ABSTRACT
The creation of formalized cross-border regional spaces and/or Euroregions
occurred ten years ago, along the internal political borders within the European
Union. The authorities of these cross-border spaces have conducted actions and
developed interactions mainly under European Special Funds such as INTER-
REG. As suggested by Scott (2000), the achievements of the Euroregions can be
problematized: is the creation of Euroregions only an easy way for border regions
to obtain European financial support; or, after ten years, have the Euroregions
developed specific governance instruments to build planning programmes and
policies at a Euroregional level? Five regions – Nord-Pas-de-Calais, on the
northern part of France; Kent in the South East of Great Britain; and the three
regions of Belgium, Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels Capital – joined together in
1991 to create the ‘EUROREGION’, a new entity aimed at pooling ideas and
actions for territorial planning and economic development. After ten years, how
might Scott’s questions be answered in this particular cross-border region? Are the
obstacles to governance described by Ricq (1992) operative in the EURO-
REGION? How are mutual discussion and decisions problems tackled in this
particular space? Are the different planning strategies in each country and in the
five regions, leading to a common development of the ‘Euroregional’ cross-border
space? Questions can also be raised regarding the place and the role of the
EUROREGION within other scales of planning. Are the Land and Country
Planning visions established at a European level in the European Spatial
Development Perspective (ESDP) providing a reference framework for the five
regions planning policies (EC 1999), compatible with their respective national
planning decisions? What role can this Euroregion play in the works led at the
North-Western Metropolitan Area (NWMA), trans-national cooperation structure
for spatial development, evolving in European North-Western area (ENO)?
Finally, it is important to assess the reality of this special space as experienced by its
inhabitants: does it represent a ‘contact zone’ as described by Ratti (1991)? Are
there many people working in another region within the EUROREGION? Are
the EUROREGION inhabitants travelling within this cross-border area? Has this
EUROREGION found its identity and ‘sens’ as described by Kramsch (2001)?
