The role and rise of european cross-border entities

Abstract

To speak of the role and rise of European cross-border entities, some remarks must first be made in relation to territorial governance as such, as well as the complexity of territory and borders. After some introductory remarks on these themes, the rise of new forms of territorial governance in Europe is debated, which then follows with the description of the institutionalisation of European cross-border entities, and the progress from the Euroregion to the EGTC. To reflect upon the role of cross-border entities in the twenty-first century, the example of binational cities is used, to then close with some future recommendations. While one of the best contributions cross-border entities have made so far and may continue to make is in lobbying for a continued interest in the territorial dimension of European policy in the future, they should be more proactive, defining their own agenda, based on their own challenges, and involving all the social actors in their cross-border communities. This would make their solutions more contextual and their identity more established—even if this takes a longer period of time to accomplish.