Cross-border Cooperation Research Articles

Three-quarters of species’ ranges have not been covered by protected areas in global borders

Borderlands are increasingly recognized as critically important for biodiversity conservation owing to their ecological significance and high political profile. However, the species ranges covered by protected areas and their influencing factors in transboundary areas are still largely unknown worldwide. Here, based on the distributional ranges of 19,039 terrestrial vertebrates, we find that three-quarters of species’ ranges in global borders remain uncovered by protected areas, particularly in tropical areas of Southeast Asia and West Africa. The average protected area coverage of species ranges is lower in transboundary areas than non-transboundary areas after accounting for geographical differences in sampling efforts. We also observe that protected area coverage of species ranges increases with governance effectiveness, collaboration abilities, protection levels, sizes and establishment years of protected areas, and topographic complexity, but decreases with human population density, human development index, and cropland expansion. Furthermore, protected areas simultaneously face threats of ongoing global challenges from climate change, land-use modification, and alien species invasion, and the proportions of borderlands threatened by global changes are higher than elsewhere. All these findings demonstrate that cross-border cooperation is urgently needed to achieve the ambitious goal of global biodiversity conservation by 2050.

Governance of Fisheries in the International Watercourses of Spain and Portugal: The River Minho Condominium

ABSTRACT International watercourses relations are influenced by the political context and can serve as arenas for governance aimed at the sustainable management of water resources. On the border between Spain and Portugal, the first fishing agreements were formalised in the late 19th century, shortly after the signing of the treaty delimiting the political borders. This study focuses on the analysis of the role of these agreements in the international stretches of rivers and how they have contributed to fostering cross-border cooperation between both countries. Special attention is paid to the River Minho Condominium, where the predominant role of the military in controlling and supervising fishing in the river is highlighted. Through the analysis of these agreements and interviews conducted with various local stakeholders, including authorities, representatives of fishermen’s associations, environmental organisations, military personnel, and officials, this research reveals two main outcomes. Firstly, it emphasises that one of the benefits of fishing agreements lies in their capacity to promote cooperation in other areas beyond the river itself, encouraging new initiatives and projects in this cross-border region. Secondly, it points out that the supervisory role of the military in the River Minho, though historically accepted by the local community, currently faces some critical perspectives; among them, those advocating the opportunity to progress in establishing a cross-border civil body with authority over the comprehensive management of the international stretch of the River Minho.

Developing Cross-Border Spatial Planning: Establishing a Common Understanding Through a Forthcoming European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation Between Galicia and Portugal

At the border between Galicia (Spain) and Northern Portugal, where three European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) currently operate, the process to establish a fourth one is underway: Raia Seca Gerês/Xurés (RSGX). This new cross-border cooperation structure covers an area rich in natural and cultural heritage and mostly matches the Gerês/Xurés Transboundary Biosphere Reserve designated in 2009. The goal of this paper is to decipher to what extent a common understanding between both sides of the border might enable the delivery of a common spatial plan managed by the EGTC under the auspices of the sustainable development paradigm. The findings obtained from the interviews conducted indicate that borders remain present in the experiences and mentalities of the interviewed stakeholders and that cross-border spatial planning largely depends on territorial agendas linked to national-state sovereignty, hindering its factual implementation. The interviewees expect the future EGTC to serve as a mechanism to channel cooperation and redefine the role of the already designated Transboundary Biosphere Reserve, moving beyond isolated actions funded by Interreg and embracing a more integrated approach to cooperation.

Legal foundations of the establishment and development of cross-border and regional cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union

The article examines the legal principles of the formation and development of cross-border and regional cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union. Having summarized the entire complex of special legal literature, it is determined that the legal principles of the formation and development of cross-border and regional cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union have practically not been studied by legal science. It is established that the current policy of Ukraine is marked by a European integration priority, the implementation of which is impossible outside the format of cooperation with the European Union, including cross-border and regional cooperation. The process of forming the studied sphere of legal relations is determined, the main trends and features of the development of these relations at different stages of historical development are determined, it is determined that the functioning of cross-border and regional cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union can be possible only under the condition of sufficient and proper regulatory regulation. It has been studied that Ukraine’s intentions to develop relations with the European Union were first enshrined in a Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and later recorded in the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Ukraine and the European Communities and their Member States, and the requirements for cross-border and regional cooperation were defined in the Ukraine-European Union Action Plan “European Neighborhood Policy”, and later became more detailed in the Association Agreement between Ukraine, on the one hand, and the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, on the other hand. It was found that although the analysed regulatory legal acts of Ukraine have become somewhat oriented towards the norms of European Union law in the field of cross-border cooperation and regional cooperation, they still need improvement in terms of unification of terminology in the field of cross-border cooperation and regional cooperation; clear regulation of the status of the cross-border cooperation body under the euroregional cooperation groupings, clear regulation of the competence of local authorities regarding forms of cross-border cooperation, etc.

Reimagining Africa’s Insurance Landscape: How Regulatory Compliance Fuels AfCFTA’s Promise

This study explores how regulatory compliance in the African insurance sector can drive change under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It examines how harmonized regulatory frameworks can boost market resilience, facilitate cross-border operations, and enhance competitiveness. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research combines qualitative data from interviews with insurance executives, regulators, and academics, alongside quantitative surveys from 41 leaders across AfCFTA member countries. The findings reveal that aligned regulatory standards improve market stability and foster regional collaboration. However, challenges such as regulatory fragmentation, inconsistent data protection, and differing educational standards remain. The study advocates for a unified regulatory approach, enhanced cross-border cooperation, and the alignment of educational curricula to fully realize the AfCFTA’s potential in transforming Africa’s insurance market.

Activities of international institutions and organizations in the fight against crime

Relevance of the research topic is determined by modern challenges in the field of international security and law and order, associated with the growing scale of crime that extends beyond national jurisdictions. Globalization, the development of information technologies, and the expansion of cross-border cooperation have significantly complicated the fight against transnational crime. In this context, international institutions and organizations play a crucial role in coordinating state efforts, developing joint strategies, and ensuring effective justice. The article examines the activities of key international institutions and organizations involved in combating crime. In particular, it analyzes the functions and areas of work of structures such as Interpol, Europol, Eurojust, Aseanapol, Afripol, and Ameripol. Their contribution to combating crimes of an international nature is characterized. Special attention is paid to the specifics of activities in certain regions, information exchange mechanisms, and the facilitation of legal cooperation among states. The article also provides a clear distinction between international crimes and crimes of an international nature, which is essential for understanding the legal approaches to their classification and prosecution. International crimes, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression, fall under the jurisdiction of international criminal law and are prosecuted by specialized judicial bodies, including the International Criminal Court. In contrast, crimes of an international nature are primarily regulated by national legislation and international agreements, requiring enhanced cooperation among states. Such crimes include transnational organized crime, human trafficking, drug and arms trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering, corruption, and others. As a result of the analysis, it is concluded that effective interaction among states, international institutions, and organizations in combating crime is the key to detecting, solving, and investigating crimes (both international and of an international nature) and ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable.

The Impact of Directive (EU) 2019/771 in the EU: a Look at the COVID-19 Era, Recent Events, and Challenges in the Sustainable Development Goals Framework

Objective: The objective of this study is to add value to previous studies on the effects of consumer protection in EU countries, over the time of Covid-19, and challenges to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), mainly Goal 12 on wise use and making of goods. Theoretical Framework: In this topic, the main concepts and theories that underpin the research are presented. The Consumer Sovereignty, the theory of consumption vulnerability and consumer protection theory are used, providing a solid basis for understanding the context of the investigation. Method: The methodology adopted for this research comprises a comparative analysis basing of literature of recent years and official documents produced by the EU and legal institutions. As a case study, we focused on countries as Germany and Italy. Results and Discussion: The results show that unlike Italy, the application of the directive has been more effective in Germany, especially in preventing problems in online sales. However, the debate converge on the effective enforcement of their rights, and this is particularly seen in cases involving cross-border purchases of goods and digital services. Research Implications: This study highlights the need for consumers to exercise their rights, enhance transparency, promote regulatory adaptability and cross-border cooperation, and align business practices with consumer rights to advance SDG 12 in the digital market. Originality/Value: The originality value of this paper is to identify the effectiveness of the applicability of Directive (EU) 2019/771 to the challenges faced by EU consumers due to the transformations into the digital market and its contribution to achieving the SDG objectives.

USE OF ADVANCED INFORMATION ON PERSONS CROSSING THE STATE BORDER AT AIR BORDER CROSSING POINTS

Integrated border management is carried out in order to create and maintain a balance between ensuring an adequate level of border security and maintaining the openness of the state border for legitimate cross-border cooperation and for travelers. One of the ways to ensure such a balance is to use advanced information on persons crossing the state border.In Ukraine, four options for border checks procedures execution at air border crossing points were tested. They were executed: at BCP on the territory of Ukraine (standard procedure); on the board of the aircraft during the flight; on the territory of a neighboring state; before the international flights arrival by means of checksng advanced information according to the lists of passengers. The last of the listed methods was determined to be the most effective one.Information about passengers of the flight is collected in two formats: personal data of passengers and crew members and flight details of a specific international flight (API) and a record created by air carriers or their authorized representatives for each international flight booked by or on behalf of any passenger (PNR).So, the implementation of border checks of advanced information according flight passenger lists ensures a high level of organization of interaction with subjects of integrated border management; simplification of border checks and customs procedure for passengers traveling by plane; contributes to reducing the time for conducting control operations, etc.

Cross-Border Planning for Promoting Economic Development: A Case Study of Gold Coast Airport, Australia

Airports can be pivotal drivers of regional economic development. However, Gold Coast Airport’s cross-border location, spanning two local government areas (City of Gold Coast and Tweed Shire) and two Australian states (Queensland and New South Wales), has created several governance challenges affecting regional economic sustainability. This article explores three questions: (1) What are the barriers and opportunities to promote economic development and cross-border planning around Gold Coast Airport? (2) How do cross-border governance arrangements and planning frameworks impact the airport’s economic contributions? (3) What lessons can be drawn from this case study? To address these questions, the study uses a mixed-method approach comprising key informant interviews and policy analysis. The study finds that the airport’s economic impact is largely confined to the northern (Queensland) side of the border due to insufficient cross-border cooperation and fragmented planning frameworks. The article proposes transforming the border into a catalyst for economic development through three instruments: reimagining the border as a driver of growth, establishing a cross-border ‘airport city region’ with integrated governance, and creating a Cross-Border Committee under Federal oversight to foster collaboration. These insights are also relevant to other agencies managing major infrastructure projects with cross-border implications.

Research on Value Co-Creation Evolution Mechanism of Cross-Border Cooperation in Intelligent Connected Vehicle Industry

With the continuous development of information and communication technology, “software-defined vehicle” has become the trend of the times. The intelligent connected vehicle (ICV) is becoming a new direction for the development of the automotive industry. Nevertheless, the absence of cooperative innovation in the ICV sector, the dispersal of industrial chain resources, and the absence of enduring and consistent cooperation pose significant obstacles to value co-creation. Therefore, this paper constructs a value co-creation evolutionary game model of the innovation ecosystem of the ICV industry with the automotive enterprise, an intelligent automotive solution provider and the government as players, and applies prospect theory to optimize the tripartite evolutionary game. The payment matrix is established, the expected revenue is analyzed for each player’s strategies, and the replication dynamic equation and evolutionary stability strategy are analyzed. Finally, the theoretical research is validated through numerical simulation. The aim is to promote value co-creation by analyzing the co-evolution mechanism of various stakeholder strategies in the ICV innovation ecosystem. The results show the following: (1) The best evolutionary stability strategy is the positive cross-border cooperation between the automotive enterprise and the intelligent automotive solution provider, while the government gradually does not provide subsidies. (2) The government’s subsidy support should be controlled within an appropriate range. If the subsidy is too great, the marginal effect of incentives will gradually weaken. (3) The players’ willingness to integrate across borders can be enhanced by a higher level of trust and resource complementarity between the automotive enterprise and intelligent automotive solution provider. Also, liquidated damages and opportunity loss can effectively prevent the occurrence of negative integration behaviors. (4) The greater the risk attitude coefficient and risk aversion coefficient of the automotive enterprise and intelligent automotive solution provider, the more conducive they are to the occurrence of positive integration behavior.

The role of cross-border cooperation programme in de-marginalisation of peripheral border regions

ABSTRACT The objective of this paper is to identify the effects of cross-border cooperation undertaken within the framework of the 2014–2020 Poland-Russia Program, implemented in times of geopolitical instability. The analysis is based on a survey conducted with the beneficiaries of the program. The study was carried out in the Polish border area located in the immediate vicinity of the Kaliningrad Oblast (a militarized Russian exclave). The authors prove that the CBC in peripheral border areas along the external borders of the European Union is one of the key factors enabling their socio-economic stabilization, which determines the stakeholders’ efforts to cooperate with non-EU partners. In addition, the study shows that the new geopolitical paradigm (triggered by the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine), together with a sense of insecurity, are factors that end cooperation in peripheral border regions with an unsafe neighbourhood.

The evolution of SME development in the EU's cross-border cooperation: the example of direct funding in the Hungary-Croatia Interreg programme

The evolution of SME development in the EU's cross-border cooperation: the example of direct funding in the Hungary-Croatia Interreg programme

A review of the literature on the cross-border cooperation in Europe

A review of the literature on the cross-border cooperation in Europe

Cost sharing methodologies for remedial actions in cross-border cooperation between electricity transmission system operators

Cost sharing methodologies for remedial actions in cross-border cooperation between electricity transmission system operators

Cross-Border Regulatory Enforcement and Firms’ Asymmetric Cost Behavior

ABSTRACT Exploiting the staggered implementation of Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU) that facilitates cross-border enforcement cooperation, we examine the causal effect of changes in cross-border regulatory enforcement capacity on firms’ asymmetric cost behavior. Consistent with the view that strengthening cross-border regulatory enforcement of securities laws enhances corporate governance and improves information transparency, we find that U.S.-listed foreign firms reduce the degree of cost stickiness after the MMoU signage. This effect is more pronounced for (1) firms characterized with poor information quality, (2) firms from countries with weaker institutions, and (3) firms from countries where the memorandum more effectively fosters cross-border cooperation. Overall, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of cross-border institutional efforts on shaping managers’ opportunistic behavior.

International banking and cross-border supervisory cooperation: Lessons from Latin America

International banking and cross-border supervisory cooperation: Lessons from Latin America

The Importance of Tourism in Cross-Border Cooperation: Evidence from the Borderlands of Poland

ABSTRACT Cross-border cooperation (CBC) is considered an important element in the formation of borderlands and is often characterized by significant tourism development potential. The aim of this study was to determine the importance of tourism projects in the CBC within the EU cohesion policy and Neighbourhood Policy implemented in Poland's borderlands, and to identify regularities in the formation of cooperation from the point of view of the organizations involved in its implementation. We applied a mixed-method approach. The quantitative analysis included all CBC projects co-financed by EU funds (INTERREG, ETC, ENPI, ENI) in 2007–2013 and 2014–2020 in the borderlands of Poland, understood as the area on both sides of the border. The qualitative analysis was based on direct in-depth interviews conducted with selected Polish and foreign organizations involved in tourism projects. This study shows that tourism is an important component of cooperation in terms of its quantitative, qualitative, and spatial dimensions.

THE CANADA-UNITED STATES OPEN BORDER PARADOX

On November 18th, 2024, Dr. Christian Leuprecht presented The Canada-United States Open Border Paradox for this year’s West Coast Security Conference. The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer period with questions from the audience and CASIS Vancouver executives. The key points discussed were cross-border cooperation, the importance of Canada playing a proactive role in its border security, and emerging challenges with the changing nature of borders. Received: 12-27-2024 Revised: 01-30-2025

A Study on International Communication Strategies of Chinese Culture Based on the 5W Model

Guided by Harold Lasswell’s 5W model, this study explores the current status quo and bottlenecks of international communication of Chinese culture. A framework is constructed for the international dissemination of Chinese culture based on the 5W model and the following strategies are proposed: 1) Linkage and collaboration of multiple subjects to promote synergy, and highlighting the folk subjects “weak” communication force; 2) Fine-tuning universal values and distinctive cultures, and balancing traditional modernity with local characteristics; 3) Media integration to build a diversified communication system, and cross-border cooperation to broaden the communication channels; 4) Distinguishing the audiences to meet their different demand, and the establishment of audience feedback mechanism re-adjustment; 5) Constructing the evaluation system of communication effects, and launching the quantitative analysis to optimize communication strategies. By investigating these strategies, the study aims to address communication bottlenecks and promote the global dissemination of Chinese culture.

Cross-Border Communication Strategies: An Approach to Spanish Euroregions on Twitter (X)

In a political climate of social polarization and distrust in public institutions, which in turn fosters misinformation, the European Union (EU) faces the challenge of becoming closer to its citizens. At the same time, the EU has well-established collaboration mechanisms at the local and regional levels. In this context, this study aims to analyze the Euroregions project, one of the strategies used by the EU to manage the different regions of Europe through cross-border collaboration. Thus, the main objective of this study is to find out, using the social network X (formerly Twitter), the communication strategies deployed by the regional governments that make up each of the five Spanish Euroregions on institutions of cross-border cooperation. The results show that regional governments do not promote effective communication strategies to publicize these Euroregions. Rather, these governments try to communicate their management success, focusing their discourse on the issue of European funds and thus generating a situation of misinformation around the benefits of belonging to the European Union. Our findings contribute to the budding literature on regional European areas, arguing that certain political actions could ameliorate the feeling of disaffection of the population towards European institutions.