Cohesion policy is one of the most important policies of the European Union which aims to promote economic, social, and territorial cohesion in support of the broader European integration project....Show moreCohesion policy is one of the most important policies of the European Union which aims to promote economic, social, and territorial cohesion in support of the broader European integration project. Despite the identification of spatial inequalities in Europe being soon identified as an action point for the Community, the means to achieve territorial integration have created considerable political debate. The promotion of cross-border cooperation (CBC) via European Territorial Cooperation programmes like Interreg has been one of the Commission's main policy tools to reduce spatial inequalities. The overall goal of this thesis is to analyse to what extent Interreg programmes have been effective in boosting European integration. The author argues that increasing CBC further advances European integration because intensive cooperation in border regions contributes to diminishing regional disparities while enhancing mutual trust and collaboration.Show less
