Euroregions, Excellence and Innovation across EU borders : A Catalogue of Good Practices

Border Region

Europe

Language(s)

Anglais

Type

Note on a scientific book publication

Main Category

Other

Governance – Power – Cooperation

Theories – Concepts – Terms

Introduction

Catalogue of good practices in the Euroregions with a view better understanding the activities of these cross-border cooperation organisations.

Summary

The Euroregions can be defined as European cross-border structures that play an influential role at the borders between European countries. Les Euroregions have an important role to play in increasing territorial cooperation. It is therefore important to provide support for the development of these structures. This book is a catalogue of good practices for the Euroregions intended to provide solutions liable to inspire a higher level of cross-border cohesion and positive progress in the process of European integration.

Content

The book is divided into two parts. The first part consists of up-to-date theoretical contributions on cross-border cooperation and the Euroregions (during the 2007-2013 programming period), as well as an explanation of the working methods. The process used to generate the full list (267 Euroregional structures meet the operational definition) and a specific selection for the catalogue are presented. Finally, a quantitative analysis of the sample of Euroregions is presented.

The second part contains description of 80 Euroregional structures. These Euroregional structures are described in the form of information sheets detailing all the important information extracted from the database. The technical data are also accompanied by a short text describing the Euroregion and the characteristics of the corresponding cross-border cooperation project.

Table of contents :

Euroregions matter

Goals & Outputs of the Catalogue

PART I. Concepts, Methods & Results

Chapter 1. Concepts & Methodology

1. From Theoretical Concepts to Operational Definition

2. The Construction of the Catalogue

3. Global Listings of Euroregions

Chapter 2. Euroregions and their projects. Territorial features, governance and cross-border interventions

1. The bird’s eye view of Euroregions. An Introduction to the statistical analysis

2. Historical evolution and geographical distribution of Euroregions

3. The geographical characterisation of Euroregions. A typology

4. Euroregions as engines for cross-border governance. Participating actors and legal instruments for CBC

5. The objectives of Euroregional cooperation. Sectors of activity

6. Euroregional projects

7. Conclusions

Bibliography

PART II. The Catalogue of Good Practices 91

Southwestern Europe

Galicia-Northern Portugal Euroregion 102 Chaves-Verín Eurocity

Duero-Douro EGTC

New Aquitaine-Euskadi-Navarra Euroregion

Bayonne-San Sebastián Basque Eurocity

Bidasoa-Txingudi Crossborder Consortium

Portalet Space EGTC

Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion

Pyrenees-Cerdanya EGTC

International Tagus Natural Park

Hospital of Cerdanya EGTC

Western Europe

North West Region Cross Border Group (NWRCBG)

Irish Central Border Area (ICBAN)

East Border Region Ltd.

CAWT Region

Dunkirk- Flandre-Côte d’Opale region and West Flanders EGTC

Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis

Alzette-Belval EGTC

Saarmoselle Eurodistrict

Meuse-Rhein Euregion

Scheldemond Euregio

Kerkrade-Herzogenrath Eurode

Rhine-Meuse-North Euregio

Rhine-Waal Euregio

EUREGIO (Gronau Euroregion)

Ems Dollart Region (EDR)

De Zoom - Kalmthoutse Heide Cross-Border Park

Maas-Schwalm-Nette Nature Park

Bourtanger Moor-Bangerveem International Nature Park

Wadden Sea World Heritage Site

Central Mediterranean and Adriatic

Adriatic-Ionian Euroregion

Gorizia-Nova Gorica EGTC

Sicily-Malta Cross-Border Region

Maritime-Alps Mercantour European Park

Mont Viso Cross-Border Biosphere Reserve

Central Europe

Trinational Metropolitan Region of the Upper Rhine

Regio PAMINA Eurodistrict EGTC

Strasbourg Ortenau Eurodistrict

Vis-à-Vis LGTC

Freiburg Region and Alsace Eurodistrict

Basel Trinational District

Leman Council

Greater Geneva

International Lake Constance Conference (IBK)

MontBLanc Space

EUROPAREGION (Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino Euroregion)

Via Salina Euregio

Inntal Euregio

Salzburg-Berchtesgadener Land-Traunstein EuRegio

Inn-Salzach-Euregio

Egrensis Euregio

Euroregion Neisse-Nisa-Nysa

Glacensis Euroregion

Praded Euroregion

Europa 1 Fireboat LGTC

Euroairport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg

MontBlanc Tunnel EEIG

Great Saint Bernard Pass Tunnel

CEVA Railway Link

Eastern Europe

Banat Triplex Confinium EGTC

Carpathian Euroregion

Tatry Euroregion

Country of Lakes Euroregion

Ruse-Giurgiu Danubius Euroregion

Prespa Transboundary Park

Amazon of Europe Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (Mura-Drava-Danube)

New Europe Bridge

Danube Bridge

Northern Europe

Sønderjylland-Schleswig Euroregion

Fehmarnbelt Committee

Greater Copenhagen & Skåne Committee

Frankfurt-Słubice Cooperation Centre

Pomerania Euroregion

Baltic Euroregion

Svinesunds Committee

Kvarken Council

Botnian Arc

Finestlink Helsinki-Tallin

Oresund Bridge

Conclusions

The analyses in Part I highlight certain characteristics of the Euroregions and the cross-border cooperation projects:

Constant development marked by three stages of expansion associated with different moments in European integration and European Territorial Cooperation policies;
A geographical typology that allows the identification and comparison of groups of Euroregions according to their size and territorial profile, as well as the identification of the different aims and objectives pursued by different strategies;
Identification of a variety of cross-border governance structures depending on the institutional density and the complexity of the (mainly public) actors involved; at the same time, the governance frameworks have been classified and identified as several legal forms;
Recognition of several strategic objectives associated with both the competencies and capacities of the participants on the one hand and the specific interests that lie behind the creation of a Euroregion, on the other;
in the field of cross-border cooperation projects, the observation of multiple interventions that vary according to the content but also according to the economic size and leadership of those projects.

Key Messages

The Euroregions are an important symbol of the fact that there is shared life across the borders that shape the diversity of the European continent. As a result, in order to develop these structures, the book provides a definition and a methodology for identifying them. Finally, a catalogue of good practices is provided to fuel the debate on how to realise the full potential of the Euroregions.

Lead

Antoni Durà Guimerà : Professor, Geography Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Catalonia, Spain

Andrea Noferini : Professor, Political Science and Public Administration Department, UAB. Associate Professor for both UAB and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Spain

Matteo Berzi : Doctoreur, Geography Department, UAB. Affiliated researcher with both UAB and the University of Girona (UdG), Spain

Francesco Camonita : Doctorant, Geography Department, UAB. BA International Relations with Spanish (Swansea University, UK).

Author of the entry

Perrine

Dethier

Contributions

Celso Cancela Outeda

Enrique José Varela Álvarez

Argimiro Rojo Salgado

Constantino Cordal Rodríguez

Álvaro Xosé López Mira

Mónica López Viso