ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on research conducted within the framework of EXLINEA, is twofold. It tries to bring into context the significance of cross-border cooperation in terms of geopolitical situations of fragmentation and the peripheral status of border regions. The chapter also discusses the possible role of institutionalized forms of cross-border cooperation for the development of these border regions. As regional development and support to peripheral areas are major priorities of European Union (EU) policy, cross-border regional organizations have a vested interest in cooperation. Another aspect of this regional fragmentation was the breaking-up of a vast Hungarian cultural space and the subsequent restrictions on interaction between Hungarian nationals and the Hungarian ethnic minorities living beyond Hungary's new borders. The chapter aims to Bekes County and Mako Regional Business Zones, together with the already mentioned Interregio and Euroregions of Hajdu-Bihar-Bihor and Bihar-Bihor these business zones.
