ABSTRACT
The idea that the last decades in the European Union have born witness to a certain degree of state power erosion and that the borders between states are getting more and more permeable seems to be gathering consensus (Blatter, 2001; Perkmann and Sum, 2002; Bufon, 2006). Even if stating that the nation-states are an endangered species would be excessive, mobility across borders is currently an everyday practice for millions of European citizens. The Schengen Agreement, signed by 28 states, has progressively cancelled customs controls, thus allowing people to move freely from one state to another. These developments seem to be particularly relevant for the EU internal border areas. The ‘open border’ enhances mobility and multiplies the opportunities of meeting and cooperating with bordering economies and cultures. The intensity of such cross-border relations emerges from the spatial mobility of citizens, who can satisfy their needs linked to supplies, work, education, services, free time, tourism, etc. These forms of mobility, which contemplate frequent movements between the origin and the destination country, are destined to question the concept of national borders.
