ПсковГУ EU governance of natural resources Research EU‐Russia cross‐border cooperation in the 21st century: turning marginality into competitive advantage

EU‐Russia cross‐border cooperation in the 21st century: turning marginality into competitive advantage

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Athors

Nikolai Bobylev (Saint-Peterburg State University, Russia) 
Sebastien Gadal (Aix‐Marseille Université, France)
Viktar Kireyeu (Saint-Peterburg State University, Russia)
Aleksander Sergunin (Saint-Peterburg State University, Russia) 

Abstract

This paper aims to examine how Russian north‐western regions and municipalities use their marginal/border position as a resource to build a sustainable development strategy. Theoretically, this study is based on the marginality theory which states that border or remotely located subnational units are able to turn their marginality from disadvantage to a resource and transform themselves from depressed and provincial territories to attractive places hosting intense international flows of goods, services, capital, technologies and people. A number of venues for the EU‐Russia cross‐border cooperation are explored: the European Neighborhood Instrument, Northern Dimension partnerships, Euroregions and city‐twinning. The authors conclude that despite some problems with establishing a proper division of labor between above programs and project implementation cross‐border cooperation proved to be a valuable instrument not only for successful development of the marginal/border actors but also for establishing mutual trust and collaborative relations between Russia and neighboring EU countries.

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Bobyev, N., Gadal, S., Kireyeu, V., Sergunin, A. EU‐Russia cross‐border co‐operation in the twenty‐first century: Turning marginality into competitive advantage. Reg Sci Policy Pract. Vol. 12. Issue 5. Special Issue: Spatial Resilience and the Border Regions of Europe. Pp. 847-865. https://doi.org/10.1111/rsp3.12316