Cross-border cooperation through the Polish-German experience

Katja Sarmiento-MirwaldtBrunel University London

Typology of regions in territorial cooperation

Main thesis

• Cross-border cooperation within CEE is often smoother than cooperation with Western European countries

• Possible reasons:– Political barriers: laws, regulations and procedures– Different administrative cultures– Mental boundaries

• Possible solution: Small projects funds

Small projects funds

• Exist at Germany’s, Belgium’s, Czech Republic’s and most of Poland’s borders (Wójcik, 2012)

• First introduced in the mid-1990s• Aims: overcoming mental barriers, promoting

cooperation• Means: small-scale encounters, infrastructure

projects or publications

The Polish-German CBC programmes

• Some barriers at programme level• Some structural problems resulting from the

design of the programmes• Fewer barriers between (small) project

organisers• Some barriers between border region residents

but overall cordial relations• Some modest evidence of a positive effect of

small projects

Simon, German teenager (participant in a youth camp)

Simon, German teenager• Interview 1:

How would you react if a Pole started school in your class?I would stay out of his way. I don’t really like others.Others?Foreigners.…Poles are not really my cup of tea… they do not give off a good impression.

• Interview 2The Poles were actually really great.…Do you like Poles?Yes, I do like them… now you know how the Poles tick.

Krzysztof, Polish teenager (participant in a youth camp)

• Interview 1How would your react if a family member of yours married a German?I don’t know about that. I would be surprised. … You don’t know? So you would be surprised. Why? Because Germans …I mean... I don’t know, actually. It would be unusual? Yes.

• Interview 2How would you react if someone from your family married a German? Well, I would be very happy, because it’s good to have family from, say, another country, because you can, say, learn a lot, various, say, words, or something about their interests, if they have any. … And do you think that perhaps your approach to them has changed? Yes. And why do you think that happened, what changed? Because we got to know each other better.

Features of good SPFs

• Simple(r) procedures– Programme area– Application form– Disbursement of funds

• Importance of project content– Substantive theme– Surrounding activities– Village fetes and seminars

• Importance of engaging teenagers– Input into project content– Pedagogues ready to step in

Questions for discussion

Thesis: Cross-border cooperation within CEE is often smoother than cooperation with Western European countries• Is this confirmed by your experience?• If so, how do we explain this pattern?• Can SPFs help to overcome this?• What are the prospects for SPFs at CEE

borders for the 2014-2020 period?

References• ESPON and EUROREG (2012) TERCO European Territorial Cooperation as a Factor of Growth, Jobs and

Quality of Life. Final Report- Scientific Report Part I | Version 31/12/2012, Warsaw, ESPON & EUROREG - Centre for European Regional and Local Studies, University of Warsaw.

• Interact (2010) Interact study towards cross-programme evaluation. Operational aspects of cross-programme cooperation in Central And South-Eastern Europe: Support mutual learning, available at <http://admin.interact-eu.net/downloads/2452/Cross-programme_evaluation:_thematic_study.pdf> (accessed 21 October 2014)

• Interact (2010) Interact study towards cross-programme evaluation. Thematic aspects of cross-border cooperation in Central And South-Eastern Europe: Understanding the added value, available at <http://admin.interact-eu.net/downloads/2452/Cross-programme_evaluation:_thematic_study.pdf> (accessed 21 October 2014)

• Sarmiento-Mirwaldt, K. and Płoszaj, A. (2014) Building Social Capital in the Polish-German border region: An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of EU-funded Small Projects, Warsaw, EUROREG Reports and Analyses 6/2014

• Sarmiento-Mirwaldt, K. and Roman-Kamphaus, U. (2013) ‘Cross- border Cooperation in Central Europe: A Comparison of Culture and Policy Effectiveness in the Polish–German and Polish–Slovak Border Regions’, Europe-Asia Studies, 65:8, 1621-1641

• Wójcik, M. (2012) Kleinprojektefonds in Europa und die neue Programmperiode, presentation available at <http://www.eurodistrict-regio-pamina.eu/pamina/spip.php?article1766&lang=de> (accessed 21 October 2014)