ABSTRACT
A decade ago political discourses portrayed the German-Polish border region as an area ready to reap the benefits of European integration and of a neoliberal growth regime which would ensure that economic success and prosperity would radiate from a Berlin growth pole. In retrospect, and as early warnings voiced by critical observers predicted (Krätke 1996 and 1998), East Germany’s peripheries have experienced a dramatic decline through deindustrialization and population loss. In the case of the German-Polish border region, there is now an increasing local demand for political action as EU enlargement has not substantially reduced the separating effects of the border. This contrasts considerably with political agendas at national and regional levels. While the German and Polish national governments plunged into a variety of hectic activities ahead of Poland’s accession to the EU, an eerie calm has set in since May 2004, contributing to an atmosphere of disillusionment on both sides. Political initiatives for regional cooperation, ostensibly so intense in the run-up to enlargement are rather ‘low-key’. Optimistic expectations for the near future as expressed by local politicians have given way to mild scepticism. In particular, politicians’ dreams of a new sense of transboundary ‘regionalism’ seem to have been unrealistic options given the present situation. Many local actors have grown apathetic at the same time that fears of having ‘lost out in the enlargement game’ are quite present, especially on the German side (see Dürrschmidt 2002). Local decision-makers have finally become aware of the underlying and drastic changes that have taken place not only in international relationships but also with regard to regional development along the border. Thus, while being exposed to intensified interregional competition, the border region will see a gradual reduction of its eligibility for EU structural funds, so far a major source for financing regional development in Brandenburg (Karl 2002, p. 209). 1 Although economic prospects for the coming years indicate that Germany and the accession states will enjoy economic benefits from EU enlargement, it has been pointed out that already prosperous regions will profit far more than peripheries (Krätke and Borst 2004). Given long-term trends of structural decline, especially low investment, high rates of unemployment and outmigration, the border region risks being caught in a permanent development trap.
