The various measures taken by national governments to prevent the spread of the Corona virus have far-reaching consequences for freedom of movement and create a great deal of uncertainty, particularly in border areas. Cross-border mobility is suddenly no longer self-evident and this raises numerous questions among cross-border workers. Can we continue to work now that the border is blocked? Which requirements do cross-border workers have to meet in order to be allowed to cross the border? What does it mean if you are self-employed? Where can you go for social aid? How does it affect social security if working from home in the country of residence is the only option for cross-border workers?



ITEM has long been concerned with these and many other questions from people who work across the border, also in these times of Corona. Therefore, ITEM has created an envorinment on its Cross-border Portal dedicated to information about the Corona measures in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. On this Corona topic, ITEM is monitoring and collecting information to support the work of our stakeholders during the crisis. Furthermore, it will be the first basis of our research to the effects of the Corona crisis within our Cross-border Impact Assessment of 2020 that will be presented in November.

On the topic we discuss the main challenges of the Corona crisis in the light of cross-border work and cooperation in the border region, such as:

Social security & taxes

Working from home, as is currently the case for many people, can have consequences for the social security of cross-border workers. For more information about what the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany have decided so far, click here.

Financial support measures

Member States have introduced financial support measures for entrepreneurs, in times of low profits. The measurs can more or less can be categorized according to certain goals. Because the measures are often nationally focused, the effects may be different in cross-border situations. Entrepreneurs who are active in a country other than the country in which they live may miss out on compensation and/or income support measures. This is especially the case when there are nationality or residence requirements, such as in the Netherlands. Find more info here.

Measures to combat the spread of Corona

Different measures are in place in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany and can cause remarkable situations in border regions. Read about the latest development here. 

Border crossings

Read more about decisions on border crossings in the Benelux, Germany and Schengen countries here.

Our aim of the Corona topic is to produce information with respect to daily problems of people and companies. We are in close contact with cross-border information points, Euregions and other important citizen organisations. This means of course that we have to update the information as often as possible. However, since the developments are changing rapidly, we cannot guarantee hat certain information is already outdated on the day of the publication.