The subject of my dissertation is the information process in reference to euroregionalism and the origin of euroregions in the area of EU and especially Czech republic. I will focus on the fundamental causes of the european cross-border cooperation and the historical roots of first euroregion's origin -- the theoretical and practical resources of the euroregion's inception and operation. I will examine the legislative and institutional assurance of euroregions -- documents (for instance the implication of the Madrid agreement) and principles that result from the european and national legislation, on which the foundation of the euroregions functions. The euroregion legislation specifications in the countries of central and eastern Europe and especially Czech republic will also be mentioned. In the next section of my dissertation I will focus on the euroregion's definition, which occur in Czech republic -- the origin's causes and the historical roots, the financial framework (the inner sources of cross-border cooperation's financing, European funds and enterprises etc.). The objective of the practical part of the dissertation will be the evaluation of the executed cross-border cooperation benefits for the development of the peripheral area.

The European Union (EU) governance is very complex. Also, in order to have an impact on the democratic transformation of national settings in its Eastern Neighbourhood there is a need for the EU to govern more effectively. How can we understand the relations between the EU and countries in its Eastern Neighbourhood? Has the EU regional governance been able to bring positive change by influencing domestic processes including democratic institution-building in the region? What challenges has the EU encountered in its Eastern Neighbourhood and how has it responded to them? Even at times when the EU’s performance is being questioned by policy-makers and in academic literature, the EU retains a strong focus on sectoral and regional policies, along with a consistent presence in neighbouring countries. The six research papers of this thesis examine important aspects of regional development of the EU and its governance of the Eastern Neighbourhood. These analyses determine that the EU’s understanding of the governance of its Eastern Neighbourhood has developed and varied to a substantial degree since introduction of the European Neighbourhood Policy followed by addition of the Eastern Partnership. The papers provide empirical qualitative analysis on the factors shaping EU regional performance and address institutional, political, and cultural challenges that Ukraine and Belarus face in terms of democratization and regional cooperation. In addition, these papers engage with debates on borders and bordering in order to study the neighbourhood transformations through the European Neighbourhood Policy. New priorities, such as border management and a focus on multilateral initiatives under the Eastern Partnership, signalled the continuation of a region-based approach employed by the EU and the recognition of shared values, common traditions, and histories among neighbours in the EU’s shared borderland. / Graduate

Diplomová práce je zaměřena na problematiku přeshraniční spolupráce, která je v Evropské unii stále velmi aktuální. Popisná část práce osvětluje její souvislost s regionální politikou, ze které přeshraniční spolupráce vychází. Věnuje se také ostatním iniciativám Společenství v EU a detailně popisuje iniciativu INTERREG IIIA. České republice se v oblasti přeshraniční spolupráce otevřely nové obzory a možnosti právě se vstupem do EU. Cílem práce je demonstrace těchto nových možností na konkrétním způsobu podpory prostřednictvím programu Iniciativy Společenství INTERREG IIIA v Euroregionu Nisa. Euroregion Nisa se nachází v příhraniční oblasti na severu republiky, sousedí s Německem a Polskem, a proto úzce spolupracuje s přilehlými regiony právě těchto dvou zemí. Předmětem analýzy jsou projekty vycházející z programu Iniciativy Společenství INTERREG IIIA ČR ? Svobodný stát Sasko a ČR ? Polsko.

The diploma thesis concerns the use of funds of the European Union (European Social Fund, Cohesion Fund, European Regional Development Fund), especially in terms of the cross-border cooperation of the Slovak and the Czech Republic. The main goal is to investigate where these European funds are allocated, which areas are preferred to be supported in these countries by the financial assistance of the EU. To discover exact fields that need this kind of supply, it was essential to study basic strategic documents of both countries and urban patterns of the cross-border territory. The first chapter describes the structural and regional policy of the EU as a whole, gives examples of three main funds and their performance in the Czech and Slovak Republic. The second part deals with all the operational programs of both countries in connection with the three main objectives of the EU and previously remarked funds. It records the most serious economic problems and suggestions for solutions in both states as well. The third part is dedicated to dominant characteristics of the cross-border region, it describes The Program of Cross-Border Cooperation Slovak Republic-Czech Republic in the former period 2004 -- 2006 and particularly offers a detailed analysis of this program in current period. The last chapter gives instructions how to elaborate projects and it specifies all the steps needed to implementation of the projects. The end refers two examples of real projects put in practice in the cross-border region.

This study starts out with the hypothesis that the integration process in Europe is connected to cross-border régionalisation, a process which supports the institutionalization of subnational cross-border cooperation - region-building. Cross-border régionalisation is characterized by the decentralisation of vertical links and enhanced opportunities for horizontal links across state borders. In addition, political integration is expected to have some impact on the cross-border institutional forms that emerge at the subnational level. Three different approaches are utilized in order to establish the empirical connection between political integration and region-building. These are: an analysis of the factors which determine the general pattern of cross-border cooperation in Europe, an analysis of the policy network related to the regional and structural policies of the European Union (EU), and case studies of cooperation in the heartland of Europe, the Regio Basiliensis along the external border of the EU, and the EUREGIO along one of the internal borders. Two institutional factors are found to have a significant impact on the number of subnational cross-border cooperations, EU-membership and centrality. Federal constitution was shown not to be significant. It is suggested that the interaction between actors at different politico- administrative levels creates network relations, which typically bring both private and public actors together. More precisely, region-building is described as the outcome of the interaction which takes place between actors. A closer examination of the emerging policy network shows that community initiatives, the Interreg-programme in particular, improve the prospects for multi­level interaction. The EU plays a crucial role in providing the incentives for cooperation by increasing resource dependency and by establishing direct ties between the European Commission and a large number of subnational actors through partnerships. It appears as if the Commission wishes to demonstrate its capacity to deal with problems relevant to individual citizens. By, in part, bypassing central governments, it seems to increase its own importance vis- à-vis member states. The modus vivendi of cross-border region-building and régionalisation is the degree to which institutional actors at different levels share the same objectives. As shown by the case studies, there is a common interest in cross-border cooperation up to the point were public statues are introduced. Interests seem to coincide as long as the structures and contents of cross-border cooperation do not ultimately challenge the authority of state institutions. Therefore, it is not surprising that it seems impossible to give cross-border regions any rights under international law. Functional cooperation, rather than regionalist manifestations of cultural or political unity across borders, constitutes the backbone of region-building. Activities transcending borders are less controversial than those that may contribute to the establishment of new borders. It is concluded that region-building is a process which is embedded in the institutionalization of a multi-level interaction pattern. More favourable multilevel relations have been achieved through the transfer of some authority to the supranational level. This is the main reason why traditional integration theory fails to explain why there is a connection between political integration and cross-border cooperation. / digitalisering@umu

none

While the Europeans were discussing integration, other nations experienced long conflicts over borders. In some of the latter contexts, the significance of borders was underscored by escalated border policing through the erection of barriers. Although barrier construction is not a new phenomenon, an increasing number of nation-states are launching barrier projects along their borders. While in all cases the concerned nation-states claimed these barriers were provided security, scant attention was given to the actual security outcomes of these constructions. This research provides answers to the questions: what accounts for the different security outcomes of border barriers? How can barriers differ? And why? How does variation in barriers affect the nature and number of non-state actors' attacks? When do violent groups have tactical shifts and tactical innovations in the context of a barrier? This work moves beyond the conventional perspective on barriers that see them as successful defensive security measures. Instead, it develops the Fortification-Cooperation model that explains why the level of cross-border militant attacks change, when violent groups shift their tactics and when they innovate. I argue that security cooperation on both sides the border limits violent activities locally, which in turn restricts their access to militant resources. Presence of these resources is central for launching more attacks and for introducing tactical innovations. In turn, barriers impose restrictions to movement and increase the cost of certain attack. In this context, motivated violent groups substitute their commonly employed attack tactics for other types of attacks that can be sustained despite the presence of the barrier. Using a newly constructed qualitative and quantitative datasets on Palestinian attacks against Israel and barrier construction between 1990 and 2010, this study finds that the empirical record does not provide support the existing common explanations about the outcomes of barriers and that the interaction of cross-border cooperation and fortification is a key determinant of the number and nature of cross-border militant attacks. This work has significant implications for many states that built, are building, or are considering the construction of barriers on their borders since according to this research, a barrier without cross-border security cooperation would not be efficient at diminishing or decreasing cross-border violence. Additionally, violent groups' access to military resources is an important factor that should be taken into consideration when a barrier is built. Again, cross-border cooperation plays an essential role in restricting these resources, which would lead to less violence. In fact, in some cases, cooperation alone may result in similar outcomes to the combination of fortification and cooperation, which raises questions about the utility of barriers to begin with. / text

Following the necessity for spatial planning to focus on ‘what works’ in terms of implementation and policy delivery, during the last decade, the notion ‘soft’ spaces of cooperation have been in the spotlight of many academics working on territorial cooperation units. ‘Soft’ spaces of cooperation have been introduced mainly to explain what was happening for real through the continuous attempts to promote new policy scales, initially through the device of fuzzy boundaries. However, despite the necessity to address interests beyond existing rigid administrative boundaries, still issues related to financial power, infrastructure coordination and investment, ecological and environmental concerns, etc., all are situated within hierarchical structures of government and governance. Challenges arise and affect the interaction of actors in these areas, given the different institutional and cultural settings. This research investigates ways in which governmental institutions influence the coordination between non-governmental actors, points of interests that can foster the cooperation between governmental institutions and, more specifically the main challenges that non-governmental actors face while trying to cooperate due to cultural differences and institutional set-up in a ‘soft’ territorial cooperation. The research has been carried out in the Dutch-German border area, focusing on a common natural linkage and asset such as the Rhine river. While coordination between different sectoral policies exists in both sides of the border, different social context, planning mode and different legal and political conditions make the implementation of common projects a challenge.

The thesis ``Tourism potentials and the possibilities of their next activation in South Bohemian-Austrian and South Bohemian-German border region{\crqq} aims to describe the present situation of tourism in South Bohemian frontier area, which has been developing especially after the borders with the Republic of Austria and the Federal Republic of Germany were opened in 1989 and after the Czech Republic acceded to the European Union in 2004. The thesis focuses, as the title suggests, particularly on the potentials and the gravitation of tourist attractions and presents the possibilities of their next development in the defined region.

As the time goes by, one former Czech-Slovak territory has separated, forming two independent republics and members of European union. Division of common territory by a border, however, cannot affect cultural and linguistic proximity, which can be clearly identified in cross-border regions. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the cooperation amongst six regions located near mutual border during 2007-2013 period. By the means of publicly available content, an analysis of allocation of financial resources from ERDF and national budgets is executed. The qualitative evaluation of cross-border cooperation projects is delivered by the proposal of matrix for territorial impact assessment. According to percentual fulfillment of given goals, impact on barrier effect reduction and selected projects analysis, the overall added value of cross-border cooperation between Czech and Slovak republic during 2007-2013 period is specified. Main findings are then a result of combination of qualitative analysis and quantitative indicators for the researched period.