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Final Conference of the RFO “Change on Borders” in Düsseldorf, Germany

During four years of cooperation (November 2003 – October 2007), 25 border regions from 15 European countries have successfully worked together within the RFO “Change on Borders” by sharing know-how and experience on an interregional level which was helpful for the development of new solutions to economic, social and environmental challenges in border regions.
Thanks to financial support from the INTERREG IIIC West Programme, the partnership has released many essential, thought-provoking impulses for cross-border cooperation which led to the realisation of cross-border pilot actions in the respective partner regions.
The outcomes of the common work will be presented in the framework of the Final Conference of the RFO “Change on Borders” and will, at the same time, be published in a Best Practice Manual serving as a guide by giving good examples and recommendations for cross-border cooperation.
The conference will take place on:

Sixteen sub-projects have contributed to finding answers to recent cross-border related questions such as cross-border flood protection or the use of spatial data across borders.

In this context, efficient cooperation methods for border regions have been developed and staff exchanges took place in order to mutually improve the knowledge transfer and help dismantling cross-border related barriers.
The conference should also emphasize that crossborder cooperation is still going to be a matter of major importance in the future. The agenda will, on the one hand, outline the most signifi cant results of this interregional partnership. On the other hand, it will give an outlook on the future of cross-border cooperation in the framework of the Structural Funds Period 2007-2013 aiming at the implementation of the Lisbon and Gothenburg strategies for a sustainable and competitive Europe.
The conference is open to all interested crossborder regions in Europe and a perfect opportunity to share experience. Therefore, you are invited to forward the invitation to those interested or already involved in cross-border cooperation.

I look forward to welcoming you at this conference in Düsseldorf!

With kind regards,

Christa Thoben Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia