The phenomenon of Euregions dates back to the end of the fifties and since then their number has been growning rapidly. Euregions are today a reality not only for the old member states of EU, but also for the new ones of Central Eastern Europe. Moreover, Euregions are now not only present inside Europe, but also on its current borders, involving therefore even non-member states ( and potential new candidates for membership) in a European framework. Apparently, then, the project of creating a “Europe of regions”, opposed to the current “Europe of States” is going in the right direction. But how effective are Euregions? Do they really constitute a challenge for the nation-state?

The formation of the first cross-border region (CBR) or Euregion precedes the birth of the European Union, dating back to 1958 with the establishment of the EUREGIO Gronau between Germany and The Netherlands. Nowadays there are more than sixty cross-border regions which comprise both member and non-member states of the European Union, from Scandinavia to the Balkans. The intensification and the growing institutionalization of these types of cross-border cooperation had been seen by some scholars as “[…] an alternative to a Europe of sovereign states [O’Dowd in Anderson, 2002, pg.115]” and as a possible tool for modifying the actual balance of powers between member states and European institutions in favor of the latter. In particular, Euregions, if effective enough in fulfilling the political and economical interests of local communities, can help the development of a common European identity, that is considered necessary, together with a realistic solution to the problem of the democratic deficit of European institutions, to assure “[…] the future sustainability and development of the European project […][Painter in Anderson, 2002, pg.99]”. From this perspective, therefore, Euregions are part of the crucial debate between supporters of a more integrated European Union, especially from the point of view of the political governance, and those who still consider the nation state as the most viable model of socio-political organization.

In a wider perspective, moreover, this discussion can be integrated into the debate regarding globalization and its implications for the international system and the challenges it is posing to the Westphalian model, considered by the most radical “globalists” an outdated system of governance, unable to exercise an effective control inside its own borders. In this article I will try to assess the nature of the interactions between Euregions and central authorities of member states. In order to enlighten the potential challenges and opportunities that cross-border regions create for the sovereign state, I will analyze their main features, paying particular attention to the example of the first, and so far more institutionalized, CBR: the EUREGION Gronau. Moreover, I will take into account the peculiar case of cross-border regions between new-member states of the EU in Central-Eastern Europe and non-member states, given that these forms of cooperation involve the specific topic of the external borders of Europe.

[Lees het volledige artikel in Donau 2009/2]
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Het volledige artikel is te lezen in Donau 2009/02.