Professor Hildegard Schneider
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The EU is currently confronted with an enormous crisis with regard to refugees and with regard to extremism. Issues concerning cross-border cooperation and mobility may appear relatively small compared to such issues but are also directly related to them. More control at the borders might be a consequence in a year in which we celebrate 30 years of Schengen. Nevertheless, solving cross-border problems is crucial for the welfare and peace on the European continent and in the European Union. Initiatives like ITEM are needed now more than ever to keep the European project alive. As Governor Bovens mentioned at the ITEM Opening Conference “ITEM is equipped with the tools enabling the growth of border regions. Borderless cooperation will make the EU stronger. The stronger the shoulders, the greater the weight they can bear.”
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Study: Cross border job mediation successful?
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New ITEM partnership project with Euregio-Maas Rhein (EMR) will start in 2016 (related to EURES Maas-Rijn-Waal, financed from the “Europees Werkgelegenheids -en Sociale Innovatieprogramma”)
Which criteria determine whether cross border job mediation c.q. placement has been successful? Which initiatives are undertaken by the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany to achieve concrete results for their citizens in this respect? Are there best-practices and data in relation to cross border job mediation available? These questions are in focus for the new partnership project of ITEM with EMR starting from the beginning of 2016. For now it is already clear that huge differences exist between the three partner countries in terms of annual numbers and definitions.
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ITEM is developing a database/knowledge base for professionals containing information about the legislation, important implementation rules, jurisprudence and our results of court proceedings and academic research in relation to cross-border case studies in the fields of taxes, pensions, social security and diploma recognition. A part of the database will be public. ITEM will be researching the causes of border obstacles from an interdisciplinary angle and will present practical and fundamental solutions to them. Interdisciplinary, fundamental and applied research will be combined for this purpose. Academic knowledge will be made available to professionals through the database/knowledge base.
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This year ITEM has started its first test case with a view to contribute to the abolishment of impediments caused by borders. The case concerns a Dutch national that has enjoyed her right of free movement while studying in another Member State of the European Union.
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Cross border mobility cases
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ITEM works as a backbone on cases related to cross border issues. Considering that front offices and back offices exist to work as first line supporters, ITEM works on issues that have been addressed there but seem to be more fundamental. Therefore ITEM does not work as a front office but as a backbone offering scientific support to fundamental issues. Cases of a more fundamental nature can be addressed to ITEM via item@maastrichtuniversity.nl
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Cross border impact assessment (grenseffectenrapportage)
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“More than 60% of the surface of the European Union consists of border regions and more than 40% of the inhabitants of the European Union live there. The frontier regions and the impact of legislation on the frontier regions should be examined”. (Prof. Medeiros at ITEM’s Opening Conference)
A wide-ranging border analysis by ITEM could serve as a basis and/or a building block for a future national border analysis. A structural independent and more extensive border analysis by ITEM will in this respect bring additional value from which various parties will benefit.
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ITEM publications / contributions
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Cross-border Issues:
Schaper, M.G.H. & Kingma, S. (2015). De kwalificerende buitenlandse belastingplichtige in het Uitvoeringsbesluit IB 2001. Weekblad voor Fiscaal Recht 2015/573.
Anouk H.H. Bollen-Vandenboorn & Marjon J.G.A.M.Weerepas* Enhancing Worker Mobility via the Mobility Directive: Arrange the Tax Consequences for Supplementary Pension Rights Now!, EC Tax Review, Volume 24, 2015-I, p. 34-42.
Mr. J.J.A.M. Korving. Aanpassing fiscale eenheid: Wanneer volgt stap twee?, Tax Live, kennisplatform voor de fiscalist, 22 oktober 2015
Anouk H.H. Bollen-Vandenboorn [2015]. De vergeten grensarbeider en zijn nettopensioen, Maandblad Belasting Beschouwingen 2015/9
M.J.G.A.M. Weerepas, Nederlandse zeevarenden blijven binnenboord voor de verzekeringsplicht, NTFR Beschouwingen 2015, nr. 11, p. 1-5.
Attracting and retaining internationals:
Bertrand-Cloodt, Cörvers, Heijke [2015]. Ability, academic climate, and going abroad for work or pursuing a PhD.
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Workshop recognition of qualifications – 19th October 2015
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The recognition of qualifications is one of ITEM’s prioritized research themes. ITEM has recently organized two workshops on recognition aimed at finding solutions and bringing stakeholders together.On Monday 19 October 2015, ITEM’s first workshop on the recognition of professional qualifications in the fields of education and care on the Dutch-German employment market took place. This workshop was organized in collaboration with the Ministry for Labour, Health and Social Affairs of North Rhine Westphalia and with the support of the Municipality of Maastricht.
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Opening Conference 30th / 31st October 2015
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A very successful ITEM Opening Conference with over 130 people attending took place on Friday 30th and Saturday 31st October.
“The EU currently finds itself in the ironic situation where some plead for the opening up of borders whilst others seek to close them. [….] ITEM is a step in the right direction. ITEM is equipped with the tools enabling the growth of border regions. Borderless cooperation will make the EU stronger: the stronger the shoulders, the greater the weight they can bear”, spoke Governor Bovens during his opening speech on 30th October.
The ITEM Opening Conference brought a large number of (international) participants from different organisations with different backgrounds together. During 8 workshops spread over 2 conference days the participants where challenged by means of the World Café Method to discuss different cross border subjects, such as cross border work mobility and labour mediation, recognition of diploma’s and cross border collaboration concerning capital crime.
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Upcoming event
Past events
- 16th November 2015 - Informationsession: Tax treaty the Netherlands-Germany
Reports on other ITEM events can be found on the ITEM website.
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ITEM conducts interdisciplinary research within the scope of cross-border Euregional and transnational mobility and cooperation issues whereby special attention is paid to practical solutions for these issues. ITEM works with a multidisciplinary approach. As well as in legal, economic, cultural and administrative field attention is paid to the research topics. The academic and applied research is conducted at Maastricht University through a cooperation of researchers from different disciplines and faculties. The research concentrates on the identification of the causes of problems and the provision of solutions. More information on the in total 15 ITEM PhD-research topics, that start(ed) in 2015/2016 can be found on the ITEM website. Please find below more detailed information on 2 topics.
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‘Cross-border information exchange and communication (European Pension Tracking System and improvement between the Netherlands-Belgium-Germany)
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ITEM is preparing the legal blueprint for a new online service whereby citizens of the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium can check back and forth how much pension they have built in one of the other countries. The project will start in 2016 and can be considered as a pilot for introduction of such a system for all the Member States of the EU. The leading phase with the three countries is necessary because the entire set-up for the EU is very complex and possibly only ready for use in 15 years’ time. This pilot contributes to TTYPE, Track and Trace Your Pension in Europe: the European pension information system which the EU is striving for.
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‘Foreign students and school-leavers in the Euregion’
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The project concentrates on the attraction of Limburg and the Euregion for foreign young people. To what extent are institutions in the secondary education (intermediate vocational education, higher professional education and higher education) able to link young people of another nationality to Limburg or to one of the neighbouring areas? Is the link with the country where they are participating in the educational programme strong enough? Can ‘binding’ factors be identified (for instance membership of associations) and how transparent and realistic are the career perspectives of foreign young people? What are the most important moments of decision to stay here to live and work? What strategies do companies use to link young immigrants to the region? What clever connections can arise to make the investments in foreign students work on a regional level?
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ITEM’s current focus is on cross-border issues affecting the labour market, in particular professional qualifications and diploma recognition, labour mediation and education, tax systems, social security and pensions. In 2016 the focus will remain on these topics and they will be subject to more detailed study and expansion. In addition, cross-border police cooperation will be added as a focus area and pursued in 2016. Social developments have demonstrated that the need for solutions to cross-border issues relating to serious crime has become pressing in today's world. The application of the focus mentioned above does not detract from the fact that topics such as cross-border patient mobility and migration issues also fall within the scope of ITEM. In the 2016 annual plan ITEM presents it contributions to solving cross-border issues that confront citizens, professionals and public authorities.
Read more about ITEM’s 2016 annual plan
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E: item@maastrichtuniversity.nl T: 0031 – 43 3883233 www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/item Address: Bouillonstraat 1-3, 6211 LH Maastricht – The Netherlands
To better harmonise the provision of services and to share knowledge, part of ITEM’s offices, together with the expat desk of the municipality of Maastricht (Holland Expat Center South) and the new Flanders/Netherlands Border Info Point (GIP), will be housed in the Centre Ceramique in Maastricht from 2016 (exact starting date is not yet known). The rationale is that this will lead to firmer anchoring and better tailoring of the services to frontier workers (commuters) and other international employees.
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