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European economic, social and territorial cohesion is one of the fundamental aims of the European Union (EU). It seeks to both reduce the effects of internal borders and enhance European integration. In order to facilitate territorial cohesion, the linkage of member states by means of efficient cross-border transport infrastructures and services is an important factor. Many cross-border transport challenges have historically existed in everyday life. They have hampered smooth passenger and freight flows within the EU.
Two EU policies, namely European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) and the Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T), promote enhancing cross-border transport through cooperation in soft spaces. This dissertation seeks to explore the influence of these two EU policies on cross-border transport and further European integration.
Based on an analysis of European, national and cross-border policy and planning documents, surveys with TEN-T Corridor Coordinators and INTERREG Secretariats and a high number of elite interviews, the dissertation will investigate how the objectives of the two EU policies were formally implemented in both soft spaces and the EU member states as well as which practical implementations have taken place. Thereby, the initiated Europeanisation and European integration processes will be evaluated. The analysis is conducted in nine preliminary case studies and two in-depth case studies. The cases comprise cross-border regions funded by the ETC policy that are crossed by a TEN-T corridor. The in-depth analysis explores the Greater Region Saar-Lor-Lux+ and the Brandenburg-Lubuskie region. The cases are characterised by different initial situations.
The research determined that the two EU policies support cross-border transport on different levels and, further, that they need to be better intertwined in order to make effective use of their complementarities. Moreover, it became clear that the EU policies have a distinct influence on domestic policy and planning documents of different administrative levels and countries as well as on the practical implementation. The final implementation of the EU objectives and the cross-border transport initiatives was strongly influenced by the member states’ initial situations – particularly, the regional and local transport needs. This dissertation concludes that the two EU policies cannot remove the entirety of the cross-border transport-related challenges. However, in addition to their financial investments in concrete projects, they promote the importance of cross-border transport and facilitate cooperation, learning and exchange processes. These are all of high relevance to cross-border transport development, driven by member states, as well as to further European integration.
The dissertation recommends that the transport planning competences of the EU in addition to the TEN-T network should not be enlarged in the future, but rather further transnational transport development tasks should be decentralised to transnational transport planning committees that are aware of regional needs and can coordinate a joint transport development strategy. The latter should be implemented with the support of additional EU funds for secondary and tertiary cross-border connections. Moreover, the potential complementarities of the transnational regions and transport corridors as well as the two EU policy fields should be made better use of by improving communication. This means that soft spaces, the TEN-T and ETC Policy as well as the domestic transport ministries and the domestic administrations that are responsible for the two EU policies need to intensify their cooperation. Furthermore, a focus of future ETC projects on topics that are of added value for the whole cross-border region or else that can be applied in different territorial contexts is recommended rather than investing in small-scale scattered expensive infrastructures and services that are only of benefit for a small part of the region. Additionally, the dissemination of project results should be enhanced so that the developed tools can be accessed by potential users and benefits become more visible to a wider society, despite the fact that they might not be measurable in numbers. In addition, the research points at another success factor for more concrete outputs: the frequent involvement of transport and spatial planners in transnational projects could increase the relation to planning practice. Besides that, advanced training regarding planning culture could reduce cooperation barriers.
This diploma thesis sets out to analyse the applicability of the instrument ’European Grouping of
Territorial Cooperation (EGTC)’ in the transnational and interregional non-contiguous cooperation.
EGTCs that are applied in spatially non-contiguous cooperations are called ’Network-EGTCs’. As
no scientific research about network-EGTCs has been made so far, this diploma thesis fills this
research gap.
As a basis for the analysis, a literature review on the instrument EGTC in general and its historic
background was conducted. In addition the scientific literature has been searched for characteristics
of non-contiguous cooperations and different stakeholders were interviewed for their
estimations about network-EGTCs. The so far existing and planned network-EGTCs have been
explored. Out of these network-EGTCs two case studies – the E.G.T.C. Amphictyony and the
planned CETC-EGTC – have been examined in depth. Their characteristics have further been
compared with the information about EGTCs and non contiguous-cooperations in general.
It was found out that network-EGTCs show advantages from ordinary non-contiguous cooperations.
Additionally, it was discovered that network-EGTCs do not differ in their character as much
as it had been expected from EGTCs established in the cross-border cooperation. This applies
also to the establishment process as well as to the fulfilment of the instrument’s potentials. In
general all EGTCs show discrepancies between planning and practice. Only a few differences
have been discovered. Contrary to expectation network-EGTCs show only certain disadvantages
but also advantages compared to EGTCs in the cross-border cooperation.
This thesis delivers evidence that EGTCs are applicable in the transnational and interregional
cooperation when certain preconditions are fulfilled. Then they can contribute to a successful
transnational and interregional cooperation.
Recommendations were given to territorial non-contiguous cooperations that are considering to
establish an EGTC.
It is expected that more network-EGTCs will be established in the future due to the higher experience
and knowledge about network-EGTCs.