The theme of the session: In order to enable cross-border regions to reach their potential by overcoming border effect, border obstacles must be addressed as there is a clear link between border effect and border obstacles: border obstacles are the causing factor of border effect. The session explores how border obstacles cause border effect, and consequentially hamper cross-border regions’ development, how different mechanisms can be better used or shaped in order to become more effective, and how border obstacles are challenges that should also be addressed by regional studies.

The session invites for contributions in this field, namely including (but not limited to):

• Identification of cross-border legal and administrative obstacles;
• Quantification of obstacles’ impact on economic and social development of cross-border regions;
• Assessment of different mechanisms to overcome cross-border obstacles;
• Modelling and estimating cross-border flows and assessing how they are hampered by the border;
• Methodologies and practical applications of border effect estimations;
• Assessing the root-causes of border effects and potential policy responses;
• Impacts of Cohesion Policy on reduction of border effects;
• Measuring the quality and effectiveness of cooperation and its governance.