Insights from the 30th Beyond Borders Breakfast Debate "Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) and Cross-Border Cooperation"

The 30th edition of the Beyond Borders Breakfast Debate, organised by the Border Focal Point Network, was successfully held on 9 July 2026. This edition focused on Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) and its potential to strengthen cross-border cooperation by empowering local actors to jointly design and implement place-based solutions to shared territorial challenges.

Our esteemed host, Karen Clements, opened the debate by welcoming panellists and participants to the 30th edition of the Beyond Borders Breakfast Debate Series. She introduced the session's focus on community-led local development (CLLD) and cross-border cooperation, outlined the agenda and interactive elements and invited the first speaker, Olivier Baudelet to provide the opening policy context.

The first speaker, Mr Olivier Baudelet, Expert, Interreg, Cross-Border Cooperation and Internal Borders, DG REGIO, European Commission, introduced the concept of cross-border community-led local development (CLLD), explaining its core principles of community ownership, local partnerships, place-based development and dedicated funding. He stressed that CLLD empowers local communities to design and implement development strategies tailored to their own territories, fostering trust, cross-border governance and citizen engagement. Highlighting the successful example of the Italy–Austria border, he argued that CLLD has significant untapped potential to strengthen European territorial cooperation and announced that the European Commission intends to make it a stronger policy priority for the 2028–2034 programming period through the OECD-supported IMPACT initiative.

The next speaker, Ms Alexis Durand, Policy analyst, Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE), Regional Development and Multi-level Governance Division, OECD, presented the IMPACT project, a joint OECD–European Commission initiative aimed at expanding the use of cross-border community-led local development (CLLD) by supporting the preparation of strategies in up to 30 pilot border regions. She highlighted the strong demand for the initiative, reflected in the diversity of participating regions and partnerships, ranging from local action groups and municipalities to EGTCs and regional authorities. Ms Durand explained that, while cross-border CLLD presents additional governance and administrative challenges, participating regions can build on well-established CLLD methodologies, with the project providing a common toolkit, technical expertise and peer-learning opportunities to help develop effective, locally driven cross-border development strategies.

Following, Ms Irene Covi, Interreg Italy-Austria Programme Officer, Joint Secretariat, CLLD Expert, Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen-South Tyrol, presented the experience of the Interreg Italy–Austria Programme, one of the first European cross-border programmes to implement CLLD. She highlighted how the programme’s bottom-up approach empowers local communities through Local Action Groups, strengthening cross-border partnerships, citizen participation and multi-level governance. She concluded by emphasising that the model has become a recognised good practice for promoting territorial cohesion and sustainable regional development.

Then it was turn for Ms Gina Streit, Project Manager, Regional Management Oberland (RMO) / Dolomiti Live Local Action Group, to present the experience of the Dolomiti Live cross-border CLLD strategy and its contribution to strengthening cooperation between communities across the Italy–Austria border. She highlighted the added value of involving local stakeholders directly in cross-border projects, explaining how CLLD has helped build trust, create new networks and develop joint solutions to shared regional challenges. Ms Streit also addressed practical implementation challenges, including administrative differences, language barriers and financial procedures, stressing that these can be overcome through strong coordination, personal support and committed local teams. She concluded by emphasising that the success of CLLD relies not only on funding and regulations, but also on people who bring communities together and give European cooperation a tangible local impact.

Finally, Ms Elle Merete Omma, Head of EU Unit, Saami Council, presented the emerging SAMI pilot, which explores how community-led local development (CLLD) can be adapted to an indigenous and multi-country context along the Norway–Sweden border. She highlighted the specific opportunities and challenges faced by Saami communities, including cross-border cultural ties, shared resources, limited institutional capacity and barriers linked to differing national systems. Ms Omma emphasised that the pilot has already created a valuable space for communities to discuss challenges, identify opportunities and strengthen empowerment, with the aim of developing a strategy that supports sustainable cross-border cooperation and Saami-led regional development.

During the Q&A session, speakers reflected on the key factors needed to strengthen the impact and sustainability of cross-border CLLD initiatives. Alexis Durand highlighted the importance of scaling up successful approaches through shared resources, practical tools and long-term funding strategies. Irene Covi stressed that successful CLLD requires time, simplified procedures, strong governance structures and continued support to build trust and community ownership. Gina Streit emphasised the central role of continuity, personal relationships and trust-building in creating lasting cross-border cooperation. Finally, Elle Merete Omma discussed the challenges and opportunities for Saami communities, particularly regarding the balance between nature protection, tourism and traditional livelihoods in cross-border areas.

Mr Olivier Baudelet concluded the debate by highlighting that cross-border CLLD has proven its value as a practical approach to strengthening cooperation and improving opportunities for people living in border regions. He encouraged Interreg programmes to consider integrating CLLD into future programmes, stressing its alignment with EU cohesion objectives and the importance of continued support through initiatives such as IMPACT to expand its use across Europe.

The two poll questions that were featured on the debate were:

1. What do you see as the main added value of CLLD in cross-border regions? Respondents identified stronger cooperation between municipalities and local stakeholders across borders as the main value of cross-border CLLD, followed by increased bottom-up decision-making, community participation, and better alignment of local needs with EU regional funding programmes.
2. What is in your opinion the main bottleneck for effective cross-border CLLD implementation? In this poll question, respondents identified complex administrative and regulatory frameworks as the main bottleneck for cross-border CLLD, followed by fragmentation between funding instruments and governance levels, limited capacity of local actors, and language, cultural, and institutional differences between partners.