The Role of Schengen in the Development of Peripheral Borderland Regions

Szabolcs Pásztor Szabolcs Pásztor

doi:10.34101/actaagrar/44/2626

Abstract

This study aims to uncover the role of the Schengen borders of the European Union in rural and settlement development. Schengen integration applies certain restrictions at the external border-crossings, so the filtering role is to be taken into consideration. In addition to the disappearance of borders in the globalising economic area, the strict Schengen rules further burden the development of cross-border interactions, bringing about less frequent border crossings. Moreover, the economic integration of the affected borderlands would remain sluggish. The author points to the fact that the dynamics of a border interaction system should include a Schengen border degree between the interdependent and integrated borderland levels. Consequently, the Schengen borderlands should be in the focus of further border studies.

Highlights

With the expansion of globalisation and economic integration tendencies, the formerly deeply separating borders of Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe are undergoing a dramatic change
The development of peripheries became a significant problem in the integrating Western Europe because the rural and underdeveloped territories put an insurmountable obstacle in the way of further economic integration and brought several divisions in the common economic area
It is suggestible that the Schengen borderlands should have a special place in the dynamics of border interactions worked out by Martinez and the further scientific examination of this question is indispensable

Summary

Introduction

With the expansion of globalisation and economic integration tendencies, the formerly deeply separating borders of Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe are undergoing a dramatic change. Beginning from the the end of the XIX century a large number of geographists for example Batten, Johansson, Guichonnet, Raffestin, Hansen, Martinez, Prescott, Ratti, Ancel, Anderson, Ante, Aschauer, Clement, Courlet, Houtum, Paasi, Perkmann, Ratzel, Scott, Schmitt-Egner have focused on the role of state borders They have made large-scale research on the development and changes of borders because in the centralized states the border territories became pheripheries in comparison with the central regions. The results of some Hungarian scientists, e.g. Baranyi, Berényi, Csordás, Dancs, Enyedi, Erdősi, Éger, Fodor, Frisnyák, Golobics, Hajdú, Hardi, Horváth, Illés, Kobolka, Kocsis, Kovács, Lengyel, Majdán, Mészáros, Nárai, Nemes Nagy, Pál, Rechnitzer, Ruttkay, Sallai, Süli-Zakar, Szónokyné should be mentioned These researchers have focused on the role of borders and borderlands, the feature of external peripheries and cross-border relations. It is suggestible that the Schengen borderlands should have a special place in the dynamics of border interactions worked out by Martinez and the further scientific examination of this question is indispensable

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