The European Commission (DG REGIO) has contracted t33, together with Spatial Foresight as project leader, to conduct a study to enhance the understanding of border obstacles between Member States and IPA beneficiary countries concerning two key themes: transport and connectivity, and flood prevention. The study, titled ‘Reducing border obstacles between EU Member States and IPA beneficiary countries’, aims to identify the root causes of these challenges and propose practical, policy-relevant solutions.

To achieve this, the study focuses on three main activities: compiling an inventory of existing obstacles, developing ten case studies to explore specific cross-border issues in depth, and producing two issue papers - one on transport and one on flood prevention - with recommendations for policymakers. These efforts are designed to highlight both commonalities and differences across the two policy areas, ultimately contributing to a toolbox of best practices.

The geographical scope of the study includes all borders between EU Member States and IPA countries, i.e. covering the Western Balkans and Türkiye.

The study is led by Spatial Foresight and coordinated at t33 by expert Dea Hrelja.