Living together at the cross-border regional scale in Europe: Supra-national and trans-national identity models in the Greater Region

Abstract

The EU integration process has favoured the development of cross-border regional identities in Europe. However, what types of identity models are mobilized in these areas and on what grounds? Based on a case study of the Greater Region centred on Luxembourg, the analysis shows that parallel identity models can be used to reinforce political executive bonds and functional economic integration beyond borders in relation to a new regional ideology. This choice based on a specific context is a background of spatial resilience beyond borders, imagined as a property of and a response by a regional system facing common challenges.