EUROREGIONS AS MECHANISMS FOR STRENGTHENING CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION

Euroregions are administrative-territorial structures intended to promote cross-border cooperation between neighbouring local or regional authorities of different countries located along shared state borders. They are widely known tools of cooperation among the regions. Having integrated structures and their own financial resources, euroregions are able to address a variety of cross-border topics such as health, research and development, education and training, waste management, environmental protection, tourism and leisure, rescue and security, transport and communication infrastructure, mobility of people, and business cooperation. This paper explores the main characteristics and problems of euroregions as institutions in the Baltic Sea Region and especially in the regions bordering the Third countries. First, it describes euroregions; then it focuses on their compositions and roles and main issues confronting them with reference to the empirical research carried out among the thirty-five cross-border cooperating organisations. The new legal instrument for euroregions deserves special attention since it provides a basis under public law for decentralised trans-European cooperation between regional and/or local authorities. The article concludes with a discussion of the needs and associated development opportunities available to euroregions within the Baltic Sea Region.