The LUPS-CESCI Research Group at the TEIN Annual General Assembly and Conference in Mons
| 2026. October 09.
From 5 to 7 October, Mons hosted the annual General Assembly and conference of the Transfrontier Euro-Institut Network (TEIN), attended by the LUPS-CESCI Research Group on Cross-Border Cooperation.
The series of events opened on 5 October with the TEIN General Assembly. In addition to discussing the network’s ongoing projects, training and research cooperation, communication activities and future operation, members also considered several new initiatives. The agenda included, among others, the BARI Horizon Europe project, Jean Monnet cooperation activities, the GRENZCAP and PasserelleAdminGR projects, and the continuation of TEIN’s joint online training sessions. Particular attention was also given to cooperation between TEIN and the ABCD Journal, whose first major result was the thematic issue compiling papers from the 2025 TEIN Annual Conference.
That afternoon, a study visit to Mons took place: participants went on a city walk showcasing local and cross-border projects, followed by a visit to the Hainaut Développement economic and environmental development agency at the Initialis Science Park. Afterwards, a strategic exchange with Nathalie Verschelde, Head of Unit for Interreg, Cross-Border Cooperation and Internal Borders at the European Commission’s DG REGIO, took place. The discussion focused on the achievements of cross-border cooperation over recent decades as well as the obstacles that continue to hinder it. The importance of institutional capacity, trust and functional cross-border areas was repeatedly highlighted, along with the question of how Interreg programmes could be geared more effectively towards addressing the actual challenges faced by border regions.
On 6-7 October, TEIN held its annual academic conference entitled “Governing at the Border. Norms, Rules, Cross-Border and Transnational Practices. From the Citizen to the Institution.” Organised by UCLouvain and TEIN with the support of the Borders in Globalization programme, the event explored the everyday and institutional functioning of borders: from the experiences of border residents, commuters and travellers, through the rules and institutions that enable or restrict mobility, to the social and political conflicts emerging in border regions. The two-day programme provided an excellent opportunity for researchers and practitioners from different European border regions to exchange experiences and discuss potential new research and project collaborations.
Representing the LUPS-CESCI Research Group, Melinda Istenes-Benczi presented the research entitled “From Schengen Area to Schengen Arena: Internal border controls at the intersection of security retrenchment and cross-border cooperation”, co-authored with Zsuzsanna Fejes. The study analyses internal Schengen border controls between 2006 and 2026, examining how measures originally introduced as temporary can develop into persistent practices and how border controls can coexist with the cross-border cooperation structures that have been built up over the same period.
