Participation of local municipalities in Euroregions in Central Europe

Abstract

It has been extensively discussed whether Euroregions – here defined as formalized cooperation initiatives between sub-national authorities, often including private and non-profit actors, located close to a border in two or more countries – constitute an example of newly emerging governance structures at the local level. As the number of these initiatives has grown rapidly in the last decades, discussions around what may influence their chances for long-term viability have intensified. The paper addresses one dimension of institutionalization, the ability of Euroregions to attract local governments in the area where they are operating. Various factors that have been suggested in the literature are synthesized into one comprehensive theoretical framework and tested through a case-study of Komárom-Esztergom county in Hungary. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives of virtually all the local governments there. The factors that are usually put forward to explain cross-border cooperation (financial incentives, socio-economic pressure to overcome obstacles for economic development or reduce costs for service provision, cultural proximity, externally induced ideational support for European integration, etc.) are assessed by local representatives and set against the local context of other conditions determining decisions. Our findings indicate that besides historical socio-cultural and ethnic proximity across the border, access to external funding, converging or conflicting project plans, cognitive perceptions of distance as well as current or previous administrative borders are important determinants for the formation of Euroregions.