Romanian-Hungarian cross-border cooperation at various territorial levels, with a particular study of the Debrecen-Oradea Eurometropolis (European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation-EGTC)

The objective of the doctoral thesis “Research on different territorial levels of Romanian-Hungarian Cross-Border Cooperation with special emphasis on Debrecen-Oradea Eurometropolis (European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation EGTC)” is to emphasize the importance of the cross border cooperation dimension, and has as the target area the Romanian-Hungarian cooperation, the counties of Bihor, Hajdu Bihar, and last but not least the communities of Debrecen and Oradea. For achieving this objective we studied the theories and concepts relevant to this field of study using methods and instruments of research on the basis of which we intend to bring forward and to emphasize an innovative and actual element of the thesis, and also a possible future European Group of Cross border cooperation Eurometropolis Debrece-Oradea (we analysed documents in order for us to be able to constructively defend our point of view). The chosen subject is strictly connected to the creation of the new legal instrument, officially applicable to the area of the European Union (EGTC), which function at the level of cross border cooperation, at the frontier of the states of the European Union1. This instrument is a new one, actual, and it is resources, economy in the border regions, transport, regional development, regionalism, regional difference, migration, cross-border law, development. Our doctoral thesis intends to combine in an efficient way the theoretical dimension and the practical dimension, so as through this domain to obtain new, innovative results which can be utilized by our decision making factors: local, county authorities, national, regional, euroregional and European actors. Our thesis is structured in 4 major chapters and annexes through which we will try to justify the theoretical dimension of the theories concerning the cross border cooperation and the concepts specific to the field, our basis for our enterprise research, our studies, and, in the end, we can debate the final result, which is actual and innovative in the same time at the level of Romanian-Hungarian boundary, especially for the cities Debrecen and Oradea. During the chapter “Different territorial levels of Hungaria-Romanian Cross-Border Cooperation CBC”, we describe the conceptual and theoretical delimitations where we used concepts like regional, euroregional, regions of development, politics of regional development, institutions with an area of action in regional and euroregional field. A subchapter refers to a successful Eurometropolis at European level proposes the analyses of three such structures of success: Regio Basiliensis, Lille Kortrijk Tournai - LKT and Metropolis Maastricht which can represent efficient models for the future structures of cross border cooperation. We will detail the proposed subject at the level of communities Debrecen and Oradea “Agglomeration of the Communities Debrecen and Oradea” as a previous step, a project for strengthening cross border cooperation, which in time transformed itself proposing as a type of project a possible European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation Debrecen-Oradea. The results of our research are detailed in Chapter III; it is the result obtained from the socio-geographical analysis run in the target area of Debrecen-Oradea and on the target groups selected for this purpose, as well as the analysis and interpretation of existing data bases from Romanian and Hungarian institutions. Finally, we will present the conclusions of the approached topics, trying to bring positive arguments in the favour of proposed innovation at the Hungarian-Romanian border, the utility of this cooperation under this umbrella based on the instrument of EGTC and last, but not least, the awareness of the authorised institutions, so that the model proposed and constructed by us, i.e. to transit from a project stage to a functional stage, offers a series of viable solutions for a common development of neighbouring cross border communities of Debrecen and Oradea

European border cities as cross-border cooperation engines

A general research on the works related to the European border cities reveals the fact that scholars do not so frequently approach this matter. One of these very rare sources, that of Decoville, Durand and Feltgen2 considers the border cities from a new and very intersting perspective for the former communist countries: that of de-marginalisation of the border urban areas, of an upgrading of the status of peripheral regions, and, in the end, of the dynamisation of their economic and cultural life by their very easy to establish external relations in the framework of the process of cross-border cooperation. In the context of the greater consideration allotted to the problem of borders and cross-border cooperation in the EU, consecrating an entire issue of Eurolimes to the role of the border cities could be considered as an act of reparation to these urban areas, to their ethnic diversity, multicultural sophistication, political role in key situations, or economical potential for their communities and even region or country

Different territorial levels of Romanian-Hungarian cross-border cooperation

The Romanian-Hungarian border has evolved in time from a closed, guarded border to an open one after 1989, a period when the success of cross-border cooperation models in Europe were taken on by the two nations, either as an Eurometropolis, or as Euroregion, operating with a series of instruments and institutions that facilitated cooperation within various areas of cross-border interest; these instruments have been gradually adapted until the present days when new ones replaced the old ones, the latest instrument being the EGTC

Promoting intercultural dialogue through lifelong learning policies

A dominant phenomenon in the last decades of the past century and the first decades of the 21st century is that of globalisation. The European Union emphasises more and more the role of education as a real element of reducing the distances between the member states, while stimulating the economic, social and cultural development of the community states. At the European Unions’ policies, the universities are called to prepare the students for an independent life in a multicultural environment, to support the improvement of knowledge, skills and competences that are necessary for an efficient functioning in a pluralist and democratic society, to interact, negotiate and communicate with people from different groups in order to create a civil society functioning on moral principles and common values. The instrument, put at the disposal of the national education systems by the European Committee, is the initiation of action programmes in this domain. The actions that take place in these programmes are based on collaboration relationships between the member states of the European Union. They are also extended to non-community states or even to non-European ones. Among these programmes, emphasis is placed upon those designated to learning during one’s entire lifespan (LLP), the most popular being the Socrates-Erasmus Programme. In these 52 higher education institutions from Romania, which take part to this programme, the University of Oradea has constantly occupied, in the last five years, on the 7th place, and this is due to the number of mobilities put at the students’ and teachers’ disposal every academic year. The objectives proposed by the European Committee, once starting this programmes, were successfully accomplished, as conditions have been created for building a real intercultural dialogue between the 27 countries of the European Union and not only

European/EU economic studies curricula

This paper is analysing one of the most dynamic fields of EU studies, the Economic Studies, which is, in the same time, a classic and a permanently new and changeable domain, offering a comprehensive coverage of European economic integration. This assertion is also confirmed by the fact that the EU Economic Studies come in second position in point of projects funded by Jean Monnet Action. The study takes into consideration three subfields of EU Economic Studies: European Economy, European Management, and Europe and Global Economy, tracing their evolution in twelve European countries. The curricular database of these subfields has been the support needed to seize the development of curricula in EU Economic Studies through internal elements contributing to its development - the dynamics of specializations, the role of mobility in various ways for crossing the disciplinary/transdisciplinary and national /transnational borders, or the role of NTIC in developing the curricula. Finally, it is the same curricular database that has helped us follow the EU Economic Studies curricula development depending on external stimuli: evolution of curricula according to the European agenda and its level of knowledge, and the impact of Jean Monnet Programme in developing the European Studies curricula in the field

Romanian-Hungarian cross-border cultural and educational relations

The work aims at capturing the cultural dimension of education in the Romanian-Hungarian border and the priority of the Bihor - Hajdu Bihar Euro-region, through the exchange of teachers, students, facilitated by the funding of the European projects, cooperation at institutional level and euro regional cross-border projects implemented by the local authorities, passing in this task by a foray into the history of cooperation at the level of the communities in study

Romanian-Hungarian cross-border cooperation at various territorial levels, with a particular study of the Debrecen-Oradea Eurometropolis (European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation-EGTC)

The objective of the doctoral thesis “Research on different territorial levels of Romanian-Hungarian Cross-Border Cooperation with special emphasis on Debrecen – Oradea Eurometropolis (European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation EGTC)” is to emphasize the importance of the cross border cooperation dimension, and has as the target area the Romanian – Hungarian cooperation, the counties of Bihor, Hajdu Bihar, and last but not least the communities of Debrecen and Oradea. For achieving this objective we studied the theories and concepts relevant to this field of study using methods and instruments of research on the basis of which we intend to bring forward and to emphasize an innovative and actual element of the thesis, and also a possible future European Group of Cross border cooperation Eurometropolis Debrecen – Oradea (we analysed documents in order for us to be able to constructively defend our point of view). The chosen subject is strictly connected to the creation of the new legal instrument, officially applicable to the area of the European Union (EGTC), which function at the level of cross border cooperation, at the frontier of the states of the European Union1. This instrument is a new one, actual, and it is especially interesting for the European states because of the elements that can be put to good use (the first Eurometropolis which functions on the basis of EGTC is Eurometropolis Lille –Kortrijk-Tournai, LKT) created in January 28 2008). On the other hand, another dimension of this instrument importance is represented by the possibility of the development of the communities situated on both sides of the border, thus a field of interest of the involved communities in such a structure of cross border cooperation. At the margins of the interest of our study there is a series of other authors which made research oriented in different fields of interests which has as target the Romanian – Hungarian cross border cooperation: István Süli-Zakar, Ioan Horga, Kozma Gábor, Zsolt Radics, Alexandru Ilieş, Klára Czimre, Károly Teperics, János Pénzes, Ernő Molnár, Luminiţa Şoproni,Adrian-Claudiu Popoviciu, Attila Ambrus, Mircea Brie, Csülög Gábor ( Eurolimes, vol. I-XII; Analele RISE, vol. I-II; Süli-Zakar I., 2003a, b, c, d; Süli-Zakar I., 2004; Süli-Zakar I., 2005; Süli-Zakar I. – Horga I., 2006; Horga I. - Süli-Zakar István, 2006; Süli-Zakar I., 2008; Horga I. - Süli-Zakar I., 2010; Horga I. - Bărbulescu I. Gh. - Ivan A. - Palinchak M. - Süli-Zakar I., 2010; Süli-Zakar I., 2010; Süli-Zakar I.,2011; Şoproni L. - Horga I., 2010; Ilieş A., 2010; Ilieş A. - Wendt J., 2001). Among major domains approached by the studies of the above mentioned researchers we nominate: objectives and regional development in border regions, cooperation of towns on the two sides of the border, interethnic connections, Euroregions along the Eastern borders of the EU,cultural “pathways”, cross-border cooperation of educational institutions, borders and tourism, common infrastructure, cross-border cooperation, human resources, economy in the border regions, transport, regional development, regionalism, regional difference, migration, cross-border law, development. Our doctoral thesis intends to combine in an efficient way the theoretical dimension and the practical dimension, so as through this domain to obtain new, innovative results which can be utilized by our decision making factors: local, county authorities, national, regional, euroregional and European actors. Our thesis is structured in 4 major chapters and annexes through which we will try to justify the theoretical dimension of the theories concerning the cross border cooperation and the concepts specific to the field, our basis for our enterprise research, our studies, and, in the end, we can debate the final result, which is actual and innovative in the same time at the level of Romanian – Hungarian boundary, especially for the cities Debrecen and Oradea. During the chapter “Different territorial levels of Hungarian – Romanian Cross-Border Cooperation CBC”, we describe the conceptual and theoretical delimitations where we used concepts like regional, euroregional, regions of development, politics of regional development, institutions with an area of action in regional and euroregional field. A subchapter refers to a successful Eurometropolis at European level proposes the analyses of three such structures of success: Regio Basiliensis, Lille Kortrijk Tournai - LKT and Metropolis Maastricht which can represent efficient models for the future structures of cross border cooperation. We will detail the proposed subject at the level of communities Debrecen and Oradea “Agglomeration of the Communities Debrecen and Oradea” as a previous step, a project for strengthening cross border cooperation, which in time transformed itself proposing as a type of project a possible European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation Debrecen – Oradea. The results of our research are detailed in Chapter III; it is the result obtained from the socio-geographical analysis run in the target area of Debrecen –Oradea and on the target groups selected for this purpose, as well as the analysis and interpretation of existing data bases from Romanian and Hungarian institutions. Finally, we will present the conclusions of the approached topics,trying to bring positive arguments in the favour of proposed innovation at the Hungarian-Romanian border, the utility of this cooperation under this umbrella based on the instrument of EGTC and last, but not least, the awareness of the authorised institutions, so that the model proposed and constructed by us, i.e. to transit from a project stage to a functional stage, offers a series of viable solutions for a common development of neighbouring cross border communities of Debrecen and Oradea

Diferrent territorial levels of Romanian-Hungarian Cross-border cooperation

The Romanian-Hungarian border has evolved in time from a closed, guarded border to an open one after 1989, a period when the success of cross-border cooperation models in Europe were taken on by the two nations, either as an Eurometropolis, or as Euroregion, operating with a series of instruments and institutions that facilitated cooperation within various areas of cross-border interest; these instruments have been gradually adapted until the present days when new ones replaced the old ones, the latest instrument being the EGTC

Etapele dezvoltării unei cooperări transfrontaliere funcţionale Studiu de caz. Comunităţile Oradea şi Debrecen, posibil model pentru comunităţi de la frontiera româno-moldoveană-ucrainiană

The cross-border cooperation represents a field of interest at European level and it gets a special attention from to border regions that have the possibility, due to the common situations, to develop threw common projects and cross-border projects. The actuality of cross-border cooperation, is closely connected to the apparition of a new European instrument of cross-border cooperation under the shape of the European Groups of Cross-border Cooperation, which represents an important instrument, one of perspective at European level, through the various forms of cooperation, having as an example of good practice the Euro metropolis Lille – Kortrijk – Tournai, trying to go through the stages that should be followed for the perspective of an efficient and sustained cross-border cooperation. In the scope of efficient cross-border cooperation the following steps should be followed: the SWOT analysis, the general vision, objectives and priorities, joint cross-border development strategy, measures and projects, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, implementation. As a case study we will review the concept of Cross-border Jam Debrecen - Oradea, and through the sociological research we can see a possible cooperation in the two cross-border communities and not least by providing possible solutions to the cross-border cooperation at the Romanian-Ukrainian - Moldavian border . The target groups that were elected for the sociological research, had been divided into three large categories: students, to whom 50% of the questionnaires were applied, the motivation of the allocation of this project was that they would be the main beneficiaries of the possible construction in an organized form of a future cross-border cooperation Debrecen – Oradea, 40% of the questionnaires were allocated to the target group called by us the public and where we framed people aged over 25 years and not least the group target named the institutions that represented the officials inside the Debrecen and Oradea institutions among which there is cooperation border, 10%. In conclusion, being based on the first success pattern of the European Groups of Cross-border Cooperation, the Lille – Kortrijk – Tournai Euro metropolis, we went through the essential steps for developing an efficient, functional and durable cooperation, at the level of Debrecen and Oradea communities, as a final goal of this cooperation being the transformation of the researched area by us into an European Group of Cross-border Cooperation. A similar pattern can be transposed also for the Romanian – Ukrainean – Moldavian border: ex: Sighet (Ro) /Slotvina (Uk), Suceava (RO)/Cernauti (UK), Galati (Ro)/Cahul (MD)/Reni (UK)