The aim of this thesis was to study the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) Programme and the North Sea Region (NSR) Programme within the Transnational Interreg IV B Programme for the period 2007-2013, by making a comparison between Sweden and Denmark. The thesis looked at the level of involvement of both National Planning Authorities in the designing process of the programmes and projects, and investigated whether the Interreg programmes influence the authorities in their work with future policy-making, and the national spatial planning policies in general. The ambition of the thesis was also to clarify the links between the Interreg Programmes, the ESDP document, the Territorial State and Perspectives of the European Union and the Territorial Agenda, and how these documents have influenced the EU Territorial Cohesion debate and the creation of the EU Baltic Sea Strategy. The reason was to better understand the role of the National Planning Authorities in the implementation of the transnational programmes and their work towards territorial cohesion. The methods used for the thesis consisted of secondary research and analysis of the intergovernmental “Territorial Documents”, the Interreg programmes and their specific projects, and not least, the study of books, articles, and other documents and sources of interest for this topic. Interviews were made with people working at Swedish “Boverket”, Danish “By- og Landskabsstyrelsen” (BLST) and “Danske Regioner” (Danish Regions). Some of the main findings have been the different approaches among the Planning Authorities towards their potential leadership in the Interreg projects, the little time dedicated to the Interreg work in general at Swedish Boverket, and Boverket’s scarce intervention in the development-process of the EU Baltic Sea Strategy. On the Danish side there is very little priority given to the diffusion and transfer of knowledge, while in Sweden on the other hand, this is one of the main issues for all the authorities involved. The conclusion is that, even if Sweden and Denmark are close neighbours and are collaborating in many fields, there are some substantial differences in attitude and action towards their role as participators of the Transnational Interreg projects, differences which, if emphasised, could be useful knowledge for both parts in order to develop their own Interreg-work, responding to the growing interest of the EU in territorial concerns. / m.bengtsson@tiscali.it

For decades, the peaks of Sharr Mountains had defined the border between two federal units of Former Yugoslavia, but after the political changes in Central and Eastern European Countries this massif became an intersected mountain. In this thesis work I saw of interest to analyze the status change from a massif unit as part of one state, to a cross-border mountain between two states and its affect on spatial development; - was there any cooperation on mountain management in the past; - how is the current mountain management proceeding on both sides; - which were the opportunities of cross-border cooperation in previous European experiences; - what can be expected from independent mountain side management on report to other side without any environmental assessment; and in the end to find and highlight the possible cross-border cooperation opportunities toward sustainability and eco-management of the Sharr Mountains in the future. / Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning DSP - Officer for International Cooperation Prishtina - Kosovo tel: + 381 38 517 712

The diploma thesis describes cross border cooperation. For better understanding, Euroregion Těšínské Slezsko is used as an example. The aim of diploma thesis is describe the importance of cross border cooperation and how the borders regions try to eliminate negatives like unemployment, bad infrastructure, distance from the capitol of the country, and emigration to other regions. Euroregion is the contract which helped czech and polish sites cooperate more easily. Czechs and Poles cooperate especially in project selection and realisation. The Euroregion has a lot of positives, but I found one area where the euroregion could improve. There isn't enough cooperation between czech and polish schools.

The purpose of this study is to investigate one of the European Structural Fundprogrammes, Interreg V Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak (ÖKS) and the priority areaTransportation. The programme gives financial support to transportation projectsaiming to develop sustainable (environmentally friendly) transportation alternativesand solutions. Through studies and theories on cross-border collaboration (CBC) and goals forsustainable transportation a major need of joint strategies for solving shared problems,such as environmental concerns has been demonstrated. This approach ofcollaboration projects as a pillar for sustainable development has been the foundationof how the current Interreg programme has been studied and the starting point for thisresearch. The study aims to clarify the relationship between the overall view uponcooperation and joint development programmes (within areas stretching over nationaland administrative borders, such as transportation) and the specific Interregprogramme. A programme which during current period (2014-2020) experienced adrastic decline of number of applicants. In order to further understand the context thecurrent study has trough empirical research defined added values (advantages) of theCBC but also identified the perceived difficulties and barriers (disadvantages). Thefounding’s have further been compared and supplemented with perspectives fromrelevant actors engaged in transportation development. This material has beencollected through qualitative interviews enabling a vital and good understanding ofconcerned actors and their view of advantages and disadvantages with CBC. Theanalysis has also enabled the conclusion that the general view among the actors is thatcollaboration projects are necessary for a sustainable development. However, studiedprogramme with declined number of applicants did not succeed in attracting desiredparticipants. Consequently, the actors were also asked to share their view upon thedecline of applicants for current Interreg period. One identified explanation wasrelated to the administrative burden which was perceived too heavy by the actors. Inaddition, the financial part was perceived to be too low or poorly designed. Theknowledge about the programme was also found to be limited among some of theactors. To be able to involve more participants in the future it has been concluded thatimprovements within the three areas of defined obstacles have to be implemented. This investigation and findings aim to contribute to increased insights andunderstanding of the cross-border cooperation process in order to be able to reach andinvolve relevant actors in the most favourable way for successful future projects anddesired sustainable development.

Der vorliegende Sammelband beruht auf Vorträgen, die im Rahmen einer studentischen Fachtagung zum Thema „Grenzüberschreitende Zusammenarbeit in Europa“ am 21. Januar 2013 an der TU Chemnitz gehalten wurden. Die Studierenden sind in den Studiengang „Europa- Studien“ eingeschrieben und haben sich in einem vorbereitenden Seminar besondere Expertise in den von ihnen bearbeiteten Themen erworben, wobei vielfach eine rechtlich-institutionelle Perspektive eingenommen wurde. / This volume is based on a students' conference on "Crossborder-co-operation in Europe" on January 21, 2013. The students are enrolled in the European Studies course and have acquired particular expertise regarding their subject within a preparatory seminar which focused on a legal-institutional perspective.