How to enhance cross-border cooperation on local development and governance? Šarūnas Radvilavičius

1. How to enhance cross-border cooperation on local development and governance? Šarūnas Radvilavičius OECD-Riga

2. CONCEPTS OF CBC WIDER MEANING = international cooperation; • cooperation on national level; • cooperation of border authorities. NARROW MEANING: • concrete border as obstacle and possibility; • cooperation on local/regional level; NB: land and sea borders OECD-Riga

3. CBC in Baltic Sea Region • Separate projects; • Town-twinning; • NGOs; • Euroregions; OECD-Riga

4. EUROREGION - definition • Cooperation on local/regional level; • Formalized political cooperation (agreement); • Permanent joint structures (Council, Board, Secretariat etc.); • Broad field of collective actions; • Cross-border oriented activities. OECD-Riga

5. EUROREGIONS • Platform for local partnership: • Local/regional authorities; • Representatives of national authorities; • Local NGOs; • Local business; • High schools etc. • Cross-sectoral: • Education; • Social and labour policies; • Economic development; • Environment; • Culture etc. OECD-Riga

6. WHY CBC AND EUROREGIONS? • Political function (peaceful neighborhood); • Solution of specific problems of border regions (peripheral status, border as obstacle for development, divided communities etc.); OECD-Riga

7. LEVELS OF COOPERATION Euroregions in Western Europe, Nordic countries • Strategic level: • tool for socio-economic development of the region; • services for community; Euroregions in Central and Eastern Europe • Project level: • “fancy name” as umbrella for projects; • politically loaded; OECD-Riga

8. Project of the Nordic Council of Ministers “Cross-border cooperation in the Baltic Countries and North-West Russia” 2002-2005 GOAL To facilitate creation of a network of CBCregions/euroregions in the Baltic states and North-West Russia, which can be linked with a network existing in the Nordic countries. OECD-Riga

9. 1. Euregio Karelia (FIN, RUS); 2. Finnish –Estonian co-operation 3+3 (ЕЕ, FIN); 3. Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation (EE, RUS); 4. Helsinki-Talllinn Euregio (EE, FIN); 5. Euregio Pskov-Livonia (EE, LV, RUS); 6. Euroregion Bartuva (LV, LT); 7. Euroregion Country of Lakes (LV, LT, BY); 8. Euroregion Saulė (LV, LT, RUS); 9. Euroregion Neman (LT, RUS, PL, BY); 10. Euroregion Šešupė (LT, PL, RUS) 11. Euroregion Baltic (LV,LT,RUS,SE,DK,PL) 12. B7 Islands (EE,FIN, DK, SE,DE) OECD-Riga

10. GOOD PRACTICE EXAMPLE Partenariat meeting of local businessmen, Polva, Estonia, 14 December 2004: Partners: Euregio Pskov-Livonia (EE, LV, RUS) Østfold-Bohuslän Border Committee (SE, NO) - 50 local businessmen - 200 meetings - New business contracts ??? OECD-Riga

11. INTERREG IIIB project BALTIC EUROREGIONAL NETWORK (BEN) Goal: Establishment of a network of CBCregions/euroregions in the Baltic Sea Region. Participants: around local, regional and national authorities, euroregions, NGOs, international organizations from the BSR; Activities: training seminars, network meetings, regional seminars, national roundtables; information material etc. OECD-Riga

12. ŠARŪNAS RADVILAVIČIUS Nordic Council of Ministers office in Lithuania Didžioji g. 5, LT-01128, Vilnius, Litauentel. +370 5 2123697 mobile: +370 614 04545fax: +370 5 2122423e-mail: sarunas@norden.lt http://www.norden.lt/ OECD-Riga