ABSTRACT
The European region-building process is a particularly interesting context in
which to observe the transformation of public action on borders. The tradition of
Intergovernmental Commissions, followed by the institutionalization of Euro-
regions, the Madrid Convention and the introduction of INTERREG, the latter
with its well-known implementation phases, has provided both symbolic and
functional inputs to the development of patterns of governance resulting in
so-called ‘laboratories of integration’. In the borderlands separating member
states, working communities and agglomerations between micro-and macro-
levels are mostly the norm today. Beyond the goal of describing the varied
programmes to stimulate flows of goods and people across European member
state borders, however – conceived in a vocabulary of de-bordering – this chapter
focuses on a range of contemporary territorial projects defined as attempts at
re-bordering. The term ‘cross-border region’ identifies such a process; while it is still
open to different interpretations, its understanding can open a framework for the
study of policy in a unique spatial context.
