Cross-border solidarity in the Greater Region SaarLorLux. The example of the crossborder labour market

Due to the pandemic-related border closures within the European Union (EU) in spring 2020, freedom of movement has been temporarily restricted in some parts of the Schengen area. The cross-border labour market in the Greater Region was temporarily strongly affected by these re-bordering measures that meant increased effort for cross-border commuters. Hospitals and other employers feared that their employees would not be able to come to work. In this situation, there were calls for (more) cross-border solidarity from different actors. The (future) shortage of labour that may lead to a cross-border competition for labour also raises the question whether national interests continue to play a major role in the future or whether joint strategies can be developed.
While solidarity as one of the fundamental principles of the European Union was discussed at length in research, cross-border solidarity has received little attention. We will present a definition of cross-border solidarity before applying it to pandemic times and the case of the SaarLorLux Greater Region. Thereby, we have a closer look to the role of cross-border healthcare professionals. We discuss different forms of (non-experienced) solidarity during this period and the role of multi-level governance. In the last step, we derive predictions about future trends as well as possible political countermeasures.