The internal border regions in the European Union cover 40% of the EU's territory, accounting for 30% of its population and hosting almost 2 million cross-border commuters of which 1.3 million are cross-border workers. According to the EU Treaties, the CoR plays a distinct role in cross-border cooperation and is, therefore, the "natural" EU actor in putting forward recommendations on cross-border cooperation, as is the case with the 2021 Resolution on the Future of Cross-Border Cooperation.