Conference Book of Abstracts: WHAT FUTURE FOR THE CONCEPT OF BORDERLESS EUROPE?

This publication, “What Future for the Concept of Borderless Europe?”, presents the key outputs of an international conference held in Budapest on 12-14 May 2025. The event was organised by the LUPS-CESCI Research Group on Cross-border Cooperation and CESCI, in collaboration with TEIN (Trans-European Institute Network), and the volume captures the conference rationale, structure, and thematic pathway.

Across its contributions, the book examines how the idea of a “borderless Europe” is being reshaped in an era of multiple crises – linking debates on Schengen and the four freedoms with emerging security logics and the practical realities of cross-border cooperation. It emphasises the value of connecting research with policymaking and everyday borderland experience, highlighting how applied border studies can generate new approaches and tools to strengthen cross-border governance while maintaining cooperation and security.