On nations and international boundaries – the case of the Mediterranean region

The world seems mainly to comprise nation states that are independent and based on one nation, if sometimes with certain minorities within it. Thus, at first glance the model seems to be of ‘a nation establishing its boundaries’. However, a ‘boundaries that made a nation’ model also in fact exists – in which nations were created after boundaries were laid down. The independent states in the Mediterranean region forming the main subject of study here are found to belong to both of the above models, with the result that they place overall between the European model of ‘nation states’ and the African and Middle Eastern model by which ‘boundaries make nations’.

Results of the EU cross-border programme allocations and their geographical implications for border regions of Vojvodina/Serbia in the 2014-2020 programming period

Researching the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina as a region of Serbia and an European Union (EU) border region, we have long been concerned with the raison d’être of cross-border programmes, their impact, sustainability and long-term results. Against that background, the current study is focused on the results of the 2014-2020 cycle. The region of Vojvodina has neighbouring external borders with three EU Member States. While the partner countries have already applied for almost 100% of the available amounts, the implementation of projects and thus the payment of grants is only 50% effected so far. Our intention has been to examine the Vojvodina region in terms of cross-border programmes based on already completed projects and running along the lines of different Priorities. The Programme Areas of the four (Hungarian-Serbian, Croatian-Serbian, Romanian-Serbian and Serbia-Bosnia and Hercegovina) Cross-border cooperation programmes do overlap significantly. Primarily, we have been researching the territorial distribution of each, by reference to the locations of project owners and of project activities; as well as the related networking character of the projects implemented in Vojvodina in the Interreg-IPA (Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance) 2014-2020 programming period. It is then in this context that we examine the focal and connection points of the cross-border connections, in this way potentially indicating deficiencies in regard to sustainable project implementation. Without claiming to be exhaustive, we have also sought to reference impeding circumstances relating to a barrier effect that is obviously of particular importance given the fact that external borders of the EU are involved.

New approach towards border regions in the Territorial Agenda 2030

Border regions are commonly perceived as peripheral in terms of transport accessibility and socio-economic development. The peripherality has meant that they have been and continue to be beneficiaries of a traditionally understood – i.e. compensatory – paradigm of regional development. To a large extent, this has been the character of the European Union Cohesion Policy to date. However, a new paradigm of regional development, manifested by the Territorial Agenda 2030, is becoming more and more popular. The article debates possible actions to be taken in regions along national borders to achieve their strategic objectives using the multi-level governance and territorial capital concepts and referring to the six priorities of the Territorial Agenda 2030.

From the revolution of dignity to despair: a reflection on the border regions of Ukraine

This article offers a detailed analysis of the content characterising the geopolitical challenges and socio-economic changes that have been facing Ukraine in the years following the Revolution of Dignity, as well as interregional differences. The focus here is on administrative regions of Ukraine that border on to EU Member States, while the special emphasis is on the Ukrainian-Polish border regions, i.e. those in which the cooperation put in place can be regarded as most successful and intensive of all. Furthermore, as gaps to the availability of statistical data are present, the main emphasis has been on case studies, content and SWOT analysis, the search for good practice, and typical patterns of perception as markers of the dynamics present in social space.

The Green Line in Cyprus: external border or internal discontinuity of the EU?

Defining the Cyprus Green Line is a contested issue. Since the accession to the European Union of the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) in 2004, the EU has had to balance between two conflicting definitions of the Green Line. The first, set by international law and the United Nations (UN) resolutions, is that of a peace line that is only a temporary internal discontinuity within the RoC, separating both communities until a settlement is agreed. The second, championed by Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots’ pseudo-state, is that of an international border between both independent communities. The EU has had to apply both definitions at the same time, legally and pragmatically, which has heavily hindered its own peacebuilding efforts in Cyprus and reduced its actorness in Eastern Mediterranean geopolitics.

A place-based perspective on marine and coastal space

Over recent years the sea has experienced re-interpretation as marine space, or more specifically as marine spatial planning (MSP) space. This article uses the concept of place as a contrasting interpretation to space, referring to place-making as a metaphor for the various ways in which meaning is created in the sea. As expressions of an intimate connection between experienced materiality and symbolism, places (unlike space) are never abstract, but always carry emotional dimensions. Place attachment can be the result of everyday profe ssional links, recreational activities, or living by the sea, and arises despite the greater intangibility of locations in the sea. As a result of their greater physical intangibility, places in the sea may require more frequent (re-)making than places on land, pointing to the inherent importance (and value in their own right) of the associated (socio-cultural) processes of place-making. The ability to engage in place-making is thus an important avenue for expressing place-based values, an understanding which could be used to enrich marine spatial planning processes. Focusing more on the intimate connections people have with places in the sea and how quality of place matters to them could turn MSP into an enabler of place-making, becoming more of a rich and continuous dialogue around the multiple ways in which people interact with and value the sea.

Fake or real EU Territorialicy? Debating the territorial universe of EU policies

This paper provides new insights into the main pillars of the territorial universe of EU policies, by undertaking a systematic overview of European Union (EU) key territorial development reports, agendas and programmes. These include the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP), the three Territorial Agendas, and the European Territorial Observatory Network (ESPON) reports. The evidence shows widespread territorialicy, understood as a process of incorporating a territorial driven policy design, implementation and evaluation paradigm, still largely dominated by territorial development and territorial cohesion policy rationales. However, the socioeconomic policy prism continues to dominate the design and analysis of EU policies by EU entities.

Island geography shaping maritime space in Macaronesia

This paper explores how geography shapes human uses of the maritime space along the Atlantic archipelagic territories of Macaronesia, a biogeographical region that includes the archipelagos of the Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary Islands and Cape Verde. The way specific geographic characteristics of these islands influence and even determine maritime uses and activities is analyzed in a three-layers approach in the following order: socio-economic analysis, sectorial analysis and uses and activities analysis. The biophysical and geographical characteristics of each archipelago will be considered throughout the analysis, highlighting the common aspects and peculiarities between each region. After a comprehensive overview of the main economic activities, the discussion suggests that certain specificities need to be taken into account in maritime spatial planning processes when planning and managing human uses at sea, to promote the sustainable development of local communities, particularly in archipelagic regions.