On May 7, 2024, EUREGHA hosted the spring meeting of its internal Working Group on Cross-border Healthcare titled “Showcasing Good Practices in Cross-Border Healthcare.” This session highlighted significant advancements and initiatives in the field of cross-border healthcare, seasoned by the contribution of the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR), who joined the meeting as external speaker.

AEBR showcased its collaboration with DG REGIO since 2018 on the “B-solutions” initiative, a project aimed at addressing legal and administrative obstacles in cross-border regional cooperation. This initiative promotes the exchange of experiences and solutions to overcome common challenges. Regional and local authorities are encouraged to submit cases, especially in areas such as institutional cooperation, public services, labor markets, and the European Green Deal.

The session was then the occasion to delve into the work carried out by euPrevent  in their recently launched Active Citizenship Participation project (ACP), which aims to integrate citizen participation into cross-border decision-making in the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion. The project is currently focusing on “Climate Change and Health.” Utilizing the Place Standard Tool (PST), the project facilitates citizen feedback across various categories, including healthcare. Plans are underway to scale the tool to border regions and involve more stakeholders. The results will inform policy-making by identifying common regional challenges and ensuring sustainable citizen participation.

The webinar successfully highlighted the collective efforts and initiatives aimed at enhancing cross-border healthcare, showcasing the importance of collaboration and active participation from all stakeholders.

 

About the Working Group on Cross-border Healthcare:

The Working Group on Cross-border Healthcare is a platform where EUREGHA members – regional representatives and experts – can exchange knowledge, best practices, information, and expertise on cross-border cooperation in healthcare. The WG aims, on one side, to facilitate knowledge exchange between members and, on the other side, to improve members’ and network’s advocacy, policy, and project actions at the EU level.