Europeanisation of Cross-border Governance? A Case Study on the Cause, Form and Consequences of a Co-operation Project in the German–Polish–Czech Border Triangle

Abstract

Cross-border governance in central Europe underwent a phase of Europeanisation due to EU enlargement in 2004. The question is how European influences interact with conditions in a specific region. The article applies Knill's framework of Europeanisation mechanisms and Blatter's hypothesis about the role of ‘imported’ ideas and paradigms to a case study on the German–Polish–Czech co-operation project ENLARGE-NET. This project applied a territorial mode of governance. However, it did not evolve into a permanent institution because it was not in line with the regional context, which is characterised by a difficult history, economic disparities, a lack of common identities and few transboundary interdependencies.

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Markus Leibenath

Markus Leibenath is in the Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Development, Weberplatz 1, 012017 Dresden, Germany. Fax: [phone]. E-mail: [email protected].