Cross-border cooperation in the EU: Euroregions amid multilevel governance and re-territorialization

Noferini, Andrea; Berzi, Matteo; Camonita, Francesco; Durà Guimerà, Antoni

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2019.1623973

Cross-border cooperation in the EU: Euroregions amid multilevel governance and re-territorialization

Citation

Noferini A, Berzi M, Camonita F, Durà A. Cross-border cooperation in the EU: Euroregions amid multilevel governance and re-territorialization. European Planning Studies. 2020;28(1):35-56. DOI: 10.1080/09654313.2019.1623973

Abstract

Today, cross-border cooperation promoted by Euroregions all over the European Union is a consolidating reality. The article focuses on Euroregions as formal organizations in the field of cross-border cooperation. By using a data set of 61 Euroregions considered to be particularly active, the study investigates the characteristics of cross-border cooperation agreements. For each Euroregion, cross-country comparisons take into account the following essential parameters: the number of actors involved in the agreement, their administrative and political nature, as well as the official goals pursued. From a descriptive perspective, the study aims to provide some useful classifications regarding the wide variety of cross-border experiences that have developed in Europe in recent decades. From the analytical perspective, the paper challenges enthusiastic claims that interpret Euroregions as effective political instruments for re-territorialization or new modes of cross-border multilevel governance.