Birte Wassenberg is Professor in Contemporary History at Sciences Po Strasbourg at the University of Strasbourg and member of the Research Unit Dynamiques européennes (UMR). She holds a Jean Monnet Chair, is deputy director of the Franco-German Jean-Monnet Center of Excellence and director of the Master in Border Studies, International Relations. From 1993 to 2006 she was responsible for cross-border cooperation at the Région Alsace. Her research fields are: border regions, Euro-scepticism and the history of European organizations, especially the Council of Europe. She is also a former student from the College of Europe, promotion Charles IV, (1992-1993).Bernard Reitel is Professor in political and urban geography at Artois University since 2012 and is the director of the research unit ‘Discontinuités’ since 2019. He holds a Jean Monnet chair, is member of the French-Belgian consortium ‘Institut des Frontières et des Discontinuités’ and director of the Master in "Territorial Development, Spatial Planning and Environment". He was assistant-professor between 1996 and 2011 at the Université of Haute-Alsace His research fields are: border regions, urban studies, territorial cooperation and European integration on different scales. He is working on urban planning and urban governance in border cities and cross-border agglomeration in Western Europe.