CBC in Ukraine and V4:

The project aims to identify and promote institutional models and everyday practices that effectively support cross-border cooperation and can be applied in Ukraine’s EU accession process by five research institutes from the Visegrad Four (V4) countries and Ukraine. The research aims to map out working examples and obstacles to cooperation between the V4 countries and Ukraine, with a particular focus on regional development, the needs of local communities, interethnic dialogue and security aspects. Research based on a common methodology, focus group interviews, expert forecasts, statistical analyses, seminars and a final conference will help to substantiate the results.

The added value of the project lies in the fact that it seeks new answers to what institutional forms work most effectively in different country pairs, how everyday cooperation takes place in border regions, and what mutual expectations and role perceptions characterise the cooperating parties. The research pays special attention to the differences in the prevalence of European Territorial Cooperatives (EGTCs), for example, why this form is more popular in Hungary and Slovakia than in Poland or the Czech Republic. The aim of the project is not only to publish the results, but also to formulate practical recommendations in order to help the border regions of Ukraine, drawing on the experience of the V4 countries, more successfully adapt to the requirements of EU accession.