Different Borders‐Different Cooperation? Transborder Cooperation in Poland

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to analyze the role of border and borderland type in transborder cooperation. To this end, 591 projects under six Interreg Programs in which Polish border regions participated from 2004 to 2006 were examined. These programs were compared to identify the various factors influencing projects in different border regions. Although research on cooperation usually focuses on a national scale, actual cooperation depends largely on regional and local conditions, which are the focus of this study. Despite a common legal and institutional framework, the Interreg projects were not all realized in the same way. Different local conditions had impacts on programs and implementation. Therefore, the effectiveness and achievement of transborder cooperation objectives depended on the modification of each program to specific regional conditions.

• borderland
• transborder cooperation
• European integration
• Poland

Notes

1. An external EU border is understood as a state border between an EU member state and a nonmember state. An internal EU border is a state border between EU member states.