Cross-Border Collaboration: Challenges and Opportunities Dr Nicola McEwen

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1 Cross-Border Collaboration: Challenges and Opportunities Dr Nicola McEwen ESRC Senior Scotland Fellow Associate Director ESRC Scottish Centre on Constitutional Change

2 Independence and inter-dependence Scotland will continue to have a close and special relationship with the other nations of these isles. This will be a new, updated partnership of equals between the people of Scotland and the rest of the UK p.124 Scotland already has strong ties with the North of England, and it is in both our interests that these be developed and strengthened further with greater practical co-operation, for example, on transport and business links. The Borderlands initiative shows the co-operation possible in that context: independence and interdependence. p.1507 Independence White Paper

3 Key Themes The Independence vision and cross-border cooperation What are the specific challenges and opportunities facing the border region? borders as barriers, bridges, resources and symbols (O Dowd) Governing cross-border co-operation

4 Independence vision and the border Cross-border co-operation to secure high-speed rail Cross-border agreements in specialist health care services/transplant Common Travel Area/labour market Sterling currency union Functional cross-border bodies, e.g. Office of Rail Regulation, Civil Aviation Authority Common research area in higher education BBC/SBC Joint venture UK-wide National Lottery/Big Lottery Fund Strategic energy partnership, GB market, Green Investment Bank Informal partnership - as equals and allies - within NATO/the European Union

5 Feasibility? Many examples of cross-border arrangements in other countries European Union: Currency union, labour market integration, Schengen, deepening integration, growth of cross-border regions. Border regions as laboratories of European integration (Knippenberg) Nordic countries: Post-war co-operation passport union, labour market agreement, Nordic Council, etc Ongoing intergovernmental partnerships in energy, defence procurement, labour mobility Border region initiatives, e.g. Öresund Ireland: Extensive north-south and east-west collaborations with NI/UK

6 A new international border? EU/EEA regulations/programmes: guarantee free movement of goods & services; foster mobility; support cross-border networks/co-operation Likely extension of Common Travel Area to Scotland > border control very unlikely UK/Ireland CTA given formal recognition in the Amsterdam Treaty Potential for co-operation on tourism, visitor visas, treatment of third country nationals, etc Need to co-operate to secure external border Reinforce cultural border and boundaries? Further jurisdictional divergence > new border barriers

7 EU as a driver of convergence and mobility? CBC programmes/interreg funding as incentives to practical cross-border co-operation EU directives > eradication of barriers to trade and mobility BUT interpreted against national legislation and different traditions of complying with EU law UK s arms-length approach to EU and mobility regulations > divergent approaches that could inhibit CBC INTERREG funding for Irish border region INTERREG I INTERREG II Budget Allocation (exc match funding) 82m ECU 164.5m INTERREG IIIA 137m INTERREG IVA 192m

8 Focus on Service Delivery/Pragmatic Co-operation Practical co-operation locally for mutual benefit can overcome political barriers nationally, e.g.: Cross-border co-operation on key health initiatives in Ireland cancer care hospital in Derry, concentration of paediatric cardiac surgery in Dublin Community mobilisation/organisation GP services in Ireland, Co-operation and Working Together (CAWT) in health an social care Political co-operation across borders for mutual interest e.g. Irish co-operation during foot & mouth Co-operation incentivised by economic crisis?

9 Challenges for Citizens and LAs EC Reg 883/2004 and 987/2009 Co-ordination of social security to ensure aggregation and portability of entitlements BUT National variations in provision and entitlements affect access to social security Lack of awareness of citizens and employers/public authorities of entitlements of cross-border workers > delays or loss of benefits EU has no tax competence & no obligation on govts to compensate each other > reliance on OECD rules and intergovernmental tax agreements to transfer revenue for other public services

10 Emphasis on information service for citizens and business

11 Governing Cross-border Cooperation Informal networks crucial, but Standing institutions - e.g. NSMC, Öresund Committee/NCM - can help to: foster mutual trust nurture common purpose/identity raise awareness get issues on national agendas, Quality/standing an commitment of representatives will shape outcomes Dependence/interests and flow of trade/people often not equal, e.g. Skåne/Copenhagen/Zealand The NSMC Joint Secretariat in Armagh is a living example of civil servants working and learning together to provide shared services (with) intimate and intensive experience of helping both systems to cooperate and any part of either system can plug into this knowledge. Michael D Arcy, 2012

12 Further info Dr Nicola McEwen, University of Edinburgh ESRC Future of the UK and Scotland Programme website: University of Edinburgh Referendum Blog, Scotland s Referendum: Informing the Debate, available at: