Cross-border mapping and cooperation: integrating and dividing practices

Purpose. The aim of the study is to improve the organizational structure of institutional support of sustainable environmental management in the Carpathian region and the Euroregion “Bug”. Methodology / approach. The general theoretical scientific methods, fundamental principles of environmental economics, cross-border cooperation, which are highlighted in the works of both Ukrainian and foreign scientists on economic problems of ensuring sustainable environmental management, were used as the methodological basis of the study. To perform the tasks, the following research methods were used: monographic (to study the principles of environmental management); system-structural (to study the essence and content of institutional support of sustainable environmental management); institutional (to assess the relationship and research the cross-effect between regional and local authorities); abstract-logical (theoretical and methodical generalizations and formulation of conclusions). Results. The developed theoretical-and-methodological, and applied provisions for improving the system of institutional support of sustainable environmental management were logically brought to the level of specific proposals suitable for implementation into the practice of public administration and local government in the context of cross-border cooperation. It was proposed to develop the Concept of balanced development of cross-border and border regions for 2022–2026, highlighting the state of implementation of current tasks, prospects for projects, cross-border cooperation agreements, integration of border regions to the European information and intellectual domain as well as monitoring the state of their implementation in the future. All of that will provide an opportunity to get sustainable development and improvement of the reputation of the border areas of Ukraine from the ecological, economic, and social points of view. Originality / scientific novelty. It was formed and scientifically substantiated from the standpoint of an integrated approach and synergistic effect, necessary strategic imperatives and preconditions for developing a strategy of cross-border cooperation between Ukraine and neighbouring countries on the terms of joint implementation of Strategies, programs, and agreements that correspond to the strategic directions of ecological, economic, and social development of each country and region, outline the needs and future goals of cross-border cooperation to avoid isolated development of only one of the parties in the context of cross-border and Euroregional cooperation. Practical value / implications. A system model of institutional support for cross-border cooperation is developed, which interacts with elements of the internal and external environment in particular based on a single regulatory framework, which will serve as a doctrine of environmentally balanced development and will allow implementation in practice a comprehensive approach of solving environmental, economic and social transboundary problems and ensure environmental protection based on complementary requirements established in border and cross-border regions.

Транскордонне освітньо-наукове співробітництво з міжнародного цифрового маркетингу в Карпатському єврорегіоні

This chapter attempts to present one model of cross-border regions, including related cross-border cooperation, using the example of the Silva Nortica Euroregion on the border between South Bohemia and Lower Austria and aims primarily at mapping, analysing and evaluating the process of the institutionalisation of cross-border cooperation and the formation of cross-border regions. We describe and analyse the transformation of the geo-position of the Czech-Austrian borderland from a closed territory (Iron Curtain) to an open one (Schengen). The key data of the study are the result of a field survey both among the inhabitants and the key personalities of the Euroregion. Cross-border contacts and cooperation are greater in areas closer to the state border. Cross-border cooperation in the Silva Nortica Euroregion is also heavily influenced by its organisational structure, or, differences in the organisation of its individual national parts. The cross-border community and identity is underdeveloped in the region. These are represented by persistent prejudices and injustice from the past, the language barrier and bad experience with Czechs/Austrians and others. The chapter results show that building cross-border cooperation, followed by a cross-border identity, or forming a cross-border region, is a complex process. It is influenced by administration, institutions and powers, as well as individual perceptions and the local specifics of the region and its inhabitants.

Sustainable development remains a challenging goal impacting European countries, and one area of such development is cross-border mobility and cooperation in language education. This article focuses on the situation of cross-border cooperation in Lithuania as a result of participation in the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) project “Enhancing Cross-Border Vocational Training”. Cross-border cooperation has not been researched widely in Lithuania and the role of languages in cross-border cooperation has been touched very briefly in different studies. Literature review and the analysis of the survey which was designed and conducted during the project in several European border (border regions) revealed that although neighbouring language proficiency offers professional advantages, neighbouring languages are not the first choice for learning or teaching in cross-border regions. The article stresses the importance of cross-border vocational training and language education, emphasizing the need to overcome barriers for successful cross-border cooperation.

The article defines “public administration” as a set of principles, methods, forms, and means of impact on the activity of a region and a country as a whole. The operation of the mechanisms of interaction between public administration entities in cross-border cooperation is recommended to be categorized by interaction entities in the public domain, which, in turn, are divided by the number of entities, their composition, role, and participation. The article provides the classification of the mechanisms of interaction between public administration entities in the framework of cross-border cooperation: by the coverage with a legal framework that secures interaction, by the coverage with interaction, by the types of cooperation between interaction entities in a border region where a regional authority is the main entity, by the types of cooperation between interaction entities in cross-border region or space where a regional authority is the main entity, by interaction scope, by the results of interaction, by interaction intensity, by the levels of formalization and public administration, by initiative, by cooperation effect in a border region, and by the duration of cooperation. The mechanisms of interaction between public administration entities in a cross-border region or space are suggested to be divided by the features of interaction, coverage (based on the boundaries of cross-border space), activity sectors, the impact of other entities and institutions operating beyond the public domain, etc. The instruments of cross-border cooperation most frequently used by public administration entities at border areas of Ukraine are outlined, including international agreements, border cooperation agreements, Local Border Movement Agreements, Neighborhood Programs, joint cross-border development strategies, regional development strategies with priorities set on cross-border cooperation, regional cross-border cooperation development programs, new cross-border cooperation forms (Euroregions, clusters, industrial zones and parks, etc.), direct contacts – meetings, events, forums, etc. The article specifies the principles of public administration, including structural principles, principles of process, and principles of the final result.

In the last 20 years, numerous cross-border regions have been launched across Europe. Many studies have been carried out dealing with the analysis of regional building processes. Most of them focus on the work developed by local elites profiting from economic, political and institutional factors to build up cross-border regions. Studies focusing on people's knowledge of these cross-border projects and regions have also been developed. The gap that might open up between the elite's projects and people's knowledge of them can raise several questions: is cross-border cooperation better understood as a functional or as a democratic and participatory opportunity? Are cross-border regions the desired laboratories for European integration? Are border people engaged in this institutionalized cooperation? First of all, this contribution will discuss these general questions in light of recent theoretical and practical studies on European cross-border cooperation. Secondly, it will exemplify the theory with a case study on the Galicia-North Portugal Euroregion. After briefly presenting the main actors and processes involved in the cross-border region building, this paper shows the results of fieldwork based on a survey conducted by the author in Galicia and North Portugal. The investigation had three objectives: (a) to assess general knowledge of the term Euroregion, the cross-border bodies and the cross-border projects; (b) to assess the degree of relevance of cross-border cooperation to euroregional integration; and (c) to assess the degree of similarities and differences between Galicians and Northern Portuguese. The results of the survey show that the inhabitants of Galicia and North Portugal are mostly unaware of the existence and working methods of the different bodies that sustain the Euroregion, although they express a high level of interest in fostering cross-border cooperation initiatives and a high degree of empathy towards neighbors. This paper concludes by discussing the results of the case study in relation to the theoretical aspects presented in the first part.

The article analyses the strengthening of the competitiveness of countries based on crossborder cooperation through the prism of international trade indicators. Due to the increase in international competition, countries, especially small economies, are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their position in the global market and remain competitive if this position is pursued individually. It is therefore necessary to review competition strategies and reassess opportunities and competitive advantages, as well as to promote coopetition between border region companies at institutional level. The article presents a new approach to regional competitiveness, which is achieved not through the development of the competitive advantages of the regions of individual countries, but through their cooperation and thus achieving common benefits. This is particularly relevant for border regions, as their uniqueness allows them to exploit cross-border region cooperation, which can generate added value by utilising the potential of cooperating regions to complement each other and become a competitive hub for economic growth. Only a strategic partnership based on regional cooperation will promote cooperation between manufacturers in different regions and ensure the achievement of co-creation and international development goals. The article analyses the case of Lithuania and Latvia as an example of cross-border cooperation, as internationally these countries are often matched and treated as one region, but in fact they compete fiercely with each other for better positions in foreign markets. This also shows that Lithuania’s and Latvia’s foreign trade with the European Union (hereinafter - the EU) accounted for the largest share of their foreign trade. Secondary statistical data of the EU-28 Eurostat of 2010 - 2019 and Finger Kreinin, RCA, and Lafay indices were used for the study. After assessing the convergence of the Lithuanian and Latvian export structure according to the FKI index during the study and finding that the export structure of these countries is very similar, the relative comparative advantage of exports by individual product sectors was assessed on the basis of the RCA index and the comparative advantage on the basis of the LAFAY index. The study showed that both countries had comparative advantages in the same product groups. The identification of common points of contact has highlighted economic activities, the development of which could be given more attention through the cooperation between the countries, and which would ensure overall economic benefits. The article concludes with strategic recommendations and measures to promote cross-border cooperation and increase the region’s competitiveness. The article contributes to the regional economic subject literature, as the concept of cross-border region competitiveness is developed by promoting not the competition of individual regions, but their cooperation by discovering common similarities in economic development. The article presents methodological logic and empirical calculations that would allow policy makers to develop cooperation strategies with those border regions with which it is expedient to cooperate for greater economic benefits. Promoting regional development and reducing regional disparities not only between regions within the same country but also between different countries requires the patient and consistent work of governments, businesses and academia, as well as individual communities, to develop measures and initiatives to promote cross-border cooperation.

ABSTRACTRecently proliferating practice- and people-centred accounts have offered useful insights on cross-border regionalism and cooperation in the European Union. However, the assumption of these studies concerning the dominantly national character of people’s ‘spatial socialisation’ and practices has produced a subtle but problematic bias towards nation-state (re)bordering and, relatedly, has implied a lack of recognition for the formation of transnational subjectivities and spaces. Inspired by fieldwork observations made in the Dutch-German-Belgian borderlands, the aim of this paper is to sketch a research agenda that comes to grips with the emerging transnational dimension of cross-border cooperation. Key to this agenda is the reconsideration of the notion of practice so as to acknowledge that cross-border cooperation entails simultaneous rebordering and debordering processes and is constituted through situated and embodied actions. The paper discusses discourse theory and practice theory as two useful perspectives for such a rethinking and outlines the key methodological implications for future research on cross-border cooperation.

The article examines the views of scientists on the definition of the content of the category cooperation, which made it possible to establish the existence of political, program-Project, regional, integration, sociological, realistic and Conflict-Cooperation approaches to understanding this concept. The existing models and forms of development of cross-border cooperation are studied. The classification of types of cross-border railway transport cooperation has been supplemented with the following features: 1) project implementation duration: one-time, long-term; 2) the form of implementation of cooperation: transport communication, virtual interaction, localization of production; 3) the nature of relations: formal, informal; 4) groups of projects of strategic cross-border cooperation of railway transport: projects for the development of freight transport and logistics, projects for the development of passenger transport, infrastructure development projects, traction services development projects, production and service development projects. Examples of infrastructure projects implemented on the basis of cross-border cooperation are given. The interrelation of priorities for the development of railway transport infrastructure and goals-values of socio-economic growth of regions within the framework of cross-border cooperation is revealed. Strategic directions for the development of railway transport infrastructure within a cross-border region are defined. It is proved that the development of railway transport infrastructure within cross-border regions should occur at the expense of: first, improving interoperability with EU railways; second, expanding virtual interaction; third, stimulating the creation of localized production facilities; fourth, the growth of the quality and availability of transport and logistics services within cross-border regions.

Police and Customs Cooperation Centres (PCCCs) have been established throughout the Schengen area as an important institution reinforcing mechanisms and procedures of cross-border law enforcement cooperation. Since the first PCCC became operational in Offenburg in 1999, about 40 centres have emerged, performing various functions and tasks in the area of internal security and law enforcement and constituting a valuable local tool of direct cross-border cooperation. In the reflection period preceding the 2009 Stockholm Programme, the so-called Future Group (High Level Advisory Group on EU Internal Security) suggested that the EU should establish a model of PCCC applicable to all member states and serving as ‘real police-customs centres of crisis management capable of handling events on an international scale.’ This chapter seeks to verify the above proposal and to reflect further on the importance of PCCCs for internal security of the EU and for cross-border cooperation in the Schengen zone. Several PCCCs will be analysed in order to extract similarities and differences as functional and institutional prerequisites for the elaboration of a framework PCCC. The evaluation of the role that PCCCs perform in everyday cross-border police cooperation will be juxtaposed with new instruments of Schengen governance, adopted in October 2013, particularly new provisions on common rules on the temporary reintroduction of border control at internal borders.

The development of cross-border cooperation recognize an important tool for gradual integration in the EU. Great need for improvement and development of the Ukrainian-Romanian cross-border cooperation does not lose relevance. Ukraine and Romania have significant potential for cross-border cooperation development. This situation caused by unrealized opportunities in the field of trade and economic development, the participation of countries in regional and international organizations, as well as Romania's membership in the EU. Romania is actively involved in the implementation of major EU programs. Stable economic growth, low inflation, stable exchange rate for leu on the euro and the low level of public debt help to the Romanian economy become possible destination for European investors. In the article the Ukrainian-Romanian economic relations (economic environment) of cross-border region. Contractual and legal documents that relating to cross-border cooperation, the composition of the Romanian-Ukrainian cross-border region are showed, paid attention to the problems that arise in the process of cooperation, cross-border clusters, operational programs and other activities of Ukrainian-Romanian cross-border region. Key words: cross-border cooperation; economic environment; Ukrainian-Romanian cross-border region; Euro-regional cooperation; legal framework.

In order to protect minimum wage and social standards in cross-border regions marked by considerable economic disparities, trade unions have built cooperation structures across adjoining (usually sub-national) regions. Since the 1970s more than 40 Interregional Trade Union Councils (IRTUCs) have been established. This article investigates emerging practices of cross-border trade union cooperation in the West Pannonia region between eastern Austria and western Hungary. It argues that IRTUCs can play an important role in fuelling cooperation to preserve wages and labour rights in cross-border regions, particularly in sectors with high precarious employment. While actual practices are contingent on regional union strategies as well as industrial relations and labour market institutions, cross-border cooperation occupies an important place within European industrial relations practices and can support new forms of capacity-building.

The problems of nation-building today cause the exploration of new frontiers, the evolution of their functions and roles in Eastern Europe and Russia and the comparison of the process of establishing new boundaries in the East of the European Union. Socioeconomic, ethno-cultural and historical features of the regions concerning the practice of cross-border activities, as well as institutional infrastructure defi ning the processes of cross-border integration in two different cross-border regions: Kaliningrad (Russian) and Transcarpathian (Ukraine) oblasts, are shown. In the first part of the paper the choice of regions is justified, their similar historical, institutional and ethno-cultural features that determine the development of cross-border cooperation are analyzed. The second part is devoted to the analysis of socioeconomic development of chosen regions in comparison with neighboring regions. The level of development of the Kaliningrad and Transcarpathian oblasts is compared with the level of development of similar administrative units of neighboring countries: counties and communes of Lithuania, provinces and powiats of Poland, counties of Romania and Hungary, territories and districts of Slovakia. Differences and contrasts along the border are considered in the context of actual and potential cross-border interactions and cooperation. In the third part authors examine the practice of cross-border activities along the border, including the impact of the border on the everyday life of local people. The main purpose of the paper is to determine the degree of infl uence of various factors on the development of cross-border integration, and to assess its prospects on the case of the Kaliningrad and Transcarpathian oblasts.

The paper observes an advent of unilateralism, brought by the pandemic, which has restricted cross-border flows and co-operation in the E.U. The pandemic re-introduced borders back in the E.U. and introduced new national border policies, which have complicated the lives of the people in the border regions. This might imply the imperfect communication between local cross-border co-operation stakeholders and central governments. It is therefore proposed to use the set of following five roles, which explain the importance of cross-border co-operation in cross-border regions: (1) multi-level governance form, (2) regional development tool, (3) paradiplomacy form, (4) post-conflict reconciliation tool and (5) Europe-building instrument. As those five roles cover functional, ideational and structural dimensions of cross-border co-operation, they have a potential to prevent the representatives of the central states from one-size-fits-all solutions and respect specificities of borderlands. This should help in the cases of repeated health crises, which would restrain the free border crossing in the E.U.

In the context of globalization and regional integration, for such small countries like Lithuania and Latvia, it is very important to keep theirs economic activity, be competitive and do not lose theirs notability both in the Baltic Sea region and over the Europe. Due to acceleration of internationalization process, each country's economy is starting to integrate into the wider markets, to search for the new niches and non-outgoing opportunities in order to strengthen economic potential and their competitive positions. The strengthening of economic potential by itself should not be straitening the country from its external neighbors. Contrarily, the counties’ cross-border cooperation should promote the most rapid economic and social development of these regions. In the scientific literature the cross-border region of different countries is treated as one region. However, performing the socio-economic analysis, there is a problem that the official socio- economic indicators of different countries are differ or part of them one or another country does not calculate at all. In scientific literature there is a lack of methodological basic of cross-border region's socio-economic evaluation, which, according to common economic and social indicators, is able unified to evaluate the development of cross-border region. The lack of methodological guidelines of cross-border socio-economic evaluation are becoming one of the obstacles which prevents to unified evaluate, analyze and ensure the socio-economic development of cross-border region as well as social and economic cohesion. The objective of the article: is to identify the specific of evaluation the socio-economic development of Lithuanian-Latvian cross-border region and provide methodological guidelines, based on the theoretical analysis of Klaipeda (Lithuania) and Kurzeme (Latvia) regions. In this article the cross-border region is defined as an administrative territorial unit consisting of two or more regions of neighbouring countries, with its own identity and some common historical, cultural and socio-economic characteristics, but the authorities representing the needs of different countries and political-legal norms. The authors look at the cross-border region as a solid region of two or more regions from different countries. The evaluation of Lithuanian-Latvian cross-border region economic-social development is based on the specifics of Klaipeda County (Lithuania) and the region of Kurzeme (Latvia). In this article the problematic of the evaluation of the Lithuanian - Latvian cross-border region economic - social development is analysed, the specifics of the cross-border region is identifies and the methodological guidelines, based on the theoretical analysis of development of Klaipeda (Lithuania) and Kurzeme (Latvia) regions, are presented. The model of evaluation the Lithuanian and Latvian cross-border region's economic and social development is presented, which became the methodological background for the formation of a unified system, consisting of 46 economic and social indicators. The article also presents scheme of evaluation of the Lithuanian-Latvian cross-border region economic-social development. The presented methodological backgrounds are useful for the drawing conclusions about cross-border economic-social development, identification of the strengths and weaknesses of the cross-border region and the overall social-economic trends, which are the prerequisite for the promotion of strategic decision, which are oriented to the stimulation of the development of cross-border region as well as evaluation of effectiveness of theirs implementation. This article is written on the base of the Latvia – Lithuania Cross Border Cooperation Programme 2007-2013 project Formation of methodological framework of regional business growth promotion (LT-LV) (project No. LV-LT/1.1/LLIII-152/2010), which was implemented by three partners: Kaunas University of Technology, Klaipeda University and Liepoja University. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.em.17.3.2120