Creating Cross‐Border Destinations: Interreg Programmes and Regionalisation in the Baltic Sea Area

Abstract

European Union financed Interreg programmes focusing on cross‐border region building form an important part of the EU integration policy. The region building processes involve many fields of action in which destination development is one. In this article, the latest finished programme, Interreg III, will be highlighted with special focus on cross‐border regions in the Baltic Sea Area. The purpose is to analyse how regional identities are re‐presented and re‐negotiated in connection with cross‐border tourism destination development. These questions are analysed with the help of a methodology based on storylines using three selected programme regions as case studies. In our analysis we have found three storylines that in different ways enlighten our understanding of these regions’ (actual and possible) political identities: the notion of borders, the practice of history and the future‐oriented visions. The study reveals the presence of two fundamental and contradictory visions grounded in the European project: regionalisation and internationalisation. It also shows that the cross‐border region co‐operation processes share a narrative characterised by liberal economic rationality. Political issues are downplayed in relation to economic issues, even though in the case of tourism political issues like regional identity are not possible to avoid.

Key Words:

• European integration
• Baltic Sea Area
• Interreg programmes
• cross‐border regions
• regional identities
• destination development

Notes

1. General information about the programmes can be found through the European Commission homepage: http://www.interact-eu.net.

2. The Skärgården cross‐border region is constituted of the following provinces: Uppland, Södermanland (in Sweden) Egentliga Finland, Nyland and Åland (in Finland).

3. The Pomerania cross‐border region is constituted of the following provinces: Mecklenburg‐Vorpommern and Brandenburg (Rűgen, Nordvorpommern, Ostvorpommern, Ücker‐Randow, Uckermark, Barnim and the towns of Stralsund and Greifswald) on the German side and Voivodship Zachodniopomorskie on the Polish side.

4. The total area covers the Region of Lapland in Finland, the Province of Norrbotten in Sweden, the Regions of Nordland, Troms and Finnmark in Norway (plus the neighbouring Murmansk and Arkhangelsk Oblasts and Nenets Autonomous District in Russia). It was the largest of the areas covered by InterReg IIIA and encompasses about one million square kilometres, however it involves large areas with very low population densities.