The theme of this year’s TEIN Annual Conference, held in Mons on 6th and 7th October 2026, was « Governing at the Border: Governing at the Border. Norms, Rules, Cross-Border and Transnational Practices. From the Citizen to the Institution ».

A particular emphasis was placed on the subject of methodology. A number of discussions took place regarding indicators in a cross-border context, as well as the mental maps used to analyse perceptions of borders.

The conference was of particular interest as it covered a variety of fields, including spatial planning, emergency management, migration, identity and representations, and governance.

In this framework, Anne Thevenet, representing the Euro-Institut, had the opportunity to present some of the organisation’s daily activities aimed at assisting cross-border actors in the prevention or overcoming of border-related challenges.

This conference was a valuable opportunity for dialogue between research and practice, as well as between students and professionals, which contributed to its high level of intensity.

The research presented should be understood as a means of providing a voice to citizens living at the borders, on the periphery of states (Emmanuel Brunet-Jailly), as it sheds light not on complicated situations, but on their complexity, moving from the ‘millefeuille’ to the marbled cake (Fabienne Leloup). This is an essential contribution to a better understanding of cross-border challenges and provides tools for dealing with them.

We would like to express our gratitude to the Université catholique de Louvain FUCaM Mons, the Université d’Artois for their organisation, and Borders in Globalization (University of Victoria) for their support. We would also like to thank Fabienne Leloup, Bernard Reitel and Emmanuel Brunet-Jailly for their invaluable contributions.