Cross-border co-operation in Europe

Processes made by the EU such as gradual dismantling of internal borders and efforts to establish contacts across the new external borders have led to a substantial geographic expansion and intensification of cross-border co-operation. This cooperation takes the form of inter-governmental commissions and commissions for spatial planning or, at regional and local level, the form of cross-border euroregions or “associations” having a similar structure . They can be organised with or without formal inter-state agreements. Structures can be formed at both national/regional and regional/local level . These trends have presented new challenges as well as the need to emphasise the “philosophy” from which cross-border cooperation emerged almost 40 years ago.

Multilevel Governance in the European Union, "EUgov" http://www.iuee.eu/projectes.asp?parent=13&ap=14&s=17

European Territorial: Co-operation Co-operation across borders http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperate/cooperation/crossborder/index_en.cfm

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