European cross-border spaces: A difficult to define geographic object? An approach from the perspective of soft spaces

Abstract

This text proposes a vision of cross-border spaces from the perspective of soft spaces in relation to territorial planning. In doing so, we aim to achieve a much more realistic inter- pretation of cross-border areas, as well as the dynamics that occur in them. The article also examines cross-border cooperation in Europe from its origins to the present. Starting with a definition of phases coinciding with other authors, the article concludes with the proposal of a last one initiated in 2008, which is characterized by the tension between forces that call for the recovery of the border and the sovereignty of the states and those who, on the contrary, advocate recovering the idea of European integration lost in the last decade; that is, a tension between the transboundary soft spaces and an emerging rebordering.