Insights from the 27th Beyond Borders Breakfast Debate “ACROSS New Interactive Features of the EU Data Hub for Border Regions”

The 27th edition of the Beyond Borders Breakfast Debate, organised by the Border Focal Point Network, was successfully held on 12 February 2026. The debate presented the latest improvements and new interactive features of the Data Hub for EU Border Regions, developed under the ACROSS (Data and Analysis for Cross-Border Regions) project and showcased a web-based mapping application designed to improve the visualisation and exploration of qualitative cross-border data.

Our esteemed host, Andrew Lansley, moderated the discussion, welcoming the panellists and introducing the focus of the session on cross-border cooperation within the European Union, highlighting the progress and potential of the Data Hub, encouraging audience participation and setting the stage for live demonstrations and presentations by the invited experts.

The first speaker, Clara Menasseyre, Programme Manager, DG REGIO, welcomed participants on behalf of DG REGIO and underlined the central role of EU border regions, where a significant share of citizens live and cross borders daily for work, study and services. She stressed that despite the opportunities borders create, persistent administrative and data gaps hinder effective cross-border policy-making. Highlighting the need for solid evidence, she presented the Data Hub for EU Border Regions as a key initiative to better capture cross-border dynamics and support informed decisions. She concluded by emphasising the importance of combining data with place-based insights and inviting participants to provide feedback to further improve the platform and strengthen cooperation.

The next speaker, Matteo Berzi, Expert, European Commission, Joint Research Centre, emphasised the socio-economic and geographical importance of EU border regions, which account for a significant share of the EU’s territory and population. He stressed that understanding cross-border interactions, particularly in the context of the free movement of people, goods and services, is essential for effective policy-making, and that this is the core objective of the Data Hub for EU border regions. He explained the purpose of the Data Hub as a “one-stop shop” bringing together data collected over the years by DG REGIO and partners. He presented the platform’s key functionalities, including map-based visualisations, comparative tools and newly added features enabling comparisons between border and non-border regions using a wide range of socio-economic indicators. A major highlight was the introduction of a new interactive web map that geolocates concrete cross-border interactions beyond traditional administrative boundaries. This includes data on public transport links, missing railway connections, EGTCs and over 200 B-solutions cases.

Then it was turn for Andrius Kučas, Scientific Project Officer, European Commission, Joint Research Centre, to undertake a live demonstration of the new features of the Data Hub showcasing its enhanced web-based functionalities. He presented advanced tools such as spatial and relational queries, buffer analyses around borders, real-time table updates linked to map views and data export options in multiple formats. The demonstration also covered features including border typologies, missing railway links, public services, EGTCs and B-solutions cases, illustrating how users can filter, compare and download both aggregated and geolocated data directly from the web interface without requiring specialised desktop software.

Following the live demonstration of the Data Hub, it was the turn of Julita Miłosz-Augustowska, Senior Expert at the Regional Office for Spatial Planning of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, to share her viewpoint as a potential user of the platform. Speaking from the perspective of a Polish border region neighbouring Germany, she highlighted the practical relevance of the Hub’s thematic categories, such as public transport, healthcare, railway links, crisis management and energy communities, for addressing everyday cross-border challenges. She underlined the demographic and economic asymmetries along the German–Polish border, including income differences and labour market imbalances, stressing how access to reliable, comparable cross-border data is essential for informed regional planning and demographic resilience. She welcomed the Data Hub as a valuable and cost-efficient tool that regional observatories could not replicate independently. While acknowledging the challenge of encouraging policymakers to fully embrace data-driven management approaches, she expressed optimism and suggested further engagement with advanced users to continue improving the platform’s usability and impact.

Finally, it was turn of Caitríona Mullan, Cross-Border Specialist & Senior External Expert representing the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR), who commended the initiative and underlined the strategic importance of robust cross-border data for good governance, accountability and effective policymaking. Speaking on behalf of AEBR and referring to the B-Solutions initiative, she stressed that border regions require data that reflects their functional realities, not only national or NUTS-level aggregates. She situated the Data Hub within a broader European policy context and stressed that territorial data for border regions is essential for upscaling innovation, public procurement and labour markets beyond national boundaries. Looking ahead, she encouraged deeper collaboration with border regions, national statistical offices and Eurostat, suggesting pilot projects, enhanced use of census data and potentially a renewed European spatial framework to strengthen multi-level governance and cross-border territorial development.

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

1. For what purpose do you most often use cross-border data on EU border regions? In this poll question, results showed that research and territorial analysis ranked highest, followed closely by strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation of cross-border cooperation, and policy and programme design. Communication and awareness-raising were also well represented, highlighting the wide range of practical applications for the Data Hub, with research and analytical uses emerging as the most prominent.
2. What do you find most difficult when exploring qualitative cross-border data? In the second poll question, the most frequently cited difficulty was comparing information between border regions, highlighting the complexity of aligning data across administrative and national contexts. Other challenges included providing adequate territorial context to the data and accessing information efficiently. While linking data to socio-economic indicators appeared to be less problematic overall, it was still identified by some respondents as an area requiring improvement.
3. Which new feature presented today do you find most useful? Finally, in this open ended question, while data itself was recognised as central, respondents highlighted specific thematic areas as particularly useful, including public services, border employment, missing transport links, mobility patterns, commuter data and cross-border labour market dynamics. The B-Solutions data was also seen as especially useful, as well as geolocation features were likewise appreciated.