Bild: Jens Ahner

Second Brandenburg-Lubuskie Spatial Development Conference presents Territorial Diagnosis and paves the way for a vision for the joint interaction area

On 26 November 2025, the Joint Spatial Planning Department Berlin-Brandenburg (GL) took the lead in organising the Second Brandenburg-Lubuskie Spatial Development Conference in the twin cities of Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice. The conference took place as part of the INTERREG-A project ‘BB-L Interconnection. Vision for a joint interconnection area’, which the GL is implementing together with the Lubuskie Voivodeship – Marshal’s Office of the Lubuskie Voivodeship, Department of Geodesy, Real Estate Management and Spatial Planning – as lead partner and the BTU Cottbus, Department of Regional Planning.

The interim results of the three-year spatial development project were presented at the conference. Additionally, the next phase of the project was initiated with a memorandum of understanding to develop a vision for the Brandenburg-Lubuskie interaction area. As part of the ongoing project work, a selection of issues will receive in-depth treatment in expert reports on demographic challenges and opportunities for cross-border public services, as well as on cross-border prospects for the expansion and use of renewable energies. These topics also formed the focus of the substantive discussions at the conference, which saw experts from the fields of research and practice engage in dialogue.

Experts from academia, regional and municipal planning discussed the question ‘Demographic challenges and (cross-border) public services – What role do urban centres play?’ The discussion was chaired by Ulrike Engelke from the planning office complan Kommunalberatung, which will be preparing an expert report on this topic for the GL.Bild: Jens Ahner

The topic of demographics and population development is a key focus of the Territorial Diagnosis prepared by the Zespół Doradców Gospodarczych TOR office.Bild: Jens Ahner

The ‘Territorial Diagnosis for the Brandenburg-Lubuskie Interaction Area’ was presented for the first time. This is a statistical cross-border evaluation that serves as a data-based foundation for further development within the project.
The study provides a compact statistical overview of the most important socio-economic indicators in the areas of demography and migration, economy and labour market, space, settlement and infrastructure, as well as social affairs and public services. It highlights justified differences in the situation of the Brandenburg-Lubuskie interaction area in different countries. An important step in the development of the document was an expert workshop with extensive participation by municipal and regional representatives, which took place on 6 June in Zielona Góra.

• Territorial Diagnosis of the Brandenburg- Lubuskie Interaction Area

Dokument: 24 MB

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Further information on the BB-L Interconnection project and completed project activities

Joint memorandum of understanding paves the way for the development of a vision for the Brandenburg-Lubuskie joint interaction area in 2026

Bild: Jens Ahner

Following a political welcome, Detlef Tabbert, Minister for Infrastructure of the Federal State of Brandenburg, and Anna Chinalska, Member of the Executive Board of the Lubuskie Voivodeship, signed a joint political memorandum of understanding to deepen cooperation in the field of spatial development. This includes the development of a vision for the joint Brandenburg-Lubuskie interaction area by the project partners of the BB-L Interconnection project in 2026. Regional actors and municipal stakeholders are explicitly invited to participate in planned workshops.

• Memorandum of Understanding of 26 November 2025

Dokument: 504 KB

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Press release of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Federal State Planning regarding the event and memorandum of understanding (in German)

Information with report by the Lubuskie Voivodeship regarding the event (in Polish)

Further documents relating to the discussions at the conference can be found here:

Summary of the panel discussions at the Second Brandenburg-Lubuskie Spatial Development Conference

Dokument: 447 KB

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‘From concern to solutions. Border regions facing demographic challenges’ – Presentation by Prof. Dr. Mariusz Kwiatkowski (UZ), Representative of the Marshal of the Lubuskie Voivodeship for Social Potential

Dokument: 4 MB

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Lubuskie Plan for Demographic Adjustment, in Polish (original: Lubuski Plan adaptacji demograficznej)

Bild: Jens Ahner