ABSTRACT
Employing an actor-centred approach, it can be argued that the Finnish–Russian border has been re-conceptualised, at least among local elites, from a dividing line and impermeable barrier to a useable resource following the momentous changes from the early 1990s onwards. This chapter reviews that, in relation to Imatra and Svetogorsk, regional and local actors have identified the border as a potential resource for local development, applying various initiatives/approaches to utilise it, learning from the results and experiences. Imatra–Svetogorsk is an anomaly on the Finnish–Russian border, which, since 1995, has also constituted the boundary between the European Union and the Russian Federation. The positional benefit that Imatra–Svetogorsk can exploit from the border, is obvious. It is on one of the three road connections between the St. Petersburg metropolitan region and Finland. The chapter explores how priorities set by local actors as regards cross-border interaction and co-operation has evolved in terms of the two models of cross-border integration identified.
