Cross-border Projects Research Articles

IPA CBC FUND – TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN THE BRCKO DISTRICT

The European Union in different ways and through the structural funds, helps countries to develop in the Western Balkans. Decision of the EU, the total amount that will be available in Turkey, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period since 2007. 2013. is 4 billion. One of the priority measures under the IPA Cros-border coopertion (CBC) programme is the development of tourism. These measures should help and contribute to the development of tourism. How and in what way to access and become a user of these programs can help or helps? Cross-border projects involve regional cooperation and require financial resources in the preparation of the project. Trained staff is needed for this job. Local communities, along with their capacities should take on the preparation of these projects, and as partners include the tourist industry (workers) and encourage and inspire other tourist capacities in their local community.

Cross-Border Cooperation in Europe: The Case of Bihor-Hajdu Bihar Euroregion

Cross-border cooperation has become, in the recent years, one of the basic pillars of the elimination process of development disparities between regions. The available economic and social datas suggests an important development of the area border especially after 2002, when Hajdu-Bihar and Bihor founded the Bihor-Hajdu Bihar Euroregion. Regional policy has also contributed through several cross-border projects, financed from European funds and for the future there are premises to obtain a dynamic of regional economies in the two areas with increased investments in priority areas (infrastructure, environment business, tourism, education, health, etc.).

DEFINING ‘PERSONAL DATA’ IN E-SOCIAL SCIENCE

The concept of ‘personal data’ under UK and European Union (EU) data protection law is important for e-social science researchers who handle ‘personal data’, particularly in cross-border projects. The lack of harmonization across different EU Member States is problematic. Uncertainties and complexities associated with the ‘personal data’ definition, particularly in the UK, have resulted in practical difficulties, such as in relation to anonymization. This article discusses those issues and identifies areas where clarification of the law is needed.

‘That's the way they do it in Europe’: Redefining Culture in a Greek Border Region

This article aims at portraying the symbolic and material impact of cross-border and entrepreneurial EU-funded projects on the local public sphere of Evros, a Greek region bordering with Turkey. Often construed as ‘European policies’ at the local level, such projects reflect a complex interaction between the ‘European’, the ‘national’ and the ‘local’. In order to unravel the dynamics of such interaction, I focus on the case of local cultural associations. These associations stood as typical bearers of a romantic nationalist discourse; this local enactment of Greek nationalism was also related with specific forms of symbolic capital, through ostensibly ‘disinterested patriotic action’. The introduction of EU-funded projects in the local public sphere challenged such historically constructed practices. At the same time, these projects were mediated by the representatives of the Greek State and were locally appropriated as a reformulation of older national policies and funding channels. The article argues that the implementation of those projects brought about two significant changes in the local public sphere: the dissemination of cross-border policies throughout the 1990s and 2000s, and the growing importance of a new, market-oriented perception of public action, in local cultural associations.

Cross-Cultural Collaboration for Locally Developed Indigenous Curriculum

For over 400 years, Wabankaki children of Maine and eastern Canada have been assimilated into schools established by European immigrants. Low high school graduation rates, poor achievement outcomes, and overrepresentation of students in special education reveal an “invisible crisis” that threatens the survival of the indigenous culture and communities. Here we describe a collaborative cross-border project between the Gesgapegiag Mi’gmaq First Nation and northern Maine university professors that produced culturally based curricula in science and early childhood education. Our work involved indigenous ownership, cultural content, language, and instructional strategies.

EurSafety Health-net: development of an EURegional infection control quality certificate for nursing homes

As part of the EurSafety Health-net project, a cross-border German-Dutch healthcare project to reduce HAIs, and in cooperation with regional specialists in care for the elderly, we developed an infection control quality improvement program for nursing homes. Aim of this multi-year project is to implement a complete infection control program for nursing homes in a step-by-step fashion.

Cross-Border Regionalization, the INTERREG III a Initiative, and Local Cooperation at the Finnish-Swedish Border

Whereas most studies to date have viewed cross-border regionalization and cooperation from ‘top-down’ regional and institutional perspectives, and within the context of urban regions, I am concerned with the implementation of cross-border initiatives in the rural Finnish–Swedish border area. The focus is firstly on the implementation of cross-border projects in the European Union's INTERREG III A North programme (2000–06), and secondly on grassroots cooperation and local actors' experiences of cross-border initiatives. The findings indicate that cooperation is not a straightforward process of ‘ignoring’ state borders and creating new regional spaces across borders. The INTERREG programme documents emphasize the development of a functional, harmonious cross-border region. When the examination is moved to the local level and everyday institutional practices are considered, cooperation and the implementation of initiatives appear in a rather different light. Practices of cooperation are intertwined with different governmental and nongovernmental structures across multiple scales, but it is the state border which determines the norms and spatial organization of this cooperation and cross-border networks are still sparse compared with their national counterparts. What this paper suggests is that we should include the national as a significant scalar dimension more profoundly in our analysis of cross-border regionalization and cooperation.

Defining ‘Personal Data’ in e-Social Science

The concept of ‘personal data’ under UK and EU data protection law is important for e-social science researchers in the EU who handle ‘personal data’, particularly in cross-border projects. The lack of harmonisation across different EU Member States is problematic. Uncertainties and complexities associated with the definition of ‘personal data’, particularly in the UK, have given rise to practical difficulties, such as in relation to anonymisation. This article discusses those issues and their practical impact, and identifies areas in which there is a need for clarification of the law.

Policies and Measures to Mitigate Potential Environmental Impacts of Cross-Border Infrastructure Projects in Asia

While bringing positive impacts and benefits, cross-border infrastructure projects face additional challenges relative to national projects. Moreover, such projects involve a variety of technical, regulatory, institutional, and legal factors, and their obstacles constrain the development of cross-border infrastructure projects. This paper argues that proper technical specifications and well-functioning regulatory, institutional and legislative/legal frameworks with clearer lines of oversight are crucial to getting such projects off the ground in the first place and to ensure that they operate properly and reliably while minimizing their environmental impacts. It is pointed out that many issues in theses areas need to be addressed at the national level. The paper concludes that such domestic efforts, coupled with regional frameworks and arrangements wherever necessary, will promote the further development of cross-border infrastructure projects.

Foreign Direct Investment in Financing Regional Infrastructure

In this paper the authors critically review the relevant information and literature that can enhance the feasibility and the successful implementation of cross-border infrastructure projects. They provide detailed information concerning foreign direct investment in the major emerging regions: East Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. They also discuss the theoretical and empirical literature which sheds light on the characteristics of transnational infrastructure projects, who should conduct them, and what determines their existence. The literature points to the importance of government involvement in transnational infrastructure projects as there are clear external benefits which will otherwise not be reaped. It also points to the importance of coordination for the success of the project. The Asian Development Bank is well placed to perform that role. Lastly, they provide six cases of cross-border infrastructure projects, two each from East Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. These cases illustrate the critical need for smooth coordination of the diverse groups of team players, top-level backing of the projects, as well as a thorough understanding of all the political and financial factors involved that can influence the success of these projects. URL: https://www.adb.org/publications/foreign-direct-investment-cross-border-infrastructure-projects

Еврорегионы как фактор успешной международной интеграции в современных условиях

This article focuses on the correlation between the contemporary crisis phenomena in the Eurozone and some CIS countries with the existing Euroregions. We attempt to analyze the interdependence of the qualitative aspect of cross-border relations of European countries with their economic sustainability in the context of regional international integration. The theoretical significance of this work lies in the revealed correlation between the efficiency of cross-border Euroregions and the additional resources that can be retrieved in the framework of national economic policy during global recession. The practical component consists in clarifying the conceptual framework for the formation of successful cross-border education in today's Europe. The authors employed the historical-descriptive approach and factual consideration of the cross-border and macro-regional level of interaction between European countries. The main results are as follows. The crisis in several EU countries is associated with a complex of causes that deplete the platform for multilateral cooperation in Europe. To a lesser extent, the crisis has affected the states that are actively involved in cross-border cooperation projects. The formation of European regions is closely related to the industrial development of their regions. The Post-Soviet space requires a redistribution of overcentralized power. The abundance of Euro-regions along the perimeter of certain states may be an indicator of economy's resilience to potential shocks. The provisions set forth in the article contribute to the improvement of scientific understanding of political regionalistics and takes the current understanding of international system to the level of cross-border relations and institutions creating a system of interrelated elements of macro-regional and national building. The results can be applied in the development of a conceptual and legal framework for the construction of cross-border political formations in the Post-Soviet space, especially, within the Eurasian Economic Community, which coined the concept of «eurasiaregion».

Euroregions as a factor of successful international integration in modern conditions

The article focuses on the relationship of contemporary crises that occur in the euro area and in some CIS countries, with the existing Euroregions. The main objective is to analyze the interdependence of the qualitative aspect of cross-border linkages of European countries with their economic sustainability in the context of regional international integration. The theoretical significance of this work is to determine compliance with the efficiency of the existing across the perimeter of state’s borders Euroregions with additional resources that can be implemented within the framework of their national economic policy during the recession in the global economy. The practical component is to identify the conceptual contours of the formation of successful cross-border education in Europe today. The authors used historical-descriptive approach and factual review of cross-border and macro-regional level of interaction between European countries.The main results are the following. The crisis in several EU countries is associated with a complex of causes that deplete the platform for multilateral cooperation in Europe. To a lesser extent the crisis has affected the state which are actively involved in cross-border cooperation projects. Formation of European regions is closely related to the high industrial development of their constituent regions. The Post-Soviet Space has the need to redistribute excess of centralized authority. The abundance of existing Euro-regions along the perimeter of some states may be an indicator of the stability of the economy to potential shocks.Provisions set forth in the article contribute to improve the scientific understanding of the political regionalistic and detail current understanding of the international system to the level of cross-border linkages and institutions, creating a set of interrelated elements of macro-regional and national building. Practical application of results seen in the formation of a conceptual and legal framework for the construction of cross-border political formations in Post-Soviet Space, especially in the framework of the Eurasian Economic Community, which has drawn this line in the form of appearance of a new concept of eurasiaregion.

The Economic Potential of the Cross-cultural Capital

The cross-cultural capital is presumed to be an aggregate accumulation of knowledge, originating in a historic achievement of the society. Nevertheless, since we agree a definition of the capital in connection with obtaining profit, in connection with production and the market mechanisms, we admit therefore that cross cultural capital, as special as it might be in relation with the human capital, it bears profit too. Profit generators were classically known as production factors, owing market recognition, meeting the consumers’ solvent demands, fighting back the economic remissions. Especially in times of crisis, the entrepreneurs must find as many production factors as possible, in order to boost their overall income generating capacity. The industrial development remains the engine of the market economy, and this fact was proved by the evolutions of the recovering process in all the European countries, Romania included: without the industrial activities and exports, our country could not change growth index so fast, from (+)7% to (-)7% (2008,2009) and back to (+)1.5% as estimated in 2011. This spectacular flexibility cannot be sustained only by the fix capital and the appropriate work-force, in its quantitative parameters, but definitely there were other neofactors implicated in such dynamics. Adding on the potential of the firms, new types of production factors come into the research field of cutting costs: by hiring a skilled staff, in the sense that the factors defining the cultural and cross-cultural intelligence of the employed persons are measured at their highest levels (Linn Van Dyne, 2008), we can speak of low costs for a valuable production factor. The result for the company will be profit and competitiveness on the post-crisis reshaped markets.The potential of the cross-cultural capital cannot rely only on the private efforts, macroeconomic policies at national and European level are required. Europe finances cross-border projects, but not targeting the potential of the cross-cultural capital boosting. Such projects use the aggregate knowledge of organizations, targeting the general infrastructure, but still, they are an opportunity for organizations to express higher performance in the process of cross-cultural adaptation, and gain benefic achievements in experience and competitive advantages. The cross-cultural capital in Europe, in the ongoing cultural and economic convergence is a recovery element of the economy.

Trends in National and Regional Investors Financing Crossborder Infrastructure Projects in Asia

This study examines a range of cross-border infrastructure development issues related to the Asian countries. Despite active pursuit of private investment in infrastructure by most developing countries in Asia and a growing number of success stories, the pace of such investment remains slow. Participation by the private sector in infrastructure development has been mixed. While there has been moderate progress in national infrastructure development by the private sector, progress is rather limited in the case of development of cross-border infrastructure in Asia. This study documents that Asian countries have attracted higher private sector investment for the development of national infrastructure projects such as seaports and airports as compared to cross-border infrastructure projects. The rising trend among private investors in infrastructure projects indicates a decline of investments by developed country investors. One of the findings of this study is that cross-border energy projects have received greater private sector investment globally as compared to transport, telecommunication, and water projects. In the context of Asia, too, energy sector projects still dominate the investment scenario. By considering all modes of financing, this study finds that cross-border infrastructure financing in Asia has witnessed an upward trend in the last decade and a half. Aside from hydropower projects in Bhutan, cross-border infrastructure in Asia is pursued through public-private partnerships. Interestingly, these few cross-border projects in Asia have limited private sector investors, compared to other regions, despite a wide base of local investors in Asia. This paper also shows that public sector investment drives cross-border energy and transportation projects in Asia, whereas private sector investments have picked up the pace only recently, specifically after the 1997 Asian financial crisis. This study recommends that given the huge infrastructure investment needs of the region and insufficient government resources, the role of the private sector and public-private partnerships in enhancing infrastructure facilities in Asia is very crucial. A review of select case studies of cross-border infrastructure projects clearly indicates that the major reasons for slow progress of regional infrastructure development by private sector stem from both economic to non-economic issues that need to be addressed in order to promote seamless Asia.

The political economy of regional integration projects at borders where poor and rich meet: The role of cross-border shopping and community sorting

At borders between poor and rich countries, huge service price differentials could be exploited to mutual benefit, offering better-paid job opportunities to the poor as well as better shopping opportunities to the rich. However, cross-border shopping is often limited by the substantial transaction costs of crossing the border. Moreover, countries and regions frequently fail to cut these transaction costs even when they have the opportunity to do so. We provide a politico-economic analysis of cross-border integration projects. More specifically, we show how the political outcome depends on (i) intra-country mobility, (ii) decision making and housing ownership regimes, and (iii) federal grants and international border regulations. Our analysis builds on two key characteristics in which individuals differ: interregional mobility and intercultural ability.

Regional policy of the European Communities and cross-border cooperation within the South Bohemia Region

The paper is focused on the problems of the cross-border cooperation and the regional policy of the European Communities and the implementation of theoretical issues in the South Bohemia Region. The main aim of this paper is to compare the cross-border cooperation and its influence on the regional development of the South Bohemia Region between the 2004–2006 programming period (after the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Communities) and the 2007–2013 programming period. The paper also provides the typology of the realised cross-border projects from the perspectives of the number of projects and also their financial allocation. The results document the increasing importance of the cross-border cooperation and its highly positive impact on the social and economic development of the South Bohemia Region.

Multi-actor Strategies of Health-Enhanced Physical Activities for Children in Local Communities of the European Union

In recent years there has been a shift to focus the benefits of physical activity as a new integral part of public health policies to counteract the growing epidemic of obesity in childhood on a European level. PURPOSE: The purpose of the "Healthy children In Sound Community" project (HCSC-EU) is to transfer/diffuse and implement the multi-actor strategy of the previous Dutch-German cross-border project to several other local municipalities in 6 other EU countries. Until the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty (1 December 2009) the European Community and European Union did not have direct responsibility for sport. But the EU/EC Institutions were increasingly involved in sport related matters. METHODS: Local municipalities establish "front offices" with stakeholders of the different education, sport and health representatives of the municipality. A "community moderator" serves to implement health-enhancing PE-classes, co-curricular physical activities of daily non-motorized transportation to school and back home and extra- curricular activities which are provided via special "health courses" given by local sport clubs as partners of the HCSC-affiliated schools. Two individually tailored health courses are weekly attended by the school students in addition to their PE lessons in order to have in summary daily physical activity units for about 60 to 90 minutes. RESULTS: Two pilot studies were conducted in the municipalities of Velen, DE (n=124) and Winterswijk, NL (n=459). A complex physical fitness test (gkgk-test) was applied in a cross-sectional (NL) and a longitudinal study (DE). Results of the German study proof that a 6 months training programme of 3 health enhanced PE lessons and 2 courses of extra-curricular activities at a sport club individually tailored for the students lead to a better BMI (reduction grade 3 /stabilization in grade 2) and a better basic motor fitness profile for different percentile groups (e.g. P<25). The Dutch results were related to daily playing outside and lower BMI. CONCLUSIONS: A local stakeholder network for health enhanced school PE and sport club PA can increase time allocation for an active lifestyle. Individually tailored courses for children are needed to further progress physical fitness and motor development to achieve a sound development of the BMI.

Results of projects on collecting, mapping, monitoring, and conserving of plant genetic resources 1990-2008

&amp;nbsp;Old landraces and obsolete cultivars represent a national heritage that must be conserved for future generations. Similarly, crop wild relatives (CWR) are a valuable gene pool for plant breeding or for direct introduction as a new crop. These materials have been mapped, collected, evaluated, regenerated, and conserved in the Gene Bank. In total, 3726 seed and vegetative samples have been collected in the Czech Republic, as well as 1582 abroad (in Slovakia, Poland and Austria) during cross-border cooperation projects. All collecting sites (over 1000) were located by GPS and plotted using the Geobaze Professional 2.8 mapping software. Altogether, 688 samples were declared as a national collection, and 627 seed accessions were conserved in the Gene Bank. In addition, 842 accessions of fruits were recommended for &lt;I&gt;in situ &lt;/I&gt;conservation. Selected species of the families &lt;I&gt;Poaceae, Fabaceae, &lt;/I&gt;and &lt;I&gt;Alliaceae&lt;/I&gt;, which are rare or threatened in the Czech Republic, have been monitored &lt;I&gt;in situ &lt;/I&gt;for 3–5 years. Two sites were suggested for protection as new protected areas.

Sustainability in the bio/agro industry: a case study

With the current significant increase in economic and environmental pressures, industry leaders are now calling for sustainable solutions, while politicians are looking for ways to legislate accordingly. Any such solutions and subsequent legislation would need to be both effective and economically viable. In short, we know what needs to be done, we now need to find ways to make it happen. Established in 2007, Biopark Terneuzen, The Netherlands, is acting as a catalyst, smart linking agro-industrial companies operating in the same geography. The objective of the initiative is to encourage and facilitate companies’ drive to maximise the use of one another’s by-products and waste matters, turning them into feedstock, energy or utility supplements. Although still in the early stages of development, this initiative is already showing positive results for its participants. This article looks at the achievements of Biopark Terneuzen to date and discusses the future challenges and practical implications of smartlinking. Bio Base Europe, a cross-border joint project to drive the transition from fossil-based to bio-based industrial processes, is also discussed.

Drawn from memory: reminiscing, narrative and the visual image

A brief review of Marcel Proust's views on art, photography and memory, as expressed in his A la recherche du temps perdu (1913-1927), sets the scene for a discussion of the value of photographs for reminiscing in the context of computer-based visual narratives. The paper examines three video interviews produced by the author for interactive flexible narrative programmes: 'NM2: new media for a new millennium' (Wright, 2007) and 'The Drogheda Viaduct' a Fusion Irish cross-border digital media project. The clips demonstrate different approaches to reminiscing including personal reminiscences, social memory and a diachronic method of relating the past. The discussion considers how personal memory relates to cultural memory, how the 'objects of memory' can be drawn upon and how they are recounted. Thus, the function of photographic-based images as memory aids, or as stimuli for reminiscing, is placed in the context of the narratives that can be constructed around the image.