Giulia Brustia at AEBR project office in Berlin has interviewed Arola Urdangarín, Director of the EGTC Euroregion Nouvelle Aquitaine – Euskadi – Navarra (NAEN), at the French – Spanish border. Ms Urdangarín told AEBR about the obstacles arose from the border closing and especially which are the next steps that the cross-border structure is planning to undertake in the post-Covid 19 period.
During the past months, EGTC NAEN has distributed a survey to collect direct information on the main obstacles faced by commuters and, in general, by citizens because of the border closing.
In her first two questions, Giulia points to the impressive number of replies to the survey (2,500!), asking how the questionnaire has been distributed and which questions were addressed to the citizens.
The questionnaire, Arola says, has been distributed by the EGTC communication channels, via the local media and thanks to other border and cross-border structures and administrations. It has been divided in blocks to understand the habits of cross-border citizens and commuters in normal times and during the recent extraordinary circumstances. The results show that a very high percentage of people has been affected negatively by the border closing. Most of the problems have been directly or indirectly connected to the cross-border commuting. Yet, Arola also points out how the data shows the great relevance of psychological consequences caused by the travel ban which resulted in the impossibility of carrying on regular social contact with family members or acquaintances residing on the other side of the national boundary.
Watch the first part of the interview here:
During the second part of the interview, Arola provides an overview of the next steps that the Euroregion is planning to undertake to help local citizens, workers and enterprises in the next months. The results of the survey will be shared with the main regional, national and international actors involved in cross-border cooperation to draw their attention while the EGTC will act directly on the ground by adapting its financial tools to the new necessities. Finally, special events to enhance especially cross-border employment will be organised to provide front-line support.
To conclude, she illustrates the main points of the Euroregion reporting-visit at the European Union Working Group within the Commission for Social and Economic Reconstruction of the Congress of Deputies (the lower House of the Spanish Parliament). For the first time ever, an EGTC was invited to report in front of the Spanish national Parliament, having the possibility to highlight needs and necessities of cross-border territories in a strategic moment for cooperation.
Watch the second part of the interview here:
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