Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/83537

JaLCDOI : 10.14943/ebr.9.1.67

The article maps model(s) of cross-border cooperation in Europe by investigating the INTERREG program as a source of data to evaluate the intensity of collaboration and agency in the area. The authors view cross-border cooperation as an instrument for overcoming economic underdevelopment, often in the context of (a)symmetries. They also use a geopolitical approach to interpret their findings, despite the fact that these are local and regional relationships and are sometimes considered outside the regular purview of geopolitics. Qualitative and quantitative investigation of four internal borders in the European Union leads to several conclusions. First, the INTERREG program is the main instrument and source of funding for stimulating cross-border cooperation within the European Union. Second, when similar types of European cross-border projects are investigated, most of them reveal a concentration of project leaders and project partners on only one side of the border. This can be explained with administrative models revealing structural asymmetries as well as the rural/urban nature of the territorial units, uncovering an imbalance in potential on both sides of the border.