B-Shapes Policy Brief #5 – Borders, Border Regions and Europe

Following the series of policy briefs elaborated by the B-Shapes project, we present now the PB #5 on Borders, Border Regions and Europe – Interim Policy Recommendations by Sara Svensson and Caitriona Mullan.

Bridging Research and Policy  

Borders Shaping Perceptions of European Societies (B-SHAPES) is a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action project that analyses and assesses how borders remain a key factor in shaping our understanding of societies. While research conducted by eight European universities constitutes the core of the project, B-SHAPES distinguishes itself by active engagement with other sectors. In addition to academic partners, the B-SHAPES consortium comprises an art collective, a consultancy, an interest organisation, a national museum and a foundation[1].

B-SHAPES continuously summarises and disseminates key findings from the research in a way which can support an evidence-informed approach to policy debates. It thereby offers considerations for policymakers and those interested in the role of borders within the broader context of EU Cohesion policy and practice. This Policy Brief (#5) assesses the tentative policy recommendations produced two years into the project. These tentative policy recommendations will be discussed and further elaborated with various stakeholder groups before the project concludes with a final set of policy recommendations in March 2026.

The policy recommendations span four fields, drawing on four sets of data:

1. Border closures and attitudes to Europe: Articles published 2019-2024 in 18 regional or regionally oriented newspapers from the FR-DE, DK-SE, PL-DE-CZ, and HU-SK border regions.
2. National minorities in border regions: Analysis of 1,700 articles published in minority media newspaper articles at the CZ-PL, DK-DE, IT-AT, HU-SK borders.
3. Landscape as heritage in border regions: 104 documents originating in four border regions: the FI-SE border region (32), the SE-DK Öresund region (24), the DK-DE border region (31), and the triple BG-GR-TR borderland (17).
4. Cultural and cultural heritage in border regions: 64 policies relevant to the eight border regions, comprising all ten national borders covered in the project

Read the entire B-Shapes Policy Brief #5 here

Visit our projects section to read other policy briefs, more B-Shapes publications (as long as the project is coming to its end), and other relevant aspects. You can also visit the B-Shapes website.

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[1] The Centre of Border Region Studies at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) coordinates B-SHAPES. Other partners in the consortium are: Brunel University London, Halmstad University, University of Oulu, University of Wroclaw, University of Strasbourg, ELTE University in Budapest, Technical University of Liberec in the Czech Republic, EURAC Research, the Bulgarian Museum of National History, the Lungomare artists’ collective in South Tyrol (Italy), the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR/AGEG/ARFE), KREATUS Consultancy, and the European Network Remembrance and Solidary Foundation.

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