Study on "Reducing border obstacles between EU Member States and IPA beneficiary countries"

A new study supported by the European Commission highlights how closer cross-border cooperation can help address persistent obstacles affecting flood prevention, transport and connectivity and territorial cohesion along the EU’s external borders with the Western Balkans countries and Türkiye.

The report, titled "Reducing border obstacles between EU Member States and IPA beneficiary countries", examines cross-border cooperation challenges between EU Member States and IPA beneficiary countries in two key areas: flood prevention and response, and transport and connectivity. It identifies 44 obstacles in total (13 related to flood management and 31 linked to transport) highlighting how fragmented governance, legal differences, weak coordination, limited data sharing and insufficient funding continue to hinder effective cooperation. These barriers negatively affect citizens, businesses, local authorities and the environment across South-Eastern Europe. Many of these borders affect several border regions simultaneously and often accumulate at the same crossings or river basins.

The study provides examples such as inadequate flood protection coordination along the Croatia–Bosnia and Herzegovina border and inefficient border crossing procedures at major crossings like Horgoš–Röszke and Kakavia. Obstacles include insufficient coordination between border authorities, staff shortages, lack of interoperable digital systems and incomplete alignment with EU transport legislation. The report also proposes short-, medium-, and long-term solutions and highlights initiatives such as b-solutions, which help border authorities identify and overcome administrative and legal obstacles to improve regional resilience and connectivity.

You can download the study below.