European Grouping Of Territorial Cooperation Research Articles

The Consequences of Brexit for Gibraltar

Within the framework of negotiations between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU), a Protocol on Gibraltar was included in the Agreement on the Withdrawal of the UK from the EU, signed in January 2020. That Protocol makes reference to the four bilateral agreements or Anglo-Spanish Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on citizens’ rights, tobacco and other products, environmental cooperation and police and customs cooperation, with provision for the adoption of an international treaty on taxation and protection of financial interests.Withdrawal Agreement negotiations have implied a major shake-up in Anglo-Spanish relations concerning Gibraltar, as Spain is recognized as an essential role for the application of EU law to said territory. This position of negotiating strength is maintained since after leaving the UK the EU must reach an agreement on the future EU-UK Relations Treaty before the end of the transitional period in December 2020. Spain’s relationship with the UK and Gibraltar is also conditioned by the express recognition given to the competent authorities (not only those of Gibraltar, but also those of the surrounding area) in the Memoranda of Understanding as well as in the Protocol on Gibraltar adopted by the EU and the UK.The object of this Study will be to analyse the consequences of Brexit for Gibraltar in relation to the following EU freedoms and policies, among others: Cross-border cooperation and economic, social and territorial cohesion: the creation of a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC)-Campo de Gibraltar/Gibraltar; Area of freedom, security and justice: police cooperation; Free movement of persons - frontier workers; Freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services and; Environmental cooperation. All these aspects are examined from a double perspective: with a ‘hard Brexit’ without an agreement, or with a Brexit with a UK-EU agreement.

SUB-STATE MOBILIZATION IN ‘HIGH POLITICS’: THE ROLE OF REGIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNANCE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Subnational mobilization literature has flourished since the mid. 1990s. Regional and local authorities have tried, not always successfully, to utilize alternative channels of representation in the European Union (EU) in different policy areas and with different scope and depth. The policy areas and the degree of subnational mobilization is greatly varied contingent on exogenous -at the EU level- and endogenous -within local and regional organisational capacity- factors. Most commonly, subnational authorities (SNAs) find themselves involved in cohesion policy issues, environmental affairs, and social policy measures, mostly involved in the implementation phase. However, as the EU continuously emphasizes the importance of regional and local authorities in facilitating the European integration process, it has fuelled SNAs’ institutional ambitions and expanded their aspirations for participation in new policy areas, even in fields traditionally considered to be exercised –and monopolized–by national authorities, such as foreign policy issues. This article focuses on the role of subnational institutions in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), a relatively new policy area compared to other established EU policies. In short, the ENP was introduced in 2004 and revised in 2011 and 2015. Its rationale is to bring closer EU countries and their neighbours, so as to work together on issues regarding prosperity, stability and security for all. The ENP constitutes a policy field for subnational authorities that aim to mobilize in the supranational arena. The European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI – former European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument/ENPI) is the ENP financial tool which provides opportunities for “financial mobilization” to institutional actors by granting funds for implementing programmes. In addition, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), the official assembly of representatives of local and regional authorities in the EU, stands for another channel for subnational mobilization. Through specific policy initiatives that have been established and promoted by the CoR, namely the Conference of Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP) and the Assembly of Local and Regional elected Representatives from the EU and its Mediterranean partners (ARLEM), local and regional institutions have the opportunity to actively participate in the ENP. Moreover, the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) serves as a distinct policy tool for enhancing territorial development and cooperation, allowing for the engagement of subnational actors from different EU countries –and third countries as well. Drawing on the literature of multi-level governance, it is argued that sub-state entities have managed to expand their institutional role in new policy areas that have been traditionally monopolized by central state authorities. Empirical evidence is utilized by examining certain types of subnational mobilization originally found on initiatives proposed and developed by the CoR, the financial instrument of the ENP (ENI) as well as the EGTC. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eis.0.12.20869

Cross-border Cooperation in Action: Taking a Closer Look at the Galicia–North of Portugal European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation

ABSTRACTThe proposed hypothesis of this Special Issue is that the degree to which cross-border cooperation happens, results to some extent from the capacity the border community and/or a variety of social actors who exert some sort of influence over territorial matters have to reduce transaction costs. Cross-border cooperation has been going on for decades, and a lot has been theorized on the matter. This paper does not propose to contribute significantly towards the theoretical debate but to present some empirical conclusions using the Portugal–Spanish border, more specifically the Galicia–North of Portugal European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation. In this case study we consider the interaction between social actors and border community and how certain transaction costs have been addressed, seeking to identify variations in border effects and what has been the border community response. The debate will center on the aspect of the networks emerging over this border and their interaction with the borderland communities.

Σύγχρονες Μορφές Διακυβέρνησης στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση: Η Περίπτωση του Ευρωπαϊκού Ομίλου Εδαφικής Συνεργασίας

The process of European integration poses pressures for new modes of governance in the European space, allowing for the development of subnational mobilization. The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) constitute a formal type of cross-border, inter-state and inter-regional co-operation aiming at improving social, economic, and territorial cohesion. This article focuses on the EGTCs as a new mode of multi-level governance. It is argued that motivation for participation in an EGTC stands for an essential precondition for attracting new members, however, is not suffi cient taking into account intervening variables which have an impact upon subnational mobilization.

European Union Funds in the development of European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs) in Europe

European Union Funds in the development of European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs) in Europe

Investing in the Future

The purpose of this study is to investigate empirically the role of innovation activity in 16+1 cooperation, within the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). We also identified those internal and external factors, which might cause improvements in innovation performance of CEE companies. Our main focus was on technology-based research and innovations. We applied qualitative research methods. Our findings demonstrate that CEE companies have significant contribution to performance. We found that key success factors of these organisations are based on four elements: knowledge management, access to financial resources, managing formal and informal networks, as well as achieving synergies between technological and non-technological innovations. The preparation of the analytical study was facilitated by being part of a Slovenian-Hungarian MASH European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation and thus, through our cross-border relations, we have more information, we are deeper into the functioning and / or non-functioning EU systems.

Cooperation within systems competition: the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation

Mit dem Europaischen Verbund fur territoriale Zusammenarbeit (EVTZ) hat die Europaische Union (EU) eine supranationale Rechtsform fur grenzuberschreitende, interregionale und transnationale Kooperationen geschaffen. Damit konnen Kooperationen von Gebietskorperschaften, Einrichtung des offentlichen Rechts und Verbanden o. a. eine eigene Rechtspersonlichkeit erlangen. Ziel ist es, eine verbesserte Governance territorialer Zusammenarbeit zu ermoglichen, wobei der Inhalt der Kooperation unterschiedliche Teilbereiche der Wirtschaftspolitik erfasst. Dieser Beitrag stellt den EVTZ vor und untersucht, wie dieses institutionelle Design als rechtliche Form fur Kooperationen im Systemwettbewerb einzuordnen ist. Im Ergebnis der Analyse zeigt sich, dass der EVTZ ein vielversprechendes Instrument zur Bereitstellung regionaler Infrastruktur durch offentliche Akteure sein kann. Im Rahmen des Systemwettbewerbs ist von einem positiven Einfluss auf Yardstick- und Standortwettbewerb auszugehen, wahrend ein allenfalls schwacher Einfluss auf den Regulierungswettbewerb und den Regelwettbewerb anzunehmen ist.

Kontynuacja i zmiana: prawne regulacje europejskiej współpracy terytorialnej

Europejską współpracę terytorialną (EWT) wprowadzono jako jeden z celów polityki spójności Unii Europejskiej w perspektywie finansowej 2007–2013. Regulacje przyjęte na lata 2014–2020 oznaczają zarówno kontynuację pewnych sprawdzonych wcześniej rozwiązań, jak i wprowadzenie – mniej lub bardziej istotnych – zmian wynikających z oceny doświadczeń lat poprzednich. Celem artykułu jest przeprowadzenie analizy porównawczej regulacji prawa unijnego dotyczących wsparcia EWT z Europejskiego Funduszu Rozwoju Regionalnego oraz instrumentu prawnego, jakim jest europejskie ugrupowanie współpracy terytorialnej (EUWT).

Uwarunkowania powstania i rozwoju Mechanizmu Europejskiego Ugrupowania Współpracy Terytorialnej (EUWT) na północno-wschodnim pograniczu Polski

For almost a decade, the European Union has provided and promoted a new form of crossborder cooperation – the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). The number of such groupings has currently exceeded 60, and is still growing. In Poland, four EGTCs are already operational, and several more are to be established. Among the latter, the recent initiative to launch an EGTC in the Polish-Lithuanian borderland is particularly interesting, implying the possibility of coopting partners from the neighbouring third countries (especially from the area of Grodno). The new EGTCs have excellent prospects but also many obstacles to overcome. The outlook seems, however, optimistic, especially providing a rational use of the potential, knowledge and experience of the partners.

European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation: a means to harden spatially dispersed cooperation?

In the past decade, over 60 European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs) have emerged, which are intended to help institutionalize cross-border cooperation. This paper analyses how establishing an EGTC contributes to the institutional ‘hardening’ of the spatially dispersed variant of cross-border cooperations and examines the attendant challenges. The research seeks to contribute to current debates concerning ‘soft spaces’ and makes the case that EGTCs represent a flexible tool for the hardening of spatially dispersed cross-border cooperations.

Development of Symbolic Shape of the Region and Rejection of the Name Nové Sudety

The planning of a new European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) on the Czech-Polish border generated a debate about the name of the newly emerging body. The Czech side refused to accept the nameSudety[Sudetenland] and later also the nameNové Sudety[New Sudetenland]. The article analyses the attitude of mayors from the border districts of the area in question on the Czech side of the border to the issue of using the nameNové Sudety. The analysis wants to assess the influence of the location of a municipality on the relict Czech-German language boundary from 1930 and of a mayor’s political affiliation on the acceptance of the nameNové Sudetyby a municipality mayor. The mayors’ attitudes were revealed by means of a targeted online poll. The rejection of the name was interpreted in a wider historical-geographical context, taking into account the etymology of the Sudeten geographical name and within the theory of institutionalisation of regions by geographer Anssi Paasi.

Gibraltar, the Brexit, the Symbolic Sovereignty, and the Dispute. A Principality in the Straits?

Gibraltar, the Brexit, the Symbolic Sovereignty, and the Dispute. A Principality in the Straits?

THE DIRECTIONS OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION OF THE POLISH VOIVODESHIPS AND LARGE CITIES WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON COOPERATION WITH UKRAINE

Nowadays a foreign policy is no longer the domain of national governments and the role of international relations at the level of regions and cities is growing. For these territorial units, it is a way to build their competitive position in a globalising world. The paper aims at examining the structure of the directions of international relations of the Polish voivodeships and cities - regional capitals, taking into account the role that the Ukrainian regions and cities play in this structure. Observations were made regarding differences in the directions of international activity of the voivodeships and their capitals as well as the dynamics of this phenomenon over time, and conclusions were drawn recommending the involvement of territorial units in international cooperation. Bilateral relations with partner cities and regions prove to be only a prelude to network integration which for years has been promoted by the structures of the European Union, first by its support for Euroregions, and in the last decade through the creation of European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation. The involvement of regions and cities in the structures of international cooperation can significantly affect the creation of a strong competitive position in the territorial market.

Institutionalizing (cross-border) citizenship on subnational level – The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) as new administrative space for participatory and functional governance in Europe

Cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation of subnational entities within the European Union have been strengthened politically, legally and financially by the EU and the Council of Europe. Nearly every border region in the EU participates in some form of cooperation structure across borders – mainly due to financial support by the EU joint initiative INTERREG. In general, these Europeanization effects of regional administrative integration have been described by scholars using neofunctionalist (multilevel governance) and intergovernmentalist approaches highlighting the cooperation rationale of cross-border actors.The aim of the research project is to go a step ahead following a conceptual shift towards a normative - participatory approach of (cross-border) regional integration. On the basis of the EU legal instrument European Grouping of territorial cooperation (EGTC), processes of re-scaling, re-territorialization and paradiplomacy in a “Europe of the territories” will be analyzed with regard to inclusiveness and modes of subnational participatory governance.In general, policy-making and strategic development of the EU regional policy, particularly the European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) are products of a successive bargaining and functional technocratic regulation between the administrative elites within the EU multilevel (supranational, national, subnational) polity excluding the local community. The aim of the research project is thus to elaborate forms and channels of transborder participatory governance in EU transnational spaces and to examine pre-conditions for the establishment of an increased inclusion of a cross-border citizenship. Moreover, it focuses on the problems and obstacles of the institutionalization of deliberative and participatory mechanisms of a subnational citizenship in a postnational multilevel arena. Finally, the research - that is based on a case study of the EGTC Galicia-Norte de Portugal - analyzes to what extent the EGTC foster both the consolidation of cross-border cooperation and institutionalization of transnational participation on a subnational level.

Bridging borders through institution-building: the EGTC as a facilitator of institutional integration in cross-border regions

ABSTRACTThis article examines cross-border integration at the sub-state level in the frame of a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). The EGTC is a supranational and directly applicable EU legal instrument that regulates the creation of cross-border ‘associations' with legal personality between public authorities. Thus, it represents a policy tool that can have an effect on the institutional frame of cross-border cooperation and potentially enhance cross-border institutional integration at the sub-state level. The aim of this article is to examine the potential effect of this EU instrument on cross-border institutional integration by studying the institutional architecture of selected EGTCs. This is done on the basis of an analytical grid that defines elements of a possible integration process based on an institutional-oriented approach. This analytical grid is applied to four case studies: the Eurométropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai, the EGTC Ister-Granum, the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion and the European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino. The empirical analysis shows that despite the considerable improvement of the legal basis for cooperation, the possible effect of the EGTC for further institutional cross-border integration is still rather limited due to a narrow design of institutions and a low level of actor involvement.

The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC): Towards a Supraregional Scale of Governance in the Greater Region SaarLorLux?

ABSTRACTAll over Europe, EGTCs (European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation) are mushrooming. Between 2006, when the EU regulation entered into force, and 2014, 51 EGTCs have been established. Conceived as a legal tool to facilitate cross-border, interregional or transnational cooperation, the EGTC was established after years of lobbying from cross-border organisations. Apart from practical guidelines mostly dedicated to the legal possibilities and limitations of this tool, few academic studies examine the significance of this tool for cross-border governance as such. This paper develops such a perspective, using the case study of the Greater Region SaarLorLux, (Lorraine, Luxembourg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Wallonia), where two existing EGTCs are operating. The EGTC INTERREG IV A Greater Region is the only EGTC managing an EU programme; the EGTC Secretariat of the Summit supports the main political organisation in this area. This contribution argues that the EGTC tool can facilitate the emergence of a supraregional scale of governance. This paper examines how this instrument allows the institutionalisation of a cross-border entity in terms of its capacity to embody and perpetuate the cross-border region, and to implement its strategy. It then applies this conceptualisation to the specific context of the Greater Region. The empirical analysis shows that although the two EGTCs institutionalise the cooperation, they are rather conceived as administrative and operational tools. The paper concludes with possible explanations of such a mismatch between the potential of this tool and the effective use of it.

Governance of cross-border regional cooperation by the EGTC – An explorative analysis with a focus on Hungarian EGTCs

The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) is a supranational legal form in the EU. Introduced in 2006, it grants legal personality to public entities from different member (and non-member) states to promote cross-border, interregional and transnational cooperation. In this paper we discuss this legal form. In addition we provide an overview of the 17 EGTCs with Hungarian participation. We present first explorative results form a survey among 216 Hungarian public entities which are part of EGTCs. According to our findings, the EGTC seems to provide a functioning governance form for cross-border regional cooperation among public entities.

Europejskie Ugrupowanie Współpracy Terytorialnej – nowy instrument prawny i ekonomiczny ułatwiający rozwój turystyki transgranicznej w Polsce

Europejskie Ugrupowanie Współpracy Terytorialnej jest nowym instrumentem prawnym ułatwiającym rozwój turystyki transgranicznej. Regulacje unijne i krajowe obligują władze ugrupowań do wzmacniania spójności społeczno-ekonomicznej, wskazując podstawowe cele działalności. Cele szczegółowe określają same ugrupowania. Wśród tych celów najczęściej pojawia się turystyka. W Polsce powołano trzy EUWT, a kolejne dwa powstają. Inicjatorami były jednostki samorządu terytorialnego. Członkowie zagraniczni pochodzili z czterech państw: Czech, Słowacji, Szwecji i Węgier. Wszystkie polskie ugrupowania podjęły już działania na rzecz rozwoju turystyki transgranicznej, pomimo barier prawnych, finansowych i politycznych. Opracowały strategie rozwoju, w których turystyka stała się jednym z celów priorytetowych. Podjęły działania na rzecz rozwoju i promocji destynacji transnarodowych. Realizują projekty turystyczne, w których najczęściej pełnią funkcję liderów. Barierą w rozwoju turystyki transgranicznej jest brak zgody rządu RP na sprawowanie funkcji instytucji zarządzającej programami unijnymi oraz brak procedury przyjmowania do EUWT członków spoza Unii Europejskiej. &nbsp

The Development of Cross-border Cooperation in an EU Macroregion – A Case Study of the Baltic Sea Region

Abstract The Baltic Sea Region became an EU testing ground for international cooperation. This article presents the origin and the typologies of this cooperation. Macroregional, territorial and cross-border cooperation was discussed. The main aim of this article was to analyse the key determinants of the development of cross-border cooperation in the BSR, an EU macroregion. Based on literature studies, the BSR was delimited, proposing a definition of this area that is the most beneficial from economic point of view. Having performed an analysis of documents and economic data, it was proven that macroregional cooperation supports territorial cooperation in the BSR in a significant way. For this purpose, the financing devices of territorial cooperation, i.e. cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation programmes, were analysed. It was proven that the priorities of these programmes comply with the priorities of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. Furthermore, an attempt was made to analyse the organisational resources of cross-border cooperation, with particular focus on Euroregions and European groupings of territorial cooperation. A diagnosis of the state was made based on secondary and primary data obtained from interviews. It was shown that the organisational structure is not fully efficient, which is a barrier to the development of cross-border cooperation

Bridging National and Ethnic Borders: The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation as a Space for Minorities

This article investigates territorial cooperation as an instrument that may help to link the two central objectives of the Council of Europe and the European Union: strengthening integration and cohesion, while encouraging and safeguarding diversity. Drawing on studies on minority protection and diversity management as well as on European integration, the authors examine the impact of regional development policies and strategies, in particular territorial cooperation, on minorities, on the one hand, and the importance of minorities for these policies on the other hand. The article focuses on the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) as concrete policy instrument to promote territorial cooperation, studying its practical implementation on the Austrian-Italian border.