The international ESPON EGTC TRILINK project analyses potential cross-border functional areas along Slovakia’s borders with Czechia and Poland. Its aim is to improve understanding of the actual links between territories—links shaped not by administrative boundaries alone, but by residents’ everyday interactions, economic relations and access to services. The project responds to the growing need to plan territorial development on the basis of real functional relationships.
The main part of the project consists of a detailed analysis of living conditions, access to services and cross-border linkages at municipal (LAU) level. A combination of statistical data, spatial analyses and the involvement of key stakeholders will be used to identify areas with the greatest potential for cross-border cooperation. Addressing data limitations and seeking innovative ways to overcome them are also important parts of the work.
The project will then delimit and describe in detail cross-border functional areas (CBFAs): territories with intensive linkages in fields such as the labour market, transport, healthcare or tourism. These areas will be analysed in terms of their structure, functioning and institutional readiness for deeper cooperation.
The project will deliver specific recommendations for policymaking after 2027, including proposals for suitable forms of cooperation, governance and financing. It will therefore provide a practical basis for designing future cross-border cooperation programmes.