Mezei István: Urban development in Slovakia (Pécs-Somorja, 2010)

6. Towns along the Hungarian and Slovak border

The organizational forms of cooperation

Figure 24. Euroregions along the Hungarian and Slovak border

Edited by István Mezei, drawn by Máté Mády.

The operation of euroregions has an important, national goal, too. If euroregions can accomplish their mission, if they can implement an increasing number of plans and if the networks of relations can be expanded widely, then participants can obtain everyday experience in the cooperation practice of the two neighbouring countries. The experience gained in this way can also be transmitted to a national level (Mezei 2008).

Euroregions, however, have not been able to draw any particular attention, either in Hungary or in Slovakia. They have not become legal entities with special advantages, nor have they received legal support. Thus, euroregions have just been an attempt to solve the problem of cross-border cooperation. The European practice of cross-border cooperation has resulted in a further legal form, and it is the European grouping of territorial cooperation.

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