Commission – DG CONNECT – Unit R.3 "Knowledge Management and Innovative Systems" – Data Oriented Services (DORIS) team

37. Product safety in a digitalised world

Every two years DG JUST organises an International Product Safety Week, reflecting the fact that product safety requires coordinated international cooperation. The 2018 conference had over 400 participants from over 50 countries – a record. It saw the launch of joint projects with third country regulators and involved new actors such as online platforms, influencers and social media.

European Commission – DG JUST – Unit E.4 (Product Safety and Rapid Alert System)

38. Taking time to explain financial services to citizens near them

Citizens sometime turn to the ECB with legal questions related to financial services (for example not being able to access financial services in another Member State). Even though financial services questions are not within the ECB’s remit, the bank prepares tailored answers. It has answered over 30 such questions in 2017-2018. The answers are prepared in the spirit of public service and good administration, by a small team of lawyers within self-imposed short deadlines.

European Central Bank – European Central Bank (ECB), Directorate General Legal Services, Financial Law Division and Legal Advice Team

39. The European Fund for Strategic Investments, a catalyst for hope

The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) is working to make €500bn available to the real economy by 2020. Projects include a medical simulations centre in Poland, sustainable seaweed farming in France and cancer treatment in Germany. EFSI is expected to increase the number of jobs in Europe by 1.4 million by 2020.

European Investment Bank – Operations Directorate – Director General

40. DiscoverEU – giving young people the chance to explore Europe

Two young Germans had the idea of offering 18-year-olds a free interrail ticket to explore Europe. The idea was taken up by the EP and implemented within three months by DG EAC, which set up a simple application process for the tickets. DiscoverEU was organised twice in 2018, with around 180 000 applying for the 29 500 passes. Funds were also allocated so people with disabilities could take part.

European Commission – DG EAC – Unit B.3 (Youth, volunteer solidarity and traineeships office) and Unit R.4 (IT projects and support)

41. A long-term vision for supporting SMEs

EASME, along with DG GROW, drew up a post-2020 strategy for the Enterprise Europe Network, a business support network for SMEs. The design and implementation of the strategy – which is meant to help create jobs and boost innovation – was the result of excellent cooperation across services in the European Commission.

European Commission – EASME and DG GROW

Executive Agency for SMEs (EASME) – COSME Unit A, Sector A.1.1 (Enterprise Europe Network)

42. Facebook chats on citizen and business EU rights

The Single Market Service Centre has organised eight Facebook chats since 2014 to provide Europeans with tailored advice on their specific cross-border life-situations. In 2018, the two topics were doing business, and EU passenger rights. Tens of thousands followed the chats, which the Centre plans to continue in 2019.

European Commission – DG GROW – Unit R.2 (Single Market, Service Center)

43. Tailored toolkits for raising awareness about LGBTI rights

DG JUST prepared 37 #EU4LGBTI toolkits for EU Representations, so they could organise events, meet stakeholders, participate in Prides and raise awareness about LGBTI rights. The toolkits included country-specific information, as well as a rainbow flag, relevant policy materials, and a social media toolkit. The feedback from representations – some of whom proactively held LGBTI-related events – was very positive.

European Commission – DG JUST – Unit D.1 (Non-Discrimination and Roma coordination) – Anti-discrimination team

44. A comprehensive strategy for reducing plastics pollution

The first ever European Strategy for Plastics provide solutions to reduce plastics pollution, while investing in a competitive and sustainable plastics industry. It addresses marine litter and includes a directive on single-use plastics. The strategy targets citizens as primary agents for change, for example by encouraging sustainable consumption through the #Readytochange campaign. The Commission itself is phasing out single-use plastic cups in its buildings.

European Commission – DG ENV Directorate B (Circular Economy & Green Growth), with DG GROW unit D2 (Chemicals)

45. A EU datathons – fostering the reuse of open data

EU Datathons are competitions organised by the Publications Officet to promote the use of open data produced by the EU institutions and available on the EU Open Data Portal. Participating teams (start-ups, developers, students) reuse these data to create new applications, creating societal and economic benefits. EU Datathons also promote transparency, cross-border collaboration and civic participation.

Publications Office of the European Union – OP Datathon team

46. One-stop shop for business with the EU

The Funding & Tenders Portal, launched in 2018, brings together all EU funding and procurement opportunities in a single place. It is a pioneering example of an e-government service for citizens who want to do business with the EU. Citizens can apply, sign and manage contracts, and claim the related costs, all electronically. The portal is the result of a concerted and collaborative effort by the Commission services

European Commission – The Common Support Centre (CSC) and DGs RTD/BUDG/DIGIT/JRC

47. Awareness-raising campaign about single-use plastics

DG Environment developed a communication campaign to get young European adults to think about their use of single use plastics (SUPs). The results of the campaign, implemented in seven Member States, showed the reach of the #PlasticsStrategy hashtag increasing from 4 million in early January 2018 to 150 million in October 2018 while there were over 10 million views of the animations; exceeding the target 8 times.

European Commission – DG ENV – Unit A.2 (Communication)

48. Proactively protecting European investors

The ESMA and national authorities found European investors faced significant financial losses when trading binary options (a common form of binary option is a consumer receiving a fixed pay out if the price of an underlying asset meets certain conditions). ESMA announced a prohibition on the sale of binary options to retail investors across the EU. ESMA publicised the move with a press release, FAQs sheet, social media campaign and videos. The project demonstrated how the EU protects consumers and how an EU authority works in collaboration with national authorities to address investor protection issues.

European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) in cooperation with national competent authorities (NCAs)

49. What Europe does for me

Against a backdrop of fake news and low awareness of what the EU does, the European Parliamentary Research Service put together a multi-lingual website containing hundreds of easily digestible information notes exploring EU actions from the citizens’ point of view. Easy to navigate and written in clear language, the site enables visitors to search by region (1 400 regions and cities are covered) to find projects the EU has helped bring to fruition. It also lets people explore the EU’s impact on their daily life.

European Parliamentary Research Service

50. The EU judicial network

The EU judicial network reinforces cooperation between national and EU judges through a collaborative platform (in all official EU languages) allowing the sharing of jurisprudence; analyses and research. This spreads understanding of the different national legal systems. The ECJ also uses the platform to make available the information national judges need to decide whether an ECJ referral is needed.

 Court of Justice of the European Union – Directorate General for Information Technologies and Directorate for Communication

51. Communicating to make Europe safer

Europol has raised public awareness and worked with EU Member States, other EU agencies, international organisations and others to fight cross-border crime. Several projects have been translated into all EU languages, such as the Say No! campaign to raise awareness about sexual coercion and extortion. Campaigns also often get citizens directly involved – the ‘Most Wanted’ campaigns led to 17 dangerous criminals being apprehended.

European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) – Corporate Communications

52. Using crowd-intelligence to rescue sexually exploited children

Europol’s campaign Stop Child Abuse – Trace an Object is a key example of creating awareness and promoting the work of Europol to citizens. Trace an object uses crowd-intelligence to reach its main goal: to save sexually abused children and identify their offenders. Clues such as a t-shirt or a shampoo bottle can sometimes help crack a difficult case. Eight children have been identified and one offender has been prosecuted.

European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) –

European Cybercrime Centre (team Twins) and Corporate Communications

53. Fighting cybercrime through awareness

Europol’s Cybercrime Prevention and Awareness Programme aligns efforts among EU Member States' law enforcement as well as relevant EU agencies to raise awareness about cybercrimes. It promotes prevention tips to enhance the public’s online security. New prevention material is regularly added as well as translations into the languages of all participating countries. Recent campaigns include one about cyber scams.

European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) – European Cybercrime Centre & Corporate Communications at Europol

54. Promoting cross border cooperation

With 30% of the EU population living in cross-border regions, DG REGIO works with several other DGs in the Commission to promote cross-border cooperation. A dedicated team, the Border Focal Point, works to ensure that a 2017 action plan is implemented. The good internal cooperation has led to the conclusion of a study on missing cross-border rail links; a study on cross-border cooperation in healthcare and workshops being held on learning each other’s languages.

European Commission – DG Regional and Urban Policy – Unit D.2 (Interreg, Cross-Border Cooperation, Internal Borders)