Cross-border cooperation programmes as a resource of social and economic development of barents region (Case of ENPI Kolarctic Programme)

Abstract

Cross-border cooperation is viewed as one of the most recognized models of international co-operation between the countries, a sustainable mechanism of developing the dialogue and current research topic. Neighboring states have managed to build a number of cross-border cooperation models aimed at solv-ing common challenges encountered in the border area. Despite the fact that cross-border cooperation has been addressed in quite a number of research papers, the concrete cooperation tools remain unstudied and deserve special attention. The article considers the Kolarctic European Neighborhood Partnership Pro-gramme/ENPI CBC Programme 2007-2013 as an analytical case. The overall Programme objective to re-duce periphery of the northern territories of Finland, Norway, Russia and Sweden, intensifying cooperation and developing economic, social and ecological potential of the Barents Euro-Arctic Region. The performed analysis of the official documents, statistics obtained and interviews given by experts and projects partici-pants enabled to analyze the priorities and directions of the project cooperation as well as provide complex assessment of the effectiveness of Kolarctic Programme. The case of Kolarctic CBC Programme brings atten-tion of researchers due to its complex effect on various aspects of cross-border cooperation in BEAR and its valued experience in organizing multilateral projects aimed at solving economic, logistic, energy, environ-mental and humanitarian challenges. The Programme has proved itself as success story and highly effective interregional cooperation tool even in complicated geopolitical circumstances in Europe. The article address-es a number of new challenges of defining priorities of projects based cooperation for future perspective. The results of the study can be utilized in planning further participation of regional organizations in the cross-border cooperation programmes, organizing project work and elaborating and implementing regional devel-opment strategies in the areas covered by the Programme.