Symmetries, asymmetries and cross-border cooperation on the German-polish border. Towards a new model of (de)bordering

Abstract

The border between Germany and Poland represents one of the most interesting examples of dynamic political, economic and social transformation one can observe in post-Cold War Europe, being a very successful example of close cooperation. Ongoing debordering logics can be noticed there, but their forms and pace also reveal stagnation, or even regress in some sectors. It is claimed that the dynamic intensification of cross-border cooperation there after the collapse of the communist regimes in this part of Europe resulted from a complex set of interactions on the European, national and local levels. The key objectives there were relatively convergent which contributed to rapid debordering. They started, however, to diverge over time, differently on each of the levels. This process was contex- tualized in the symmetries and asymmetries existing on the border, which in many cases resulted in rebordering tendencies.