| Aspiring to be integrated into the European Union (the EU) by the year 2003, Poland's central authorities have promoted the establishment of "euroregions" to facilitate cross-boundary cooperation along the Polish-German boundary---a boundary that simultaneously functions as an external border of the EU. To date, these euroregions have been viewed as structures designed both to promote the development of border regions and to facilitate Poland's integration into the EU. This study analyzes the implications of euroregions for the political economy of Poland's western borderlands and, by extension, for the future stability of the Polish state. Focusing particularly on the Euroregion Nysa---the first euroregion in east central Europe established in 1991---the study shows that cross-border cooperation has been affected by marked power imbalances and economic inequalities between Germany and Poland. In Poland, the lack of clearly defined competencies of local authorities to engage in cross-border contacts, the degree of inexperience with capitalist economic structures, and, most of all, the comparative weakness of the national economy, have relegated the country to a secondary position in German-Polish relations.; The nature and significance of the Polish-German imbalance is revealed in the character of particular cross-boundary cooperation initiatives that have been undertaken in the Nysa Euroregion. For the most part, these initiatives have been led by German authorities. The extension of German organizational and financial influence throughout the euroregion has created a two-fold erect for the Polish communes engaged in cross-border contacts along the western boundary. First, it has created a dependency relationship between Polish authorities and their German counterparts. Second, it has exacerbated inter-regional disparities within Poland. In light of these developments, the study concludes that cross-boundary cooperation does not always produce positive outcomes. Euroregions such as Nysa can facilitate important contacts and promote the development of joint projects, but they can also magnify political and economic inequalities both across international boundaries and within individual states. Recognition of this point is critical if cross-boundary cooperation initiatives along the external borders of the EU are to evolve in ways that encourage, rather than undermine, long-term stability. |
