[Conference] Possibilities, challenges and limits of cross-border citizen participation in Europe

The goal of the conference is to explore the possibilities, challenges, and limits of cross-border citizen participation in Europe. Border areas pose particular challenges due to factors such as multilingualism and complex governance structures, but they also offer unique opportunities for testing democratic reforms. To what extent can cross-border regions serve as laboratories for democratic innovation? What limitations and challenges exist to reach this goal? The workshop brings together scholars of various disciplines. Papers consist of case studies of cross-border participatory formats as well as on broader issues related to transnational democracy and governance. 

Programme 

May 11th 2026 

14.00-14.30: Arrival of participants, Welcome coffee 

14.30 - Introduction 
Anja Röcke (Sciences Po,CEE), Elisabeth Alber (Eurac Research), Florian Weber (Saarland University)

14.45 – 15.45: Can cross-border regions serve as laboratories for democratic innovation? 
Yves Sintomer (CRESPPA, CNRS/Université Paris 8) 

15.45 – 16.45: French – German Border Region (SaarMoselle) 
Julia Dittel, Anja Röcke, Florian Weber (Saarland University): New paths of cross-border cooperation and democratic innovation? The cross-border citizen council in the SaarMoselle Eurodistrict 

17.15 – 18.30: Italian – Austrian – Swiss Border Region (South Tyrol) 
Ingrid Kofler (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano): Governing Territorial Difference: National and Regional Borders in South Tyrol 
Sara Parolari (Eurac Research): Italian EGTCs: From Functional to Democratic Legitimacy 
Elisabeth Alber (Eurac Research): Cross-Border Democratic Innovations: Conceptual Reflections and Insights from South Tyrol 

18.30 – 19.00 Common reflection 

May 12th 2026

08.30 – 09.00 Welcome Coffee 

09.00 – 10.00: German – Polish Border Region 
Elżbieta Opiłowska (University of Wroclaw): Amplifying Borderlanders' Voices in Policymaking: Insights from a Citizen Science Approach in the Horizon Europe B-SHAPES Project 

10.00 – 11.00: Spanish – Portuguese Border Region 
Giovanni Allegretti (University of Coimbra): Dematerializing margins through transborder cooperation: the common struggles of Gata-Malcata ecoregion against wildfires 

11.00 – 11.30: Break 

11.30 – 12.30: French – Spanish Border Region 
Luca Venga (Sciences Po, CEE): Youth conference in der Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion 

12.30 – 13.00: Final discussion 

13.00 – 13.30: Lunch and Goodby