Interregional Cooperation Research Articles

The Dilemma of Sustainable Development of Russian Arctic Development Based on ANP-SWOT Model Theory Perspective

This study mainly focuses on the development of the Arctic region and the difficulties it faces in the new situation. Finding a suitable development path for low-carbon environmental protection and sustainable development has gradually become the focus of attention in all countries. The secret contest of strength is also becoming increasingly fierce. The escalation of the arms race has virtually made the ambitious Russian Arctic plan more radical. This article will use the “ANP-SWOT” strategic analysis method to reveal the possible damage to the environment of the Arctic region and its unsustainable side behind Russia’s grand development plan in the Arctic region. At the same time, it will list the views and contradictions of the countries in the region for the proposals on the resolution of conflicts, broaden the perspective to the global scope, take the common interests of all mankind as the starting point, combine the views and contradictions of all parties, and put forward proposals that are truly beneficial to the development of the Arctic region, thereby promoting inter-regional cooperation and developing a new Arctic strategy that prioritizes global progress and prosperity.

ВЕРХНЕВОЛЖСКИЕ ОБЛАСТИ И МЕЖРЕГИОНАЛЬНОЕ ВЗАИМОДЕЙСТВИЕ В СССР (1960-1980-Е ГГ.)

The central concept of the study is interregional interaction. The article discusses the main forms of interregional cooperation in the late USSR. The interregional cooperation of the institutions of power in the USSR in the 1960s-1980s is analyzed. The features of interregional communication of the leading personnel of the Upper Volga regions of the RSFSR (Ivanovo, Kostroma, Yaroslavl) are studied. Attention is paid to the consideration of significant "horizontal" links ("region-region" line) in interregional interaction. The corpus of sources includes declassified archival documents from the State Archives of the Ivanovo Region (GAIO), the State Archives of Contemporary History of the Kostroma Region (GANIKO), official regulatory documents, data from oral history and scientific literature. The article states that in the 1960s-1980s. there was an increase in interregional communication based on production chains. It is emphasized that there was an increase in contacts between the Upper Volga regions and various regions of the USSR, including the union republics (Belarus, Uzbekistan, Ukraine). It is concluded that the interregional interaction of the Upper Volga regions was influenced by three factors: economic, ideological, personal.

The Economy of Simple Things and the Growth Points of the Economy Irkutsk Region in Terms of Import Substitution

In this article, the problems of the development of the economy of simple things are considered and the points of growth of the economy of the Irkutsk region in the conditions of import substitution are determined. The economy of simple things allows you to develop small and medium-sized businesses, fill the domestic market with domestic consumer goods, create your own production of parts and components, ensuring the technological security of large businesses. At the same time, cooperative ties between enterprises are developing. The article discusses the experience of developing the economy of simple things in Kazakhstan. The Irkutsk region has a huge potential for the growth of the non-oil sector. The development of the economy of simple things can become one of the growth points of the Irkutsk region. The development of the economy of simple things is connected with such institutions as clusters and industrial parks. The modern tendencies of their formation and functioning are considered. The article studies the experience of import substitution at the enterprises of the Irkutsk region. The tools for supporting enterprises within clusters are considered. The possibilities of developing cooperation between companies through the import substitution service, the import substitution exchange, as well as the specifics of the procurement organization are being studied. The article considers the possibilities of inter-regional cooperation and the development of regional exports as a point of growth of the Irkutsk region economy. The development of the food and processing industry can become another point of growth of the Irkutsk region in the conditions of sanctions and import substitution. The features of the organization of leasing in the agro-industrial complex are considered.

KERJASAMA PEMERINTAH PROVINSI SULAWESI SELATAN DAN PREFEKTUR EHIME DALAM PENINGKATAN PRODUKSI IKAN TUNA

This research was conducted to explain how the cooperation between South Sulawesi Province and Japan's Ehime Prefecture is a form of sister province cooperation where this inter-regional cooperation aims to provide options for regional development. This study uses a qualitative method with a descriptive approach that is built on the theory of Paradiplomacy and the concept of Sister Province based on the analyst's explanation given by Takdir Ali Mukti who assumes that Paradiplomacy refers to the behavior and capacity of conducting foreign relations with foreign parties carried out by sub-state entities, in the context of their specific interests. The concept of sister province cooperation is the solution taken by the South Sulawesi Provincial Government in cooperation with Japan's Ehime Prefecture. In this collaboration, the Provincial Government of South Sulawesi cooperates in the development of several fields where one of the most interested in Japan is cooperation in the field of marine product cultivation in which the type of commodity is tuna. The solution taken by the South Sulawesi government by using the sister province cooperation channel found variables that encourage South Sulawesi to find strategies used in developing tuna fish production.

Assessing the role of globalization on renewable energy consumption: New evidence from a spatial econometric analysis

With the increasing concern for energy security, strengthening international cooperation is regarded as one of the most crucial ways to promote the energy structure toward renewable energy. However, extant literature have seldom focused on the spillover effects of globalization on renewable energy consumption. Under this background, this paper employs the spatial econometric model to explore the impact of globalization on renewable energy consumption in the panel data of 60 countries from 1995 to 2018. The empirical results confirm the spatial dependency of renewable energy consumption among countries. More importantly, the direct effect, spillover effect, and total effect of globalization on renewable energy consumption are all significantly positive, which indicates that globalization plays an important role in promoting renewable energy consumption and being surrounded by highly globalized countries could promote local country's energy transformation toward renewable energy. Furthermore, compared with economic globalization, the roles of political and social globalization in promoting renewable energy development worldwide are more pronounced. This research provides policymakers a novel insight into understanding the role of globalization in renewable energy development and helps to promote inter-regional cooperation on renewable energy development.

The role of renewable energy investment and energy resource endowment in the evolution of carbon emission efficiency: spatial effect and the mediating effect.

With climate change caused by massive greenhouse gas emissions emerging as an issue of global concern, it is urgent to improve carbon emission efficiency (CEE) for countries along the Belt and Road (BRI). Considering the resource endowment characteristics of green development in BRI countries, the super-efficiency slacks-based measure (SBM) model is adopted to evaluate the current status and tendency of CEE in 60 BRI countries, while the Global Malmquist-Luenberger (GML) index to quantify the spatial and temporal variation and dynamic evolution of CEE. Subsequently, from the perspective of energy development and utilization, the spatial Durbin model (SDM) and the mediating effect model are employed to empirically examine the spillover effects and driving mechanisms of renewable energy investment and energy resource endowment on CEE. Empirical results reveal that (1) from a static perspective, the CEE of BRI countries is generally poor and unevenly distributed in terms of temporal and spatial dimensions, with significant room for enhancement. (2) Referring to the dynamic level, the GML index featured a U-shaped fluctuation, with technological progress contributing to the improvement of CEE. (3) There is a significant positive effect of renewable energy investment on CEE in the home country and neighboring countries, while energy resource endowment presents a remarkable adverse correlation. Consequently, it is suggested that inter-regional cooperation among BRI countries should be strengthened to reinforce renewable energy investment, exert the technology and knowledge spillover effect sufficiently, and break the resource curse in the environmental field. (4) The mediating effect model confirms the significant mediating mechanism of technological innovation. Renewable energy investment can enhance the CEE of BRI members by promoting the positive mediating effect of technological innovation, while energy resource endowment can inhibit the local level of technological innovation and indirectly inhibit the CEE of BRI members. The findings provide new ideas on the green development and ecological sustainability of the energy industry in BRI members and other economies.

Scale effects on the supply–demand mismatches of ecosystem services in Hubei Province, China

Understanding the patterns, relationships, and driving forces between ecosystem services (ESs) supply–demand at multiple spatial scales can facilitate sustainable hierarchical management. However, the scale effects of ESs supply–demand mismatches were typically ignored, resulting in inadequate targeted ecosystem promotion policies. This study identified the supply–demand mismatches of the key ESs (grain production, water yield, carbon sequestration, and soil conservation) using the ecological supply–demand ratio and bivariate Moran's I at three grid and county scales from 2000 to 2020 in Hubei Province, China. Then the spatial regression models were applied to explore the driving forces of these mismatches. The major results revealed that (1) Hubei Province and counties located away from urban areas were self-sufficient in the ESs supply–demand, but the numbers of these counties declined over the twenty years. The characteristics of ESs mismatches in some patches may be obscured at coarser scales. (2) The directions of socioecological drivers were robust, but their intensities changed significantly at the four scales. The normalized difference vegetation index was the primary positive driver at the fine scale, while population, economy, and proportion of construction land became dominant drivers at coarser scales. Factors influencing mismatches were more diverse at the fine scale compared to the coarse scale. (3) Efficient strategies were scale-dependent and place-based. Different management units should clarify their responsibilities and strengthen linkages between upper and lower levels to achieve sustainable ESs development. At the provincial level, strengthening interregional cooperation and allocating surplus grain and water resources from the southwest to urban regions contributes to balancing regional ESs. At the county level, adopting region-specific strategies based on delineating ESs management zones is crucial. At finer management levels, incorporating micro-scale mismatch locations and natural background information can provide valuable guidance for localized ecological protection and restoration projects. The findings underscore the strengths of conducting assessments of ESs supply–demand at multiple scales, enabling different government levels to enhance effective ecosystem management and prevent misinformation.

Non-Linear Impacts and Spatial Spillover of Digital Finance on Green Total Factor Productivity: An Empirical Study of Smart Cities in China

Smart cities are important digital economy vehicles that can fully exploit the green attributes and spatial penetration of digital finance. Using panel data for 100 cities selected as pilot smart cities in China from 2011 to 2019, this paper applies a spatial econometric model to analyze the non-linear impacts of digital finance on GTFP and its spatial spillovers. Furthermore, it utilizes mediation models to study their transmission mechanisms. The results show that digital finance first inhibits and then promotes GTFP, with spatial spillovers in four dimensions: geography, information, technology, and human capital. Its mediating mechanisms are innovation effects, structural effects, and scale effects. The statistical significance of the U-shaped relationship is regionally heterogeneous, according to different levels of human capital, informatization, urbanization, and financial marketization. Based on digital finance’s U-shaped and heterogeneous impacts on GTFP, policy recommendations are to adopt differentiated development strategies according to specific levels of digital finance and underlying conditions in smart cities. Stimulating the innovation and structural effects and suppressing the scale effects will help digital finance breakthrough inflection points, and will positively promote GTFP. It is also necessary to encourage inter-regional cooperation among smart cities to fully release spatial spillover dividends through technology sharing, information transfer, and talent exchange to promote the linked improvement of GTFP.

Analysis of Carbon Emissions Embodied in the Provincial Trade of China Based on an Input–Output Model and k-Means Algorithm

National or regional carbon emissions are generally accounted for by the principle of “producer responsibility”, which ignores the embodied carbon emissions implied in product consumption via inter-regional trade. Therefore, it is necessary to include the embodied carbon emissions into the product consumption regions for overall calculation. As an example, this paper analyzes the characteristics of China’s domestic regional carbon flow network based on a multiregional input–output table and carbon emission data, identifying three clusters of carbon emission characteristic regions by k-means—the clustering algorithm of machine learning. The research results show that some provinces—such as Beijing, Zhejiang, and Guangdong—are the net input areas of embodied carbon emissions (“consumers”), consuming products and services produced by “producers” such as Hebei, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia through trade, implicitly transferring the responsibility for carbon emissions. Accounting for carbon emissions worldwide/countrywide should consider both production responsibility and trade income. Our findings provide a novel national or regional classification approach based on embodied carbon emissions, which calls for an equitable regional distribution system of carbon emission rights. Meantime, inter-regional cooperation is of great significance in achieving carbon neutrality. In particular, the economically developed regions need to offer assistance to improve the energy efficiency or optimize the energy structure in less developed regions, by means of capital investment and technology transformation.

Development of Clusters in the Irkutsk Region in the Context of Import Substitution

The Irkutsk Region's economic growth in the context of import substitution requires modernizing industrial policy and developing a cluster system. Clusters can become a major factor of growth in the Irkutsk Region's economy. A cluster involves creating special conditions, assisting in funding and marketing the products of its member organizations. Cluster residents enjoy such benefits as tax preferences, support in the implementation of investment projects, and infrastructure provision in the form of technoparks. Introducing the cluster approach boosts efficiency of production and implementation of import substitution policies. The purpose of this study is to study special features of cluster formation in the Irkutsk region and the specifics of their functioning in the context of import substitution. The article studies the functioning features of the following clusters in the Irkutsk region: machinery, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, construction materials and technologies, Baikal cluster of light industry, agro-industrial, tourist and recreational clusters. The research methodology is based on a theoretical analysis of the main aspects of cluster development. The study analyzes the data on the development of clusters in the Irkutsk region. The problems of cluster development in the context of import substitution are outlined. The scientific novelty lies in identifying two approaches to the formation of clusters: one forming around an anchor resident and the other forming as a tandem of equivalent companies. It is proposed to expand the geography of sales by cluster companies via employment of anchor resident distribution centers in various territories. Interregional cooperation and establishing the Federal Center of Chemistry cluster are closely looked into. The relevance of a timber industry cluster and a cluster for the disposal of municipal solid waste in the Irkutsk region is substantiated.

The role and importance of parliamentary associations of the subjects of the Russian Federation in the formation of a system of managed interregional integration in 2000-2005.

The article is devoted to the study of the place and role of parliamentary associations of the subjects of the Russian Federation in the formation of a unified system of interregional integration at the initial stage of the federal reform in 2000-2005. The object of the study is the parliamentary associations of the subjects of the Russian Federation, the subject is the process of including parliamentary associations in the emerging system of interregional integration and cooperation. The following aspects of the problem are considered: the formation of state policy regarding interregional cooperation of the subjects of the Federation and the participation of parliamentary associations in this process; the organization of interaction between the Federation Council, presidential plenipotentiaries in federal districts and parliamentary associations; the conditions and main directions of activity of interparliamentary associations in the context of the redistribution of powers on subjects of joint jurisdiction of the center and regions. General scientific and special historical research methods were used as the methodological basis of the work: methods of analysis and synthesis, historical-genetic, problem-analytical and historical-comparative methods, as well as the method of structural and functional analysis. The author concludes that the potential of parliamentary associations operating in Russia since the early 1990s has been used to form a system of managed interregional integration. They were included in the joint legislative process on the subjects of joint jurisdiction of the center and the subjects of the Federation by establishing cooperation with the Federation Council and exercising general control over their activities by the presidential Plenipotentiary representative in the federal districts. The study showed that in response to the centralizing policy of the federal center, the parliamentary associations operating in 2000-2005, in order to promptly respond to the requests of the federal center, centralize their organizational foundations and transfer the main levers of management of associations to the heads of legislative authorities of the regions. It is noted that under the conditions of legislative restrictions, the activities of associations are mainly concentrated around issues that are jointly managed by the center and the regions. At the same time, their ability to influence the legislative process is significantly reduced, as well as to defend the consolidated position of the legislative bodies of state power of the subjects of the Federation before the federal authorities.

Literature Study of the Sustainability Model of Transportation Facilities and Infrastructure in the Management of Public Transportation with the Concept of Inter-Regional Cooperation (Case in the City and District of Bogor)

Traffic in the city of Bogor is relatively high. With this level of density, the city of Bogor is classified as the second most congested city after DKI Jakarta. Achieving the process of transporting passengers and goods as optimally as possible in a certain space and time taking into account several factors such as safety, comfort, smoothness, time efficiency and costs according to these needs. The balance and needs of transportation facilities and infrastructure in achieving its goals is the real movement of each user. The main objective of this study is to formulate a model for the sustainability of transportation facilities and infrastructure in the management of public transport with the concept of inter-regional cooperation. The originality/novelty in the research is a) the handling of the model of sustainability of transportation facilities and public transport transportation infrastructure in the two regions of Bogor regency and Bogor city, b) the sustainability of the public transport management model with the concept of inter-regional cooperation, namely Bogor regency and Bogor city in reducing congestion between the two buffer city. The methods used are survey methods, interviews and studies of expert opinions. This concept is called MODEL SUSTAIN-SARPRASKOKABO_2023. By referring to this initial concept, it is hoped that a balanced and sustainable traffic pattern in Indonesia will soon be realized.

Effectiveness, Problems, and Transformation of Geographical Indications in the Context of Rural Revitalization: Evidence from Pengshui in Chongqing

In China, geographical indications (GIs) are seen as certificates or collective trademarks, as well as representations of quality agricultural products, and are important in revitalizing the countryside. Therefore, a combined qualitative and quantitative method was employed to examine the operational practices of GIs at the relatively micro-level of the municipality in order to identify their effectiveness and challenges in rural revitalization and propose more targeted optimization suggestions. Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County, located in the Wuling Mountains in southeastern Chongqing, is an excellent example of the positive impact GIs can have on rural development, boasting the highest number of GI trademarks in the region. Despite the large number of GIs in Pengshui, there are several issues that need to be addressed, including low brand awareness, lack of product enhancement, and poor market competitiveness. To overcome these challenges, there must be a shift from a quantity-based to a quality-based approach to GI trademark declarations. This requires promoting the transformation of traditional agriculture into modern agriculture, investing in rural infrastructure, and improving the efficiency and quality of GI product production. By doing so, individuals in the local community will be able to reap the benefits of GI trademarks, improving their income and standard of living. In view of the fact that administrative divisions and cultural regions overlap, it is important to promote interregional cooperation and encourage declarations of GI trademarks in neighboring counties. This will help to preserve the area’s local cultural heritage and promote its heritage through GIs. By taking a targeted approach to GI trademark declarations and promoting cooperation between regions, Pengshui, and other rural communities can maximize the benefits of GIs and support sustainable rural development.

Industrial policy and spatial arrangement of land leasing in China: A case of Jiangsu Province

The governments play an important role in allocation of land resources In China. However, few studies have focused on the local governments' spatial arrangement of land supply within their jurisdictions. Using the Jiangsu Province as a study area, this paper reveals the Chinese local governments' spatial response of land leasing to the industrial policy. Competition between localities for relative economic performance forces local governments to implement two spatial strategies in land leasing, maximizing economic performance and beggar thy neighbor. Rational prefectural governments are inspired to place policy-favored industries in municipal district or location closer to prefectural city center. First, allocating policy-favored industries the land adjacent to the city center or in municipal district will help to attract industrial investment. Second, assigning policy-favored industries far from the administrative boundary contributes to reduce the positive spatial spillovers to the neighboring jurisdictions. However, local governments may also adopt inter-regional cooperation strategy of not intervening in the location of land leasing for the industries closely linked to the advantageous industries of neighboring regions.

Harmonization of the strategic priorities of bordering regions based on the strategy of «smart» specialization

The most important direction of cross-border cooperation of the EAEU countries is the development and use of tools to reduce the lack of knowledge of the Unions regions about each others potential in the field of industrial and scientific-technological development, identify the interconnectedness of regions and stimulate the development of interregional projects. In this respect, another major integration grouping of countries the European Union has already gained sufficient experience in developing strategies for cross-border and interregional cooperation to enhance the capacity of research and innovation, as well as the harmonization of strategic priorities of territorial development, where the European smart specialization is used as a methodological basis. The purpose of this article is to develop methodological principles of smart specialization in the implementation of cross-border cooperation based on the experience of the EU and other countries, proposals for their use in the development and implementation of programs and projects of cross-border cooperation of the regions of the Russian Federation. The authors have identified that the specificity of harmonization of strategic priorities of bordering regions is based on the identification of regional priorities from internal point of view and their subsequent interregional harmonization in two dimensions: 1) an innovative one, involving the formation of a cross-border regional innovation system; and 2) a socio-economic one, based on the potential of the border situation when forming a strategy for the socio-economic development of bordering territories. The conditions for the harmonization of strategic priorities of bordering regions are: 1) common problems, goals and objectives in the field of innovation, sustainable and digital development; 2) strengths and key competencies of participants of cross-border regions; 3) interested parties such as: territorial authorities, HEIs and research organizations, business, only if they have motivation in solving the identified problems.

Analysis of regional differences in green energy efficiency in countries along “the Belt and Road” Initiative zone—Based on super efficiency DEA model and Malmquist index method

This study uses the super-efficiency DEA model and Malmquist index analysis to evaluate the green energy efficiency of 58 countries along “the Belt and Road” Initiative zone from 2012 to 2021 and uses Tobit regression to analyze the external environmental influences on their green energy efficiency. The results of the study show that in the static analysis, The overall green energy efficiency of 58 countries along the “the Belt and Road” initiative area is low, and there are obvious regional differences; In terms of dynamic analysis, the Malmquist Index shows a slight fluctuation trend from 2012 to 2021. Tobit regression models show that external factors such as economic strength, energy consumption structure, industrial structure, and R&D expenditure are significantly and positively related to green energy efficiency. Based on this, this study proposed that countries should make good use of their resource advantages to improve the overall green energy efficiency of “the Belt and Road” Initiative zone according to local characteristics; strengthen inter-regional cooperation and exchange among countries, and implement outbound strategies to create a favorable development environment for green energy efficiency in “the Belt and Road” Initiative zone. Create a favorable development environment for green energy efficiency in “the Belt and Road” Initiative region.

Regional Differences and Convergence of Technical Efficiency in China’s Marine Economy under Carbon Emission Constraints

With the continuous development of China’s marine economy and the increasing pollution in marine-related industries, how to implement a sustainable development strategy in the marine economy has become an important issue. Under the stochastic frontier analysis framework, this paper measures the technical efficiency of the marine economy in 11 coastal provinces in China under carbon emission constraints from 2006 to 2016 and analyzes regional differences and the dynamic evolution of technical efficiency and its influencing factors. Panel unit root test is applied to analyze the stochastic convergence of technical efficiency of the inter-regional marine economy. The result shows that: in the reference period, the technical efficiency of the marine economy is on the rise. Guangdong and Shanghai are in the lead. Technical level and industrial structure have a positive impact on technical efficiency, while the structure of property rights, FDI, energy prices, and energy structure have a negative effect on it. On the whole, the changes in the technical efficiency of coastal provinces present a process from concentration to differentiation. There is a stochastic convergence between the Pan-Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta. Raising the technological level, promoting low-carbon production in the marine industry, and strengthening inter-regional cooperation have a certain effect on the improvement of the technical efficiency of the marine economy.

CLARIFICATION OF THE "REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY" CONCEPT

The purpose of the article is to clarify the essence of the concept of regional development strategy. The object of research is the definition of regional development strategies. The subject of research is structural and logical characteristics of regional development strategies. Research methods are: comparative and decomposition analysis, logical analysis, generalization. 
 The article presents the results of the author's comparative analysis of the structural and logical essence of regional development strategy definitions proposed by domestic scientists. The absence of a stable definition and the need to clarify it in view of the new meaningful characteristics that appear in modern economic conditions and should be inherent in the relevant regional development strategy are noted.
 The definition of the regional development strategy has gained further development, under which it is proposed to understand the general comprehensive program of actions aimed at ensuring sustainable socio-ecological and economic development of the region and increasing its competitiveness at the national and international levels based on the effective use of resource potential, activation of local initiatives, support of promising directions development of the territory, interregional cooperation, etc., capable of ensuring economic growth in the medium and long term.
 This clarification, unlike the existing ones, allows to expand the understanding of the structural and logical essence of the concept of "Regional Development Strategy" in terms of clarification of the ecological component of development, positioning at the national and international levels, activation of local initiatives.
 The obtained results of the research can be used as a basis for further scientific research on improving the strategic management of the region.

Economic Cooperation of Krasnoyarsk Krai (Territory) with Chinese Regions at the Beginning of the XXI Century (Based on Records of the Krasnoyarsk Krai State Archive)

The article deals with the development of economic cooperation between Krasnoyarsk Krai (Territory) and the regions of China in the first decade of the XXI century. The relevance of the study is in the need to draw on the historical experience of Russia-China relations for the successful development of economic cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China at the present stage. Currently, China is a priority strategic partner for Russia and a key focus of its foreign policy. Problems of interregional cooperation are in the focus of the study. Krasnoyarsk Krai has been cooperating most closely in economic sphere with three provinces of Northeast China, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, developing cooperation with southern regions of China. At the beginning of the 21st century, Russia's regions developed international cooperation, building on the experience of the previous decade, but in a new historical context. The authors, for the first time ever, introduce the records that they discovered at the Krasnoyarsk Krai State Archive. These documents show the mutual interest of Russian and Chinese regions in developing cooperation in different sectors of the economy and reflect the problems that hampered the development of economic cooperation, the case of Krasnoyarsk Krai in the first decade of the XXI century.

Sustainable development of agriculture based on the smart specialisation approach: cases of the Central and Eastern European countries

Purpose. The purpose of the study is to analyse and systematise the smart priorities of the territories of Central and Eastern Europe with a focus on the sustainable development of the agricultural sector and to identify current trends in the innovative development of agriculture.
 Methodology / approach. The main research method is benchmarking which includes identification, comparative analysis, generalisation and application of best practices in various fields of activity. The authors’ methodology of regional benchmarking has been tried out in the work. The methodology provides implementation of a set of scientific and analytical measures at the following stages: (1) mapping and identification of smart priorities in focal economic activities; (2) analysis of regional priorities according to the European goals of smart specialisation policy including the structure of their selection; (3) studying the content and goals of the regional priorities establishing cross-sectoral links; (4) examination of the exploit of established and emerging clusters in the regional smart specialisation with identification of their localisation and selected priority areas; (5) analysis of interregional cooperation in smart specialisation domains; (6) processing and formalisation of the obtained research results.
 Results. We identified and analysed 44 priorities involving the agricultural sector, which belongs to 12 Central and Eastern European countries. The dominant policy objectives of smart specialisation of these territories are Sustainable Innovation, Public Health & Security and Key Enabling Technologies, which are mainly focused on achieving sustainable agriculture, establishing bioeconomy and providing food security & safety. These smart specialisation domains at the national and sub-national levels clearly contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. Priorities were grouped according to their internal goals and content, which allowed identifying key trends of innovative development of the territories with the involvement of the agricultural sector. It is concluded that the regions combine knowledge and assets through the intensification of cross-sectoral, interregional cooperation and the use of clusters. We determined that cross-sectoral links within smart priorities are mostly formed within existing value chains, but recently, new cross-sectoral and interregional partnerships emerge and actively develop. They are mainly focused on the diffusion of innovative bio- and digital technologies in agro-food systems. We highlighted the key issues that need to be addressed by regional working groups while selecting the smart priorities of the Ukraine’s regions. 
 Originality / scientific novelty. This paper presents the results of the thematic research in a new understudied direction – Smart Specialisation Strategies for Sustainability. Based on the authors’ methodology of regional benchmarking, the smart priorities in the agricultural sector of Central and Eastern European countries have been analysed.
 Practical value / implications. The results of the study can be used by regional working groups of the Entrepreneurial discovery process to draw up possible ways of agricultural development. The obtained results may also be of interest to researchers from different countries involved in the implementation of smart specialisation approach and the improvement of its methodology.