PasserelleAdminGR

Through the Interreg project “PasserelleAdminGR: Building Bridges between Public Administrations for a More Integrated Greater Region,” Saarland University is participating in an initiative designed to strengthen cross-border cooperation and exchange among public administrations in the Greater Region. The project will run from September 2026 to December 2028 and has a total budget of just over two million euros. The lead partner is the EGTC Summit Secretariat of the Greater Region. A total of ten financial partners from government and academia, as well as 14 strategic partners, are participating in the project. Together, they aim to create the conditions that will enable administrations to collaborate more closely across national borders, learn from one another, and develop joint solutions to cross-border challenges.

Focus on Cross-Border Cooperation

Approximately 11.8 million people live in the Greater Region who rely on the functioning of cross-border structures or wish to benefit from services available beyond national borders. Against this backdrop, successful cross-border cooperation among public administrations is of crucial importance for enabling cross-border living and economic activity without administrative obstacles. PasserelleAdminGR addresses this need and aims to specifically improve cooperation between the administrations in Saarland, Luxembourg, Lorraine, Wallonia, and Rhineland-Palatinate through various measures. The goal is to foster an administrative culture that naturally incorporates cross-border perspectives. This is achieved through three distinct work packages:

  • Working Across Borders – Administrative Exchange: Through job shadowing and exchange programs between administrations, employees gain insights into the work of their neighbouring administrations.

  • Seminar Series – Cross-Border Competencies: Seminars impart intercultural competencies and knowledge about the institutional and administrative structures of the Greater Region.

  • Explaining the Greater Region: Awareness-raising initiatives, as well as learning and informational materials, are intended to help improve knowledge about the Greater Region and the mechanisms of cross-border cooperation.

The European Studies Working Group at Saarland University is participating in work packages 2 and 3, contributing in particular its existing expertise on the region’s cross-border history and governance. The aim is to highlight connections between the Greater Region as a “real-world laboratory” for European integration and pan-European developments.

Exchange among Administration, Academia, and Practice

PasserelleAdminGR brings together perspectives from research institutions, government agencies, academia, and real-world practice to improve cross-border cooperation in the Greater Region. In doing so, the project makes an important contribution to the further integration of the Greater Region. In the long term, the goal is to establish a cross-border governance system in the Greater Region that is more efficient, more open, and more closely aligned with the needs of its citizens.

 

Project Team: Leonie Staud, Julia Dittel, and Florian Weber

Lead Partner: EGTC Summit Secretariat of the Greater Region