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
Utilizing the case of the JTF and Dutch provinces, this thesis inquires the main research question on which factors contribute to Dutch regional cooperation in EU-affairs. Extracting from the...Show moreUtilizing the case of the JTF and Dutch provinces, this thesis inquires the main research question on which factors contribute to Dutch regional cooperation in EU-affairs. Extracting from the theoretical framework and literature, two hypotheses based on party-political congruence and interest compatibility are formulated. The analysis of party-political congruence and executive overlap as determinant shows that there are big differences in the level of congruence between provincial regions of The Netherlands. However, the analysis likewise shows that party-political congruence solely attributes little to the extend of regional cooperation in EU-affairs. This resulted in the determinant of party-political congruence being refuted. However, when we reformulate and add the dimensions of party ideology, executive (party) network and coalition agreements to the equation, political congruence increases in validity as supporting factor for regional cooperation. The analysis of interest compatibility shows that that there are significant differences in the degree of interest compatibility between different provinces within different regions in The Netherlands. This variation results in significant different outcomes when it come to regional cooperation in EU-affairs. Hence, interest compatibility is accepted as determinant factor. When further scrutinizing, it appears that social, economic and geographical provincial characteristics are important conditions for interest compatibility. In conclusion to the thesis' main question, it’s the compatibility of provincial interests and proactive executives which are the drivers behind regional cooperation. When provinces are characteristically alike, have well-connected executives, pro-European parties in the regional assemblies and European funds maintain well-defined criteria, regional cooperation can be a logical phenomenon in The Netherlands.Show less
