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B-solutions projects

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Following the b-solutions‘ third call for proposals’, three B-solutions cases as selected by the AEBR and the EU Commission’s DG REGIO have been completed.

B-solutions cases address legal and administrative obstacles that hamper the cross-border cooperation along the EU and EFTA internal land borders.

• B-Solutions project 'Making cross-border internships worthy
• B-Solutions project 'Baarle Nassau: Problem analysis and possible solutions concerning access to enclaves'
• B-Solutions project 'Cross-border authorizations of tramway personnel'

B-solutions projects taken up by ITEM:

• B-Solutions project 'Making cross-border internships worthy

Case description: The EGTC Linieland van Waas en Hulst at the Dutch-Belgian border would like to take action to promote dual learning and vocational trainings as tools to attract students to work in the cross-border context of the Port of Antwerp – where there is an increasing need for young and skilled technical professionals.

The current legal and administrative provisions on social security in the two countries pose some limits to the full implementation of an integrated traineeship system, as they do not take into consideration neither the cross-border dimension nor the “vocational trainer” status of the potential workers.

Removing these obstacles would improve the attractiveness of job opportunities offered in the territory of the EGTC but also in other regions along the entire Dutch-Belgian border where the solution could have a good replicability potential. ITEM explored these (legal) impediments and set forth recommendations to overcome these obstacles.

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• B-Solutions project 'Baarle Nassau: Problem analysis and possible solutions concerning access to enclaves'

Case description: Citizens residing in the 30 enclaves located in Dutch-Belgian territory of Baarle experience legal uncertainty on a daily basis as different legal frameworks meet in this very specific environment. Given the geographical situation of the enclaves, in order to go from place to place in the same country citizens have to cross the territory of the neighbouring state. Because different provisions apply on Belgian and Dutch territory, problems can arise such as with COVID-19 was the case. The aim is to make a thorough problem analysis.

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• B-Solutions project 'Cross-border authorizations of tramway personnel'

Case description: As part of the Belgian Spartacus plan, a new cross-border tramline will be realized between Hasselt (BE) and Maastricht (NL). The Belgian public transportation company De Lijn will operate both the Belgian and the Dutch part of the tramline. There are some issues regarding the legal authorizations of Belgian tramway personnel on the Dutch part of the tramway, mostly related to the enforcement of rules in and around tram platforms. These issues are related to Dutch laws and regulations which differentiate between two types of supervisors within the context of public transport. ITEM provided a problem analysis and practical recommendations as solutions to the case, overcoming possible extra costs.

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