European border perception from a comparative perspective

Borders and Border Spaces in the EU

Volume 2

European Border Perception from a Comparative Perspective

Which are the perceptions of the border in European border regions before and after the COVID-19 pandemic ? This Cahier Fare n°25 presents the results of the Jean Monnet Network « Frontières en mouvement : quels modèles pour l'UE (FRONTEM) ? », which was supported by the EU's Erasmus+ program for the period between 2019-2023. The network exchanged knowledge and practices on five different types of EU border perception : at the border between France and Germany, at the border between France and Belgium, at the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, at the border between Rumania and Hungary and at the border between Denmark and Germany. By analysing the results of focus groups organised in and mental maps drawn for each of the 5 border regions concerned, it critically examines the perception of the border as a place of cross-border reconciliation, of minority co-existence and of peace facilitation. The key question addressed by the network was to assess the mental perception of the border when faced with processes of re-bordering and the re-questioning of the model of a « Europe without borders ».