The European Parliament Selects EconLabGalicia to Assess the Economic Impact of Cross-Border Cooperation

EconLabGalicia, based at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), has been selected by the European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development (REGI) to carry out a study on the economic impact of cross-border cooperation in the European Union.

The study will examine how the joint management of public services, infrastructure and facilities across border regions can help improve the efficiency of public spending and enhance the quality of services provided to citizens, with particular attention to the role of the European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs).

The USC research team comprises Professors Santiago Lago Peñas, María Cadaval Sampedro and Xoaquín Fernández Leiceaga, experts in public finance, fiscal decentralisation and territorial governance. The case study on the Galicia–Northern Portugal Euroregion will also involve Professor Francisco Carballo of the Universidade do Minho.

The project will combine the analysis of European experiences, case studies and cost-benefit assessment techniques to determine under which conditions cross-border cooperation generates savings, improves the delivery of public services and creates added value for the participating territories. It will also examine the institutional factors that explain the success of these governance models.

The findings will support the REGI Committee in its assessment of European territorial cooperation instruments and contribute to the design of future initiatives under the European Union's Cohesion Policy.

EconLabGalicia's participation in this project further strengthens the international standing of the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela in the fields of public economics and territorial policy.