Cross-Border Review 2021

The ‘Cross-Border Review 2021’ is the eighth edition of the yearbook published by CESCI. Unavoidably, this 2021 Cross-Border Review Yearbook is marked by the profoundly complex experience of living with a global and borderless pandemic.

The ‘Cross-Border Review 2021’ is primarily recommended for the academic community, for students of geography and political sciences, and for those readers who are interested in cross-border-cooperation and interaction.

Authors

Volkan Altintaş, İzmir Katip Çelebi University (Turkey)

Goran Bandov, University of Zagreb (Croatia)

Alicja Fajfer, University of Eastern Finland

Alberto Giacometti, Nordregio (Sweden)

Teodor Gyelnik, CESCI Budapest (Hungary)

Miroslava Lendel, Uzhgorod National University (Ukraine)

Eduardo Medeiros, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Portugal)

Mari Wøien Meijer, Nordregio (Sweden)

John Moodie, Nordregio (Sweden)

Jean Peyrony, Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière (MOT) (France)

Martina Plantak, Andrássy University Budapest (Hungary)

Martín Guillermo Ramírez, Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) (Germany)

James Scott, University of Eastern Finland

Cemre Tokatlı, Sile Municipality, Directorate of Cultural Affairs (Turkey)

Editorial and Introduction

by James W. Scott

Unavoidably, this 2021 Cross-Border Review Yearbook is marked by the profoundly complex experience of living with a global and borderless pandemic. Not only was/is Covid-19 an international phenomenon, it has also intensified the politically instrumental use of borders and exacerbated existing socio-cultural and socio-economic borders within national societies. As several advocacy groups for cross-border and territorial cooperation such as CESCI and the Association of European Border Regions have pointed out, the border closing impulses of member-states have deeply affected cooperation and eroded trust and social capital that has accumulated over the decades as a result of CBC. In addition, the closing of borders seems to underscore in many cases a lack of national interest in the workings of CBC, although we did see states backtrack in order to address concerns of commuters across borders.

Eduardo Medeiros and his colleagues (2021) coined the terms ‘covidfencing’ as a way of expressing the generalisation of border-closing measures as a visible display of government action but with limited epidemiological impacts. Perhaps most worryingly, the border politics of member states could question the viability of the Schengen Area as it was originally intended. In response to this, the European Committee of the Regions organised in July 2021 a Conference on the Future of Cross-Border Cooperation in which a European Cross-Border Citizens’ Alliance was unveiled. The purpose of the alliance is to send a political message to the European Commission and Parliament and to member states in defense of the rights of border region communities. The Alliance was undersigned by the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR), Mission Opérationelle Transfrontalière (MOT) and Central European Service for Cross-border Initiatives (CESCI). Many of the contributions to this Yearbook elaborate on this problematic theme, offering different perspectives on ‘Covid borders’.

In the first contribution to the article section, Eduardo Medeiros discusses the urgency of establishing and maintaining institutional trust in response to the challenges presented by the Covid pandemic. He uses the term ‘covidfencing’, introduced above, to express the nationally focused and particularistic responses that have characterised what can only be terms as crisis management in the face of the pandemic. Covidfencing, however, could have longer lasting impacts by eroding faith in political and social institutions. As Medeiros argues, institutional trust is an essential counterpart of territorial cooperation, but also adds an extra layer of complexity to cooperation processes, thus requiring an insightful examination of its concrete relevance and impacts in boosting or hindering territorial cooperation in all its forms. This is the challenge he proposes to discuss by developing the hypothesis that European Territorial Cooperation programmes, and INTERREG specifically, can play a vital role in rebuilding institutional trust in European cross-border regions, which was greatly affected by the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Jean Peyrony follows up on Medeiros’ observations by addressing the lessons learned from the crisis and actions that could be taken in favour of border regions both at the local level and within the framework of a bottom-up and multi-level governance involving member states and the EU. According to the author, cross-border regions will be a test case for recovery and beyond. The current crisis represents a danger, but also an opportunity for Europe to develop new policies for people and their living spaces. Furthermore, the recognition of interdependencies is a way to enhance the political dimension to cross-border and European integration. Peyrony reminds us that cross-border regions are at the heart of the European project. He also suggests that dealing with administrative borders requires functional approaches based on patterns of everyday interaction. Classical institutional approaches that focus primarily on sovereignty and control of mobility do not resonate with the reality of life in Europe’s border regions. Closed borders have been a counterfactual to cross-border cohesion. Thus, the interdependencies revealed by the crisis call for new cooperation policies: a functional approach taking into account people in their cross-border living areas; multi-level bottom-up governance involving cross-border regions, states and the EU. Moreover, Peyrony provides some concrete suggestions regarding that could enable a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient development that, in benefitting border region, would promote cohesion more generally within Europe.

Martín Guillermo Martinez continues discussion of the pandemic and its consequences for border regions and communities living there. He relates how a number of advocacy groups for cross-border cooperation, including the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR), combined efforts in order to collect cross-border stories of the pandemic. In addition to these stories, this team also analysed the many reports and social media posts from different borders areas regarding initiatives being promoted to ease the conditions faced by many citizens in border regions. From this wealth of information, a clear picture emerges of discrimination and hardships in addition to the burdens caused by Covid. Equally clear is the crucial role that various Euroregions, European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs) or Eurodistricts played, helping people and businesses to understand their rights within the complexities of the cross-border contexts. The Mission Opérationelle Transfrontalière also coordinated the report The effects of COVID-19 induced border closures on cross-border regions with the support of the European Commission and the collaboration of CESCI and AEBR, including an annex with 20 case studies. Details of the report are briefly provided by Martinez in his article.

Alberto Gicometti, Mari Wøien Meijer and John Moodie also engage with the issue of institutional trust and discuss how such trust holds Nordic countries, institutions, and people together, driving processes of cooperation and collaboration. As they point out, however, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility of this co-operation and even has threatened attempts to integrate the Nordic region even more. Their contribution to the Yearbook focuses on the impact of the pandemic on cross-border communities and assesses how the role and responsibilities of Nordic institutions and cross-border organisations can be strengthened to ensure that the rights of citizens in border areas are protected. The authors propose that “adaptive institutionalization” could help establish a clear distribution of responsibilities across different levels of governance and thus help adapt cooperation to situations of future potential crisis. As the authors state, strengthening institutional capacities will be vital in mending Nordic trust, deepening integration, facilitating socio-economic recovery, and building Nordic regional resilience.

Volkan Altintaş and Cemre Toklatli then offer local perspectives on cross-border tourism at borders between Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece. Since the March 11 2020 declaration of a pandemic by the World Health Organization, tourism has been one of the industries in which the negative effects of the epidemic were seen the most, as restrictions in travel and tourism activities and social isolation were among the initial measures taken to get Covid-19 under control. However, as soon as domestic tourism activities were again permitted, international travel began again as well. In this context, people in Turkey have been observed to prefer bordering countries. Many of Turkey’s cities are near international borders and cross-border tourism has proved highly popular despite the threat of Covid infection. It appears that perceptions of risk associated with travelling during times of Covid varied highly among the local population. This motivated the present research in which psychological factors encouraging mobility were the central focus. In the article, the authors present the results of their quantitative survey research that examined the perceptions and perspectives of Kırıkkale residents who visited Bulgaria and Greece. Within this context, the research was conducted through a ‘questionnaire-with-local people’ method.

In a final article which is edited by James Scott, students share their border-crossing experiences with Covid borders and general impressions of Covid restrictions. Most of these students participated in Erasmus exchange programmes and all attended the Border Politics and Security course offered by the University of Eastern Finland. Students were motivated to read and discuss key works that have characterised the state of art of border studies and to contribute their insights into the politically charged debates related to borders and security. As part of the course, students, both Finnish and foreign, were asked to complete an assignment in order to relate their general understandings and personal experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic to discussions of border politics and security. Their individual essays reveal highly nuanced understandings of the significance of border politics as well as far-reaching societal consequences of the Covid pandemic. These essays have been compiled and abridged in order to highlight the central points elaborated by the students.

The Yearbook also features three research notes that do not directly address the Covid phenomenon and its consequences. What they convey are results from ongoing explorations into issues linked to border politics, place-based development and regional identity. In the first of these Alicia Fajfer takes us to the border of Poland and Belarus which has very recently been the scene of dramatic border-crossing attempts by Iraqi and Syrian refugees. What is clear is that the refugees have been ‘weaponised’ by Belarus in retaliation for EU sanctions but also to an extent by the Polish government. Fajfer analyses selected public communication and policy documents that reveal Poland’s response to the 2021 border crisis. Because of the preliminary nature of this report, the material is limited to two ‘opposing’ actors: represented by the authorities on one hand, and activists participating in aid operations on the other. Fajfer’s case study offers a perspective on how a state with a shifting migration profile (from a country of emigration to a country of immigration) uses migration flows.

In his research note James Scott provides a ‘thought piece’ that ponders the question as to how principles of place-based development and spatial justice can be applied to cross-border cooperation. Inspiration for such a proposition emerges from a philosophy of place as something central to human flourishing, nevertheless the practical possibilities are many, especially when well-elaborated and inclusive strategies receive commensurate support from EU and national sources. This paper is followed by insights from Goran Bandov and Martina Plantak regarding current debate about the definition of the Central European region by asking, ‘What is Central Europe, and is there a Central European identity?’ While the first part of the article examines Central Europe’s concepts and development, as well as its demarcation from the Balkans, which imposes itself as the ‘Other’ in the European context, the second part of the article is based on two concrete examples of Central European identity construction. This paper will use the examples of Slovenia and Croatia to try to understand and compare the construction of Central European identity in these two nations.

Finally, the Yearbook provides two reviews of recent publications where processes of bordering and re-bordering loom large. Teodor Gyelnik reviews Cathal McCall’s book on Border Ireland, which relates the historical evolution of borders on the Island of Ireland in terms of continuous bordering, de-bordering and re-bordering. McCall also dedicates much attention to the impact of the European Union on these different bordering processes. In sum, McCall’s book provides insightful perspectives on the the origins of the border, its hard – militarised and its soft – cooperative versions and outlines the often confusing events since the 2016 Brexit referendum. Martina Lendel reviews a highly topical publication dealing with EU-Ukraine relations and. specifically, the situation of cross-border cooperation between Slovakia and Ukraine. The book, entitled The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and Its Impacts on Cross-Border Cooperation deals with the need to improve conditions for cross-border cooperation on the Eastern border of the European Union, in particular under the influence of institutional, regulatory framework of relations with the EU. In particular Ukrainian authors (V. Ustymenko, A. Sanchenko, A, Tokunova) try to identify the main political and legal determinants that influence the cross-border practice of national, regional and local actors in the context of commitments to sustainable development. While the book is highly relevant to ongoing debate, Lendel observes some limitations, primarily too much focus on institutional analysis which limits understanding of cooperation motivations. She suggests, however, that this collection represents a good basis from which to carry out a more comprehensive analysis of various determinants of CBC performance. Among these determinants might figure the institutional and regulatory dominance of the EU, the roles of national legislation, practices of local self-government bodies of Ukraine and neighboring countries, cultural and ethnic characteristics, economic potential, migration flows and the influence of social networks.

Reference

Medeiros, E., Ramírez, M. G., Ocskay, G. and Peyrony, J. (2021): Covidfencing effects on cross-border deterritorialism: the case of Europe. European Planning Studies, 29(5), pp. 962-982, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2020.1818185