52025PC0131

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 25.3.2025

COM(2025) 131 final

2018/0198(COD)

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION
TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

pursuant to Article 294(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union

concerning the

position of the Council on the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context

2018/0198 (COD)

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION
TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

pursuant to Article 294(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union

concerning the

position of the Council on the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context

1.Background

Date of transmission of the proposal to the European Parliament and to the Council (document COM(2018) 373 final – 2018/0198 COD)	29 May 2018
Date of the European Parliament’s position at first reading	14 February 2019
Date of transmission of the amended proposal to the European Parliament and to the Council (document COM(2023) 790 final – 2018/0198 COD)	12 December 2023
Date of the European Economic and Social Committee’s opinion	24 April 2024
Date of the European Committee of the Regions’ opinion	17 April 2024
Date of adoption of the Council’s position	[24 March 2025]

2.Objective of the Commission’s proposal

On 12 December 2023, the Commission adopted an amendment to its proposal for a regulation on a mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context (COM(2023) 790 amending COM(2018) 373). With that amendment, the Commission gave the proposed regulation the new title ‘Facilitating Cross-Border Solutions’. The amended proposal for a regulation aims to facilitate the resolution of obstacles and speed up the implementation of cross-border projects that directly affect people living in EU border regions, thereby contributing to strengthening the functioning of the single market and fostering the EU’s economic, social and territorial cohesion.

To help find solutions to legal and administrative obstacles stemming from national law or practice that potentially undermine cross-border interaction and the development of cross-border regions, the Commission is proposing a legal framework that applies to all Member States. In this way, the Commission seeks to complement at EU level the existing instruments that support territorial cooperation, namely the Interreg programmes and the European groupings of territorial cooperation.

That proposed legal framework takes the form of a standard procedure that obliges each Member State to set up at least one cross-border coordination point as a single contact point for local stakeholders (‘initiators’) who require an analysis of the causes of – and the means to resolve – a potential obstacle to a cross-border interaction in EU border regions. That procedure is triggered via a bottom-up approach by initiators who demonstrate a legitimate interest in a cross-border public service or certain items of infrastructure. Furthermore, once the obstacle has been assessed and identified by the cross-border coordination point or by a competent authority, the amended proposal provides for a pre-established common procedure (the Cross-Border Facilitation Tool) for Member States to facilitate its resolution. This tool is entirely optional and does not replace other EU or international cooperation mechanisms.

In addition, the proposal enables the Commission to benefit from more comprehensive expertise on cross-border obstacles within the EU and requires the Commission to support Member States by: (i) supporting the enhancement of their institutional capacity to implement the Regulation; (ii) setting up a public register of files; (iii) encouraging exchanges of experience; and (iv) promoting the sharing of knowledge gained through the ‘b-solutions’ initiative.

3.Comments on the Council’s position

On 28 January 2025, the European Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement. The Council’s position at first reading fully reflects this agreement, which makes a number of changes to the Commission’s amended proposal.

·The agreement introduces the new title, ‘Regulation on a Border Regions’ instrument for development and growth (BRIDGEforEU)’.

·The agreement provides for cross-border coordination points to be set up on a voluntary basis in each Member State. Member States that choose not to set up at least one coordination point, and Member States that need time to set up a coordination point, must appoint a relevant authority. That authority can be contacted by coordination points in neighbouring Member States and it can deal with cross-border files.

·The agreement excludes natural persons from the definition of initiators to reduce the number of cross-border files that could be submitted by initiators to the cross-border coordination points.

·The agreement exempts the insular Member States from having to appoint a relevant authority.

·The agreement introduces the voluntary use of a similar coordination framework for the EU border regions to cooperate with candidate or associated countries.

·The agreement removes the requirement to set up national public registers of cross-border files in each Member State. Instead, a single register will be maintained at EU level, and will be fed with the data that the Member States have to send. A new annex clarifies the structured information to be provided.

·The agreement reduces the frequency with which data and information have to be sent to the Commission from four times a year to once a year. The annex sets out the reporting requirements for Member States with or without cross-border coordination points.

·The agreement clarifies: (i) that there will be no impact on Member States’ right to use existing procedures or international agreements for resolving cross-border obstacles, or to create new such procedures or agreements; (ii) the list of tasks of the cross-border coordination points; (iii) the possible transfers of files between cross-border coordination points; (iv) the scope of legal redress; (v) the possible sources of EU financial support; and (vi) the applicable deadlines for replying to initiators.

The Commission supports the agreement reached.

By proposing that cross-border coordination points must be set up in each Member State, the Commission’s amended proposal aimed to support cross-border cooperation by promoting the creation of an effective network to share knowledge, build capacity and ensure the equal treatment of initiators in all Member States.

However, the voluntary approach would create a strong spillover effect through a gradual roll-out, also in Member States and regions without a cross-border coordination point but with a relevant authority. The agreement will also increase the visibility of cross-border files and enable the Commission to support the enhancement of Member States’ institutional capacity, also through knowledge sharing.

The annex to this communication proposes a legislative financial and digital statement reflecting the impact on the Commission’s resources of establishing a Union-wide register of cross-border files, without requiring Member States to set up national public registers for such files.

4.Conclusion

The Council’s position is acceptable to the Commission. It reflects the objectives of the Commission’s amended proposal and will facilitate the identification and resolution of cross-border obstacles stemming from diverging technical standards, administrative procedures and laws. Addressing these barriers that hinder the deployment of cross-border infrastructure or public services projects will: (i) improve the functioning of the EU single market; (ii) support the development of EU’s border regions; and (iii) give people and businesses better access to services and economic opportunities.

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 25.3.2025

COM(2025) 131 final

ANNEX

to the

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament pursuant to Article 294(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union concerning the position of the Council on the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context

Legislative, financial and digital statement

ANNEX

LEGISLATIVE, FINANCIAL AND DIGITAL STATEMENT

1.FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE3

1.1.Title of the proposal/initiative3

1.2.Policy area(s) concerned3

1.3.Objective(s)3

1.3.1.General objective(s)3

1.3.2.Specific objective(s)3

1.3.3.Expected result(s) and impact3

1.3.4.Indicators of performance4

1.4.The proposal/initiative relates to:4

1.5.Grounds for the proposal/initiative4

1.5.1.Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long term including a detailed timeline for roll-out of the implementation of the initiative4

1.5.2.Added value of EU involvement (it may result from different factors, e.g. coordination gains, legal certainty, greater effectiveness or complementarities). For the purposes of this section ‘added value of EU involvement’ is the value resulting from EU action, that is additional to the value that would have been otherwise created by Member States alone.4

1.5.3.Lessons learned from similar experiences in the past5

1.5.4.Compatibility with the multiannual financial framework and possible synergies with other appropriate instruments5

1.5.5.Assessment of the different available financing options, including scope for redeployment5

1.6.Duration of the proposal/initiative and of its financial impact6

1.7.Method(s) of budget implementation planned6

2.MANAGEMENT MEASURES8

2.1.Monitoring and reporting rules8

2.2.Management and control system(s)8

2.2.1.Justification of the budget implementation method(s), the funding implementation mechanism(s), the payment modalities and the control strategy proposed8

2.2.2.Information concerning the risks identified and the internal control system(s) set up to mitigate them8

2.2.3.Estimation and justification of the cost-effectiveness of the controls (ratio between the control costs and the value of the related funds managed), and assessment of the expected levels of risk of error (at payment & at closure)8

2.3.Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities8

3.ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE9

3.1.Heading(s) of the multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget line(s) affected9

3.2.Estimated financial impact of the proposal on appropriations10

3.2.1.Summary of estimated impact on operational appropriations10

3.2.1.1.Appropriations from voted budget10

3.2.2.Estimated output funded from operational appropriations (not to be completed for decentralised agencies)13

3.2.3.Summary of estimated impact on administrative appropriations14

3.2.3.1.Appropriations from voted budget14

3.2.4.Estimated requirements of human resources14

3.2.4.1.Financed from voted budget14

3.2.5.Overview of estimated impact on digital technology-related investments15

3.2.6.Compatibility with the current multiannual financial framework16

3.2.7.Third-party contributions16

3.3.Estimated impact on revenue17

4.DIGITAL DIMENSIONS18

4.1.Requirements of digital relevance18

4.2.Data19

4.3.Digital solutions21

4.4.Interoperability assessment21

4.5.Measures to support digital implementation22

1.FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

1.1.Title of the proposal/initiative

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on a border regions’ instrument for development and growth (BRIDGEforEU)

1.2.Policy area(s) concerned

Cohesion policy

1.3.Objective(s)

1.3.1.General objective(s)

The BRIDGEforEU Regulation sets up a framework to help identify and solve cross-border obstacles that hamper the setting up and functioning of: (i) any item of infrastructure necessary for public or private cross-border activities; or (ii) any cross-border public service that is provided in a given cross-border region and that fosters economic, social and territorial cohesion in that cross-border region.

In particular, the Regulation allows Member States to create cross-border coordination points (CBCPs). Border-region entities that are affected by obstacles can send files on those obstacles to the CBCPs for assessment and for the possible implementation of a solution.

Article 13 of the Regulation provides that the Commission will carry out coordination tasks. This legislative, financial and digital statement is directly related to the implementation of those tasks.

1.3.2.Specific objective(s)

Specific objective No 1

To set up and maintain a single EU public register of cross-border files.

Specific objective No 2

To publish and keep an updated list of all national and regional CBCPs.

Specific objective No 3

To promote the exchange of experience between Member States and, in particular, between the CBCPs, while boosting the institutional capacity that Member States need to implement this Regulation efficiently.

1.3.3.Expected result(s) and impact

Specify the effects which the proposal/initiative should have on the beneficiaries/groups targeted.

It is expected that the Regulation’s adoption will lead to the CBCPs being set up in several Member States (some of which will have more than one point). These CBCPs will cooperate at national level with the competent authorities to find solutions for border obstacles.

Setting up CBCPs will help stakeholders in border regions to have the opportunity to find solutions for existing obstacles. That, in turn, will increase their capacity to cross-border interactions with their neighbouring regions, thereby strengthening the single market.

1.3.4.Indicators of performance

Specify the indicators for monitoring progress and achievements.

For Specific Objective 1

Indicator 1.1: Creation of an EU public register of cross-border files – deployment by December 2025; testing and final publication by June 2026.

Indicator 1.2: Maximum time between when the Member States send information on new files and when those files become publicly available – 60 days (this indicator applies only after the publication of the register).

For Specific Objective 2

Indicator 2.1: Publication of the EU list of CBCPs by December 2025.

Indicator 2.2: Maximum time between when the Member States send information on CBCPs and when those CBCPs appear on the public list – 60 days (this indicator applies only after the first publication of the list)

For Specific Objective 3

Indicator 3.1: Number of meetings to which all the CBCPs on the list are invited: at least one per year

1.4.The proposal/initiative relates to:

 a new action

 a new action following a pilot project / preparatory action 1

 the extension of an existing action

 a merger or redirection of one or more actions towards another/a new action

1.5.Grounds for the proposal/initiative

1.5.1.Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long term including a detailed timeline for roll-out of the implementation of the initiative

Article 13 of the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a border regions’ instrument for development and growth (BRIDGEforEU) will list a set of coordination tasks for the Commission to perform.

Reasons for action at EU level (ex ante): according to COM(2017) 534 and COM(2021) 393, the existence of border obstacles hampers the development of border regions. Article 174 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states that special attention should be given to the development of those regions.

The European Parliamentary Research Service conducted the European Added Value Assessment study, in which it assessed data from between 2014 and 2019. The study found that removing obstacles would significantly benefit NUTS 3 border regions and the entire EU economy. More precisely, completely removing legal and administrative barriers would yield a total Gross Value Added (GVA) benefit of around EUR 457 billion (representing 3.8% of the total EU GVA in 2019). Removing 20% of the obstacles for all border regions would result in a total GVA benefit of EUR 123 billion (representing around 1% of the total EU GVA in 2019), as well as a total employment benefit of 1 million jobs (representing around 0.5% of the total employment at EU level).

Expected EU added value (ex post): implementing the Regulation and setting up fully functioning CBCPs will enable some of those border obstacles to be resolved. According to COM(2021) 393, border regions are living labs for European integration. Solving border obstacles will therefore make borders more permeable for people living in those regions and allow them to fully experience the benefits of the single market.

1.5.3.Lessons learned from similar experiences in the past

The ‘b-solutions’ initiative has demonstrated on a case-by-case basis how border obstacles hamper daily life in border regions, and how those obstacles can be resolved with the appropriate legal framework.

Taking into account the Commission proposal of May 2018 for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context 2 , the analysis of the cases addressed by the ‘b-solutions’ initiative shows that at least one third of the obstacles could be resolved with such an EU legal tool.

1.5.4.Compatibility with the multiannual financial framework and possible synergies with other appropriate instruments

Implementing the BRIDGEforEU Regulation will help to implement Interreg programmes more efficiently.

1.5.5.Assessment of the different available financing options, including scope for redeployment

The Commission’s amended proposal of December 2023 for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context 3 provided for a register of cross-border files to be set up in each Member State.

During negotiations on the legislative proposal, the co-legislators agreed on an amendment providing for a single EU register of files to be set up. Consequently, there is no alternative to the setting up of the register by the Commission

1.6.Duration of the proposal/initiative and of its financial impact

 limited duration

– in effect from [DD/MM]YYYY to [DD/MM]YYYY

– financial impact from YYYY to YYYY for commitment appropriations and from YYYY to YYYY for payment appropriations.

 unlimited duration

–Implementation with a start-up period from December 2025 to June 2026,

–followed by full-scale operation.

1.7.Method(s) of budget implementation planned 4

 Direct management by the Commission

– by its departments, including by its staff in the Union delegations;

– by the executive agencies

 Shared management with the Member States

 Indirect management by entrusting budget implementation tasks to:

– third countries or the bodies they have designated

– international organisations and their agencies (to be specified)

– the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund

– bodies referred to in Articles 70 and 71 of the Financial Regulation

– public law bodies

– bodies governed by private law with a public service mission to the extent that they are provided with adequate financial guarantees

– bodies governed by the private law of a Member State that are entrusted with the implementation of a public-private partnership and that are provided with adequate financial guarantees

– bodies or persons entrusted with the implementation of specific actions in the common foreign and security policy pursuant to Title V of the Treaty on European Union, and identified in the relevant basic act

–bodies established in a Member State, governed by the private law of a Member State or Union law and eligible to be entrusted, in accordance with sector-specific rules, with the implementation of Union funds or budgetary guarantees, to the extent that such bodies are controlled by public law bodies or by bodies governed by private law with a public service mission, and are provided with adequate financial guarantees in the form of joint and several liability by the controlling bodies or equivalent financial guarantees and which may be, for each action, limited to the maximum amount of the Union support.

Comments

Implementation by the Commission of:

- the register of cross-border files (deployment by December 2025, production by June 2026);

- the list of CBCPs (publication by December 2025)

2.MANAGEMENT MEASURES

2.1.Monitoring and reporting rules

Member States are obliged to provide information on cross-border files at least once a year, and to provide information on setting up (or changing) CBCPs two months after the relevant decisions have been made (Article 4(4) of the BRIDGEforEU Regulation).

The Commission will continuously monitor those obligations and the correct functioning of the register of files and of the list of CBCPs.

2.2.Management and control system(s)

2.2.1.Justification of the budget implementation method(s), the funding implementation mechanism(s), the payment modalities and the control strategy proposed

Implementation by the Commission would allow synergies to be developed with other tools already existing in the field of cohesion policy.

2.2.2.Information concerning the risks identified and the internal control system(s) set up to mitigate them

No specific risks in relation to implementing the register have been identified.

There are no significant costs specifically associated with performing checks.

2.3.Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities

The risks of fraud and irregularities are minimised because the Commission is responsible for implementation and, therefore, no third parties are involved.

3.ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

3.1.Heading(s) of the multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget line(s) affected

·Existing budget lines

In order of multiannual financial framework headings and budget lines.

Heading of multiannual financial framework	Budget line	Type of expenditure	Contribution
	Number	Diff./Non-diff 5 .	from EFTA countries 6	from candidate countries and potential candidates 7	from other third countries	other assigned revenue
H2a	05.0202 ERDF – Operational technical assistance	Diff./	NO	NO	NO	NO
H7	20.010201 Remuneration and allowances – headquarters and representation offices	Non-diff.	NO	NO	NO	NO

3.2.Estimated financial impact of the proposal on appropriations

3.2.1.Summary of estimated impact on operational appropriations

–The proposal/initiative does not require the use of operational appropriations

–The proposal/initiative requires the use of operational appropriations, as explained below:

3.2.1.1.Appropriations from voted budget

EUR million (to three decimal places)

Heading of multiannual financial framework

Number

H2a

DG: <REGIO.>			Year	Year	Year	Year	TOTAL MFF 2021-2027
			2024	2025	2026	2027
Operational appropriations
Budget line 05.020200	Commitments	(1b)		0.4	0.1	0.1	0.600
	Payments	(2b)		0.2	0.3	0.1	0.600
Appropriations of an administrative nature financed from the envelope of specific programmes 8
Budget line		(3)					0.000
TOTAL appropriations for DG <REGIO.>	Commitments	=1a+1b+3	0.000	0.400	0.100	0.100	0.600
	Payments	=2a+2b+3	0.000	0.200	0.300	0.100	0.600

================================================================================================

			Year	Year	Year	Year	TOTAL MFF 2021-2027
			2024	2025	2026	2027
TOTAL operational appropriations	Commitments	(4)	0.000	0.400	0.100	0.100	0.600
	Payments	(5)	0.000	0.400	0.100	0.100	0.600
TOTAL appropriations of an administrative nature financed from the envelope for specific programmes		(6)	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
TOTAL appropriations under HEADING <2a>	Commitments	=4+6	0.000	0.400	0.100	0.100	0.600
of the multiannual financial framework	Payments	=5+6	0.000	0.200	0.300	0.100	0.600

			Year	Year	Year	Year	TOTAL MFF 2021-2027
			2024	2025	2026	2027
• TOTAL operational appropriations (all operational headings)	Commitments	(4)	0.000	0.400	0.100	0.100	0.600
	Payments	(5)	0.000	0.200	0.300	0.100	0.600
• TOTAL appropriations of an administrative nature financed from the envelope for specific programmes (all operational headings)		(6)	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
TOTAL appropriations Under Heading 1 to 6	Commitments	=4+6	0.000	0.400	0.100	0.100	0.600
of the multiannual financial framework (Reference amount)	Payments	=5+6	0.000	0.200	0.300	0.100	0.600

Heading of multiannual financial framework

‘Administrative expenditure’ 9

DG: <REGIO.>			Year	Year	Year	Year	TOTAL MFF 2021-2027
			2024	2025	2026	2027
 Human resources			0.000	0.051	0.101	0.188	0.340
 Other administrative expenditure			0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
TOTAL DG <REGIO>	Appropriations		0.000	0.051	0.101	0.188	0.340


TOTAL appropriations under HEADING 7 of the multiannual financial framework		(Total commitments = Total payments)	0.000	0.051	0.101	0.188	0.340

EUR million (to three decimal places)

		Year	Year	Year	Year	TOTAL MFF 2021-2027
		2024	2025	2026	2027
TOTAL appropriations under HEADINGS 1 to 7	Commitments	0.000	0.451	0.201	0.288	0.940
of the multiannual financial framework	Payments	0.000	0.251	0.401	0.288	0.940

=================================================================================================

3.2.2.Estimated output funded from operational appropriations (not to be completed for decentralised agencies)

Commitment appropriations in EUR million (to three decimal places)

Indicate objectives and outputs



Year
2024

Year
2025

Year
2026

Year
2027

Enter as many years as necessary to show the duration of the impact (see Section1.6)

TOTAL

OUTPUTS

Type 10

Average cost

Cost

Total No

Total cost

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE No 1 11 …

- Output

Subtotal for specific objective No 1

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE No 2 …

- Output

Subtotal for specific objective No 2

TOTALS

3.2.3.Summary of estimated impact on administrative appropriations

– The proposal/initiative does not require the use of appropriations of an administrative nature

– The proposal/initiative requires the use of appropriations of an administrative nature, as explained below

3.2.3.1.Appropriations from voted budget

VOTED APPROPRIATIONS	Year	Year	Year	Year	TOTAL 2021 - 2027
	2024	2025	2026	2027
HEADING 7
Human resources	0.000	0.051	0.101	0.188	0.340
Other administrative expenditure	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
Subtotal HEADING 7	0.000	0.051	0.101	0.188	0.340
Outside HEADING 7
Human resources	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
Other expenditure of an administrative nature	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
Subtotal outside HEADING 7	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000

TOTAL	0.000	0.051	0.101	0.188	0.340

3.2.4.Estimated requirements of human resources

– The proposal/initiative does not require the use of human resources

– The proposal/initiative requires the use of human resources, as explained below

3.2.4.1.Financed from voted budget

Estimate to be expressed in full-time equivalent units (FTEs) 12

VOTED APPROPRIATIONS		Year	Year	Year	Year
		2024	2025	2026	2027
 Establishment plan posts (officials and temporary staff)
20 01 02 01 (Headquarters and Commission’s Representation Offices)		0	0.0	0	1
20 01 02 03 (EU Delegations)		0	0	0	0
01 01 01 01 (Indirect research)		0	0	0	0
01 01 01 11 (Direct research)		0	0	0	0
Other budget lines (specify)		0	0	0	0
• External staff (inFTEs)
20 02 01 (AC, END from the ‘global envelope’)		0	0.5	1	0
20 02 03 (AC, AL, END and JPD in the EU Delegations)		0	0	0	0
Admin. Support line [XX.01.YY.YY]	- at Headquarters	0	0	0	0
	- in EU Delegations	0	0	0	0
01 01 01 02 (AC, END - Indirect research)		0	0	0	0
01 01 01 12 (AC, END - Direct research)		0	0	0	0
Other budget lines (specify) - Heading 7		0	0	0	0
Other budget lines (specify) - Outside Heading 7		0	0	0	0
TOTAL		0	0.5	1	1

The staff required to implement the proposal (in FTEs):

	To be covered by current staff available in the Commission services	Exceptional additional staff*
		To be financed under Heading 7 or Research	To be financed from BA line	To be financed from fees
Establishment plan posts	1 from 2027		n/a
External staff (CA, SNEs, INT)	0.5 for 2025 and 1 for 2026

Considering the overall strained situation in Heading 7, in terms of both staffing and the level of appropriations, the human resources required will be met by staff from the DG who are already assigned to the management of the action and/or have been redeployed within the DG or other Commission services.

Description of tasks to be carried out by:

Officials and temporary staff

Officials and temporary staff will implement the Commission’s obligations set out in Article 13 of the BRIDGEforEU Regulation, which are to:

(a) set up and maintain a single EU public register of cross-border files;

(b) liaise with the CBCPs;

(d) promote the exchange of experience between Member States and in particular between the cross-border coordination points;

(e) publish and keep an updated list of all national and regional cross-border coordination points.

External staff

An external member of staff (1 FTE) will help the Commission start work on the most urgent tasks set out above between mid-2025 and the end of 2026, until waiting for the post of official or temporary staff to be created.

3.2.5.Overview of estimated impact on digital technology-related investments

Compulsory: the best estimate of the digital technology-related investments entailed by the proposal/initiative should be included in the table below.

Exceptionally, when required for the implementation of the proposal/initiative, the appropriations under Heading 7 should be presented in the designated line.

The appropriations under Headings 1-6 should be reflected as ‘Policy IT expenditure on operational programmes’. This expenditure refers to the operational budget to be used to re-use/ buy/ develop IT platforms/ tools directly linked to the implementation of the initiative and their associated investments (e.g. licences, studies, data storage etc.). The information provided in this table should be consistent with details presented under Section 4 ‘Digital dimensions’.

TOTAL Digital and IT appropriations	Year	Year	Year	Year	TOTAL MFF 2021 - 2027
	2024	2025	2026	2027
HEADING 7
IT expenditure (corporate)	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
Subtotal HEADING 7	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
Outside HEADING 7
Policy IT expenditure on operational programmes	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
Subtotal outside HEADING 7	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000

TOTAL	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000

3.2.6.Compatibility with the current multiannual financial framework

The proposal/initiative:

–can be fully financed through redeployment within the relevant heading of the multiannual financial framework (MFF)

The implementation of the proposal will be covered by the amounts available for technical assistance (described in Section 3.2.1.1)

–requires use of the unallocated margin under the relevant heading of the MFF and/or use of the special instruments as defined in the MFF Regulation

– requires a revision of the MFF

n/a

3.2.7.Third-party contributions

The proposal/initiative:

– does not provide for co-financing by third parties

– provides for the co-financing by third parties estimated below:

Appropriations in EUR million (to three decimal places)

	Year 2024	Year 2025	Year 2026	Year 2027	Total
Specify the co-financing body
TOTAL appropriations co-financed

3.3.Estimated impact on revenue

– The proposal/initiative has no financial impact on revenue.

– The proposal/initiative has the following financial impact:

– on own resources

– on other revenue

– please indicate, if the revenue is assigned to expenditure lines

EUR million (to three decimal places)

Budget revenue line:	Appropriations available for the current financial year	Impact of the proposal/initiative 13
		Year 2024	Year 2025	Year 2026	Year 2027
Article …………

For assigned revenue, specify the budget expenditure line(s) affected.

n/a

Other remarks (e.g. method/formula used for calculating the impact on revenue or any other information).

n/a

4.DIGITAL DIMENSIONS

4.1.Requirements of digital relevance

If the policy initiative is assessed as having no requirement of digital relevance, provide an explanation as to why digital means are not used

n/a

Otherwise, please list the requirements of digital relevance in the table below:

Reference to the requirement	Requirement description	Actor affected or concerned by the requirement	High-level Processes	Category
Article 4(4) (together with 5a(1))	Visibility of CBCPs when Member States opt to set them up Member States will publish and maintain CBCPs’ contact details and task information on existing websites. Member States must inform the Commission of existing CBCPs and ‘relevant authorities’.	Member States	Publication of information	Data
Article 12(1.e) (in accordance with 4(4); 5(3.e))	The Commission’s list of CBCPs The Commission will publish a list of CBCPs based on the information that Member States have to send to the Commission in accordance with the above-mentioned requirement.	Commission	Publication of information	Data; digital solutions
Article 12(1.a) (in accordance with 5(3.e) and 7(1))	The Commission’s register of files The Commission will set up and maintain a single EU public register of cross-border files based on information received from the Member States.	Commission; Member States with one or more CBCPs	Publication of data; Data management	Data; digital Solutions
Requirements with potential digital relevance 14
Article 5(1) (in accordance with 8, 9, 10 and 11)	Information for initiators At different stages of the process, the CBCPs will provide initiators with updates on their files.	CBCPs	Data submission and information management	Data
Article 10(3) (in accordance with 11(2.a) and 11(3))	Cross-border exchange of information The CBCPs will share information on the identified obstacles with other CBCPs or with the relevant authorities in neighbouring Member States.	CBCPs	Cross-border information sharing; Process coordination; Duplicate prevention	Data
Article 13	Reporting after five years The Commission will review the implementation of the BRIDGEforEU Regulation and prepare a report.	Commission	Data and information management	Data

4.2.Data

High-level description of the data in scope and any related standards/specifications

Type of data

Reference(s) to the requirement

Standard and/or specification (if applicable)

Identification data for CBCPs and relevant authorities

(e.g. name, addresses, contacts)

Article 4(4) (in accordance with Article 5a(1))

and Article 12(1.e) (in accordance with Article 4(4); Article 5(3.e))

Annex to the BRIDGEforEU Regulation specifies the data structure

Data on the cross-border files

(mainly text descriptors for each file and its state of play, also NUTS codes to identify geographic areas)

Article 12(1.a)

(in accordance with Articles 5(3.e) and 7(1))

Annex to the BRIDGEforEU Regulation specifies the data structure

Alignment with the European Data Strategy

Explain how the requirement(s) are aligned with the European Data Strategy

The requirements are generally aligned with the European data strategy as they promote the transparency and accessibility of public sector information. They support the creation of data flows between Member States and the Commission, thereby contributing to the broader goals of creating interconnected data spaces for public administrations. The requirements also promote horizontal data sharing across public administrations, which is a key focus of the European data strategy.

Alignment with the once-only principle

Explain how the once-only principle has been considered how the possibility to reuse existing data explored

The ‘cross-border files’ specified in Articles 6 and 7 are the main source of the data. Those files are created by an initiator and are submitted only once to the corresponding CBCP, which can then share that data with a CBCP in a neighbouring Member State and with the Commission. This therefore ensures that the initiator only submits information once and that there is no duplication.

After the CBCP assesses the cross-border file, it will share the relevant information with the CBCP or the relevant authority in the neighbouring Member State. The CBCPs will try to avoid parallel procedures for the same cross-border obstacle.

Explain how newly created data is findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable, and meets high-quality standards

Not specified

Data flows

Type of data	Reference(s) to the requirement(s)	Actor who provides the data	Actor who receives the data	Trigger for the data exchange	Frequency (if applicable)
Identification data for CBCPs and relevant authorities	Article 4(4) (together with Articles 5a(1)), and 12(1.e) (in accordance with Articles 4(4) and 5(3.e))	Member States (namely the CBCPs)	Commission	Two months after the decision to set up a CBCP	n/a
Identification data for cross-border files and their state of play	Article 12(1.a) (in accordance with Articles 5(3.e) and 7(1))	Member States (namely the CBCPs)	Commission	Twelve months after setting up a CBCP	Annually
Data on the state of play of each cross-border file	Article 5(1) (in accordance with Articles 8, 9, 10 and 11)	CBCPs	Initiators	Date of submission of the file by the initiator	n/a

4.3.Digital solutions

For each digital solution, please provide the reference to the requirement(s) of digital relevance concerning it, a description of the digital solution’s mandated functionality, the body that will be responsible for it, and other relevant aspects such as reusability and accessibility. Finally, explain whether the digital solution intends to make use of AI technologies.

Digital solution

Reference(s) to the requirement(s)

Main mandated functionalities

Responsible body

How is accessibility catered for?

How is reusability considered?

Use of AI technologies (if applicable)

EU register of files and list of CBCPs

Article 12

Public register of cross-border files;

public list of CBCPs

Commission

Not defined

n/a

For each digital solution, explain how the digital solution complies with the requirements and obligations of the EU cybersecurity framework, and other applicable digital policies and legislative enactments (such as eIDAS, Single Digital Gateway, etc.).

EU register of files and list of CBCPs

Digital and/or sectorial policy (when these are applicable)	Explanation on how it aligns
AI Act	Not relevant
EU cybersecurity framework	The security requirements comply with Commission security policy.
eIDAS	As the Commission is responsible for the solution, it can align with eIDAS at implementation stage of the register through the reuse of the EU login component.
Single Digital Gateway and IMI	The potential reuse of the SDG will be assessed further.
Others	n/a

4.4.Interoperability assessment

Describe the digital public service(s) affected by the requirements

Digital public service or category of digital public services	Description	Reference(s) to the requirement(s)	Other interoperability solution(s)
Operations on the register of cross-border files and list of CBCPs	Exchange of information amongst Member States on the resolution of cross-border obstacles	Article 5, Article 12	Assess the potential of Your Europe

Operations on the register of cross-border files and list of CBCPs

Assessment	Measures	Potential remaining barriers
Assess the alignment with existing digital and sectorial policies. Please list the applicable digital and sectorial policies identified		Synergies with the Interoperable Europe Act and the role of the Interoperable Europe Board should be explored, by involving the Board in discussions on coordination tasks.
Assess the organisational measures for a smooth cross-border digital public services delivery Please list the governance measures foreseen	Article 12(1)(a) (d) (e)	The coordination task assigned to the Commission could further help CBCPs to identify parallel files addressing similar obstacles and proposing solutions for them.
Assess the measures taken to ensure a shared understanding of the data Please list such measures	Annex to the BRIDGEforEU Regulation	At the implementation stage of the register, its requirements could address semantic interoperability aspects: -some formats could be defined (e.g. date formats); -the reuse of existing reference data or existing specifications could be fostered (e.g. list of public bodies).
Assess the use of commonly agreed open technical specifications and standards Please list such measures	Article 12(1)(e)	At the implementation stage of the register, its requirements could address technical interoperability aspects, such as: (i) catering for the machine-readability of data; (ii) open-source solutions; and (iii) paving the way for machine-to-machine interactions.

4.5.Measures to support digital implementation

Description of the measure

Reference(s) to the requirement(s)

Commission role

(if applicable)

Actors to be involved

(if applicable)

Expected timeline

(if applicable)

Liaise with CBCPs and promote the exchange of experience

Article 12(1)

Liaise with CBCPs

CBCPs

n/a

(1) As referred to in Article 58(2), point (a) or (b) of the Financial Regulation.

(2) COM(2018) 373 final.

(3) COM(2023) 790 final.

(4) Details of budget implementation methods and references to the Financial Regulation can be found on the BUDGpedia site: https://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/corp/budget/financial-rules/budget-implementation/Pages/implementation-methods.aspx .

(5) Diff. = Differentiated appropriations / Non-diff. = Non-differentiated appropriations.

(6) EFTA: European Free Trade Association.

(7) Candidate countries and, where applicable, potential candidates from the Western Balkans.

(8) Technical and/or administrative assistance and expenditure in support of the implementation of EU programmes and/or actions (former ‘BA’ lines), indirect research, direct research.

(9) The necessary appropriations should be calculated using the annual average cost figures available on the appropriate BUDGpedia webpage.

(10) Outputs are products and services to be supplied (e.g. number of student exchanges financed, number of km of roads built, etc.).

(11) As described in Section 1.3.2. ‘Specific objective(s)’.

(12) Please specify below the table how many FTEs within the number indicated are already assigned to the management of the action and/or can be redeployed within your DG and what are your net needs.

(13) As regards traditional own resources (customs duties, sugar levies), the amounts indicated must be net amounts, i.e. gross amounts after deduction of 20% for collection costs.

(14) While the requirements below do not explicitly mandate the use of digital solutions, they may benefit from automation and their identification help the Commission in its coordination task.

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