Strengthening Cross-Border Resilience: Lithuania and Poland's Collaborative Efforts

In response to escalating geopolitical tensions, Lithuania and Poland launched on May 15, 2025 five cross-border projects under the Interreg Lithuania–Poland 2021–2027 programme, backed by over €30 million in EU funding. These initiatives aim to enhance civil security, transport connectivity, and regional development along the borders with Belarus and Russia.

The projects focus on three strategic areas:

1. Crisis readiness and public safety, through increasing crisis management capacity by joint training of rescue services, infrastructure upgrades and equipment modernisation, and cooperation between Lithuanian and Polish border services (projects LT/PL Civil Defence – Strengthening Safety Infrastructure and Border Guards – United for a Safer Europe).
2. Infrastructure modernisation for enhancing cross-border transport and mobility and regional connectivity (project ConnectAcrossBorders – Building Seamless Mobility aiming to upgrade a road corridor between Poland and Lithuania).
3. Tourism and cultural connectivity, by boosting cross-border tourism, valorising cultural heritage and enhancing the potential of regional economies through specialised forms of tourism, such as health tourism (projects FORT-UNION – Fortresses as Cross-Border Cultural Anchors and Health Resorts – A Cross-Border Wellness Brand).

These projects not only strengthen the resilience and cohesion of the EU’s eastern flank but also serve as a testament to the power of cross-border cooperation in addressing shared challenges.

You can find out more about the five new projects of the Interreg Lithuania–Poland 2021–2027 programme here.