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Cross-border
economic
development 14 Practical guide : building partnerships
Firstly, complementarities
must be sought in the
economic fabrics on both
sides of the border. Within
the European area where free
movement is supposed to
benefit all citizens, competition
- like cooperation - needs to be
at the cross-border level. The
deeper the knowledge of the
economic fabric on both sides
of the border, the easier it is
to find, firstly, similarities that
may justify pooling (economies
of scale) or the creation of
conurbation economies and,
secondly, differentiating factors
and complementarities, and
therefore the potential for
establishing links. For example,
diversity (multiculturalism,
heterogeneous economic fabric,
different levels of development,
etc.) of a cross-border territory
may constitute a potential for
innovation (“serendipity effect”,
targeted transfer of technology,
etc.).
To establish cross-border
ties, players from the same
economic sector must identify
complementary partners
(subcontracting, compatible
products). In this regard, public-
sector players may emphasise
the potential advantages of
working together, by setting-
up working groups on specific
topics, conducting studies, etc.
E x a m p l e :
Looking ahead to the 2014-
2020 programming period, the
Nord-Pas de Calais region
and West Flanders compared
their innovation and smart
specialisation strategies
(SRI-SI) to identify joint and
complementary sectors. The
long-term objective is to promote
interactions between economic
players on both sides of the border.
Next, win-win situations
must be identified. Two types
of opposing interests may be
highlighted in the area of cross-
border economic development:
first, those of mobile businesses
that set up in regions where
they have the most advantages
and, second, those of territorial
authorities that wish to attract
businesses and secure jobs
in their territories, on both
sides of the border, especially
when there are differentials in
development. In this context,
it is more constructive to focus
on identifying win-win situations
and thereby promote the
development of cross-border
economic relationships.
E x a m p l e :
For a company, a bi-location
strategy may consist in setting-
up a subsidiary or branch in a
neighbouring country, to enjoy
the respective advantages of two
neighbouring countries (for example
at the French-Swiss border).
Territorial marketing
targeted towards international
markets makes it possible
to promote a cross-border
territory to third-party investors.
Combining the assets of the
territories on both sides of a
border makes the common
destination more visible and
attractive. Mutual trust, which
may need to be built over
several years, is established
when the partners accept that
the establishment of a company
on the other side of the border
may have positive effects for
them too.
E x a m p l e s :
One of the Upper Rhine Valley
(2013-2015) project’s objectives
has been to promote tourism in
the Upper Rhine to travel agents
and the media on the international
markets. The project’s premise
is that the three countries of
the Upper Rhine each gain by
promoting themselves under a
common brand.
The “Invest in Eurometropolis”
online platform highlights the
assets that the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai
Eurometropolis offers investors.
It maps the clusters, sites of
excellence, research centres,
logistics, business parks and
business tourism operators. As part
of the “Invest in Eurometropolis”
initiative, the partners were also
present on a joint stand at MIPIM.
The “The Growth Centre
– Success for the Danish-
German Region” project has
developed interregional marketing
based on six assets: tourism,
food, healthcare and wellness
technologies, renewable energies,
logistics and knowledge.