ABSTRACT
The first chapter provides the necessary theoretical considerations. It discusses the literature on the EU role in inter-regional relations and the need to add a comparative dimension to the analysis, and the main challenges of doing so. It provides an overview of the process-tracing methodology used in this book to explore the potential influence of the EU on the process in a comparative manner. The analytical framework proposed by this book is introduced in this chapter, and the four actors’ typology (leader, reference, sponsor and implementer) are defined and explained to facilitate the reading of the empirical chapters.
