ABSTRACT
This chapter determines the significance of the examined European cross-border cooperation programs (ECCPs) in the creation of cross-border market (CBMs) in the borderlands of Poland. In the current period of implementation of the European Union (EU) Cohesion Policy, nine types of intervention have been designated in programming documents, to which appropriate subtypes of intervention have been assigned. 'Hard’ investments, mainly in transport infrastructure, are still of great importance, especially in programs at the southern Polish border. One of the main shortcomings of the examined ECCPs implemented in the period 2004–2013 that had negative consequences for supporting the creation of CBMs was the co-financing of many projects that did not generate cross-border effects. Due to the difficulty of identifying and estimating the potential direct effects of projects submitted for support at the selection stage, in order to increase the probability of cross-border effects, ‘cross-border’ criteria were taken into account, which determined the type of involvement of the beneficiaries in cooperation.
