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European Territorial CooperationTwenty Years of Territorial Cooperation in Inner Scandinavia

European Territorial Cooperation: Twenty Years of Territorial Cooperation in Inner Scandinavia [In Inner ScandinaviaInner Scandinavia, a vast urban–rural territory in the southern heartlands of the Scandinavian Peninsula, a number of local border committees were set up with the assistance of the Nordic Council of Ministers in the late 1960s, later supported by bilateral regional cooperation agreements. These provided a fertile seedbed for the first INTERREG A programme in these borderlands, established in 1996 following Sweden’s accession to the European Union (EU)European Union (EU). With a substantial increase in funds made available for cross-border activities, and a structural framework introduced by EU regulations, the INTERREG Sweden–NorwayINTERREG Sweden-Norway programme instantly became an arena attracting talent and creativity from both sides of the border. The organising principles of partnership, multilevel governanceMulti-level governance, additionality and transparency cemented INTERREG as a small yet green branch among the mix of regional development tools within the EU/EEA (European Economic Area). In assessing the impacts of cross-border cooperation (CBC)Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC), attention should be paid to the extent to which the governance structures and the adherent investments of added-up funds contribute to the EU objective of territorial cohesionTerritorial cohesion. Furthermore, it should be acknowledged that INTERREG A programmes alone cannot be expected to counteract larger trends of ongoing centralisation due to their limited economic leverage. However, CBC, as shown by the case of Inner ScandinaviaInner Scandinavia, can perform well in its more targeted mission of reducing border barriersBorder barriers and in promoting long-term development via the effective utilisation of the border regionsBorder regions’ joint resources and capital. As regional and EU political and financial support for CBCCross-Border Cooperation (CBC) have grown over time, the Norwegian Government funds have shown a declining trend since the very start of INTERREG in Scandinavia. In drafting future INTERREG programmesINTERREG programmes, close attention should be paid to basic partnership governance principles, pointing out exactly where and why CBC becomes part of the European idea, introducing cross-border planningCross-border planning and increasing the levels of transparency and accountability.] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

European Territorial CooperationTwenty Years of Territorial Cooperation in Inner Scandinavia

Part of the The Urban Book Series Book Series
Editors: Medeiros, Eduardo
Hagen, Erik; Andersen, Bjørn Terje
European Territorial Cooperation — Apr 1, 2018
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19 pages

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Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Copyright
© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018. Corrected Publication 2018
ISBN
978-3-319-74886-3
Pages
49 –68
DOI
10.1007/978-3-319-74887-0_4
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[In Inner ScandinaviaInner Scandinavia, a vast urban–rural territory in the southern heartlands of the Scandinavian Peninsula, a number of local border committees were set up with the assistance of the Nordic Council of Ministers in the late 1960s, later supported by bilateral regional cooperation agreements. These provided a fertile seedbed for the first INTERREG A programme in these borderlands, established in 1996 following Sweden’s accession to the European Union (EU)European Union (EU). With a substantial increase in funds made available for cross-border activities, and a structural framework introduced by EU regulations, the INTERREG Sweden–NorwayINTERREG Sweden-Norway programme instantly became an arena attracting talent and creativity from both sides of the border. The organising principles of partnership, multilevel governanceMulti-level governance, additionality and transparency cemented INTERREG as a small yet green branch among the mix of regional development tools within the EU/EEA (European Economic Area). In assessing the impacts of cross-border cooperation (CBC)Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC), attention should be paid to the extent to which the governance structures and the adherent investments of added-up funds contribute to the EU objective of territorial cohesionTerritorial cohesion. Furthermore, it should be acknowledged that INTERREG A programmes alone cannot be expected to counteract larger trends of ongoing centralisation due to their limited economic leverage. However, CBC, as shown by the case of Inner ScandinaviaInner Scandinavia, can perform well in its more targeted mission of reducing border barriersBorder barriers and in promoting long-term development via the effective utilisation of the border regionsBorder regions’ joint resources and capital. As regional and EU political and financial support for CBCCross-Border Cooperation (CBC) have grown over time, the Norwegian Government funds have shown a declining trend since the very start of INTERREG in Scandinavia. In drafting future INTERREG programmesINTERREG programmes, close attention should be paid to basic partnership governance principles, pointing out exactly where and why CBC becomes part of the European idea, introducing cross-border planningCross-border planning and increasing the levels of transparency and accountability.]

Published: Apr 1, 2018

Keywords: Cross-Border cooperation; Multilevel governance; Partnership; Accountability; Scandinavia

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