Stability and security are essential to economic and social development. The EU provides wide-ranging support in order to ensure the integrity of partner states and to guarantee the personal and cyber security and quality of life of citizens, notably through security sector reform, border management, confidence building measures, crisis prevention and civil protection against natural disasters. In addition, the EU’s Cross-Border Cooperation programme seeks to reinforce cooperation and reduce potential tensions between partner countries and between partner countries and EU Member States along the EU’s external borders. The initiative promotes interaction among border regions not as places of separation, but as areas where people cooperate and feel united in addressing common challenges together. Cross-Border Cooperation works with local and regional administrations, NGOs and civil society organisations from both EU Member States and Eastern Partnership Countries.