ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the Commission's proposal on the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) opens rather prosaically with a reference to the Commission's earlier communications on financial perspectives. In the first part of the study, different European Union (EU) doctrines, instruments of cross-border cooperation (CBC) and their roles in defining EU border policies will be addressed. Attention will be drawn to the EU's Wider Europe strategy and possible consequences of the New Neighbourhood Initiative (NNI) for cross-border interaction on the eastern borders of the EU. The historical and political development of the Finnish-Russian border region will also be scrutinized in order to clarify the existing preconditions for the adaptation of new CBC instruments. In supporting administrative efficiency the explanatory memorandum naturally also stresses the factual goals of the instrument and the innovative features of its cross-border cooperation component, which is said to emphasize the role and significance of the regions.
