Ciechocińska, Maria

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BORDERS AS A BARRIER TO INTERACTION:A CASE THE BREST-BIAŁA PODLASKE SIEDLCE REGIONMaria CiechocińskaUniversily o f Agriculture and Education, Siedlce, PolandI. The world wide trends towards the cross-border cooperation and integrationCross-border cooperation can mean new chances for regional (endogenous) development. Cooperation in a border region is assumed to generate profits, peace, understanding and prosperity1 It is founded on various benefits which may accrue from it, sometimes but not always to the mutual advantage of the countries concemed.The process of regional cooperation and integration can be considered from several points of view. Gibb and Michalak2 edited the book entitled „Continental Trading Blocs; the growth of regionalizm in the world economy". The authors considered regions to be large transnational blocs like the European Union, NAFTA (in northem America) and ASEAN (in Southeast Asia). In their view, it is better to speak about a process of growing regionalizm instead of global integration or globalization. In the other words, integration and disintegration take place at the same time.Cappellin and Batey3 wrote a book on regional Networks, Border regions and European Integration", This title stresses the role of border regions in European integration. Rumley and Minghi4 have edited a bundłe of contributions with the title „The Geography of Border Landscapes", in which in particular the problems that arise from the existence of national borders are given attention. The series „World Boundaries"5 stresses the political aspects of boundaries. As it is easily to notice, the two central issues conceming cooperation and integration seem to be region and border.Border-crossing involves people, goods, money and ideas moving from one region to another and vice versa. The current growing interest in borders and border-crossing mainly concems the borders of countries. Particularly in Europę, where the idea of a borderless continent is in the process of being firmly anchored in society, inteiTegional and cross-border cooperation is regarded to be of great importance for the process of European integration6. In this respect a case of the Brest-Biała Podlaska-Siedlce region is important from at least two points of view: i/ the interactions take place between people and organizations; ii/ the ultimate result of cooperation and integration of the both side of the border7.2. Transportation linka ges within the the Brest-Biała Podlaska-Siedlce regionThe European Union puts much effort into diminishing the barrier effects of borders between the member States. It is worth to be said that the regions and borders are inseparably linked. Particularly the regions along the inner borders of the European Union are emerging to be the new centers of economic activity. Nowadays their previous peripheral locations have tum into ones that can be characterized as much morę central. In our opinion it could be considered also a case of the Brest-Biala Podlaska-Siedlce region. The 'important railways and motorways that connect East and West run through the Brest-Siedlce area8. The modemization of the Berlin railway linę has already reached6Warsaw, it arrives Siedlce soon, then Terespol and Brest. A high speed railway (of the French TGV type) railway link between Moscow and Berlin is to be added to this infrastructural asset. However, it remains to be seen whether the region, in question, is going to capitalize on these supposed opportunities for the once peripheral particularly on the Polish side of the border. It could be called after its old historical name The Brest Track. We wish declare that the region in ąuestion will embrace the process towards a futurę borderless Europę. To guide this process we should to answer the ąuestion conceming the naturę of borders, because they can divide or unitę.We are aware that almost fifty years of the existing of the closed national borders, because of the political and military reasons, madę a real disruption and v.;ped out the transborder contacts. Such contacts could exist on the local level only imder highly restricted control and a strictly defme scope. Under those conditions the region in ąuestion has inherited a poor technical infrastructure linkages, poor facilities, a Iow urbanity of the operating settlement nodes as Siedlce and Biała Podlaska9. As a rule there have been the weak ties with metropolitan centers. In the case of Brest and the Republic of Belarus there has been a slow speed in transition towards the market oriented economy, and the opening up markets. Nevertheless, the institutional development of private enterpreneurship in the formal life is going on. The Brest inhabitants have started thinking and acting in the terms of private economy, and they have been involved in the so-called the trade tourism. The knowledge of the advantages of market economy has begun to develop in the Brest community. In that sense one can say that the transition takes place on the mentality level.A geopolitical location of the Republic of Belarus makes it a frontier country which is often labeled as a gate to the West. The Brest city and its area is perceived in the same way. Brest becomes veiy attractive also for Russian and the other Russian speaking peoples; the formcr citizens of the Soviet Union, who have started to run their businesses. Many of them have already settle down in Brest, they have purchased the real esiates or they have aheady started to construct buildings. The investigation has shown that the new joint ventures are coming into being. A Capital flows in the region in ąuestion due to its good geographical, e.i. its strategie location in Europę, as well as to the cheap labor which is relatively high skilled.3. Forming of business climate becomes a challenge for marketing in the cross- border regionUnder those conditions there is the urgent need to improve the business climate both, on the level of the newly founded companies and the entrepreneurial oriented individuals too. We have found that the forming of business climate becomes a challenge for marketing in the cross-border region in ąuestion. The business climate is base on cooperation, integration and interaction, which are largely determined by people or organizations, which have found the interest in Crossing the border.In the 90 ąuite a number of scientific books of articles were published conceming cooperation, integration and borders. Apparently, people Crossing borders are still worth studying10. Particularly the developments in Europę are watehed closely and have far7reaching conseąuences, witnessing the following ąuote: „The success of regional integration in western Europę is one of the most important reasons for the present resurgence of regionalizm in the other parts of the world"11 The border regions are defined as areas whose economic, social, cultural and political life are significantly affected by proximity to intemational border12. They can include lack of interaction and lack of exploitation of economies of scalę and scope due to hinterlands being cut off by the border. This can be seen in several functional and political flelds of contact. E.g. the reason for lack of integration in border region is that the economic system competes on an intemational basis, while the political and legał systems are to a large extent nationally based. The interactions in border regions can be differentiated according to functional contexts, e.g. law, economy, politics and culture, as systems within modem societies13, c.f. Fig. 1.Legał constructions were madę use of to allow, e.g. the development of communal associations on both sides of the border. They can be members of these associations and interest groups belonged only to the region concemed. Associations created in this way represent, on the one hand, nationally binding interests, and on the other hand, function across the border in that they work together with communal associations on the other side of the border14. The most important conseąuence of choosing a legał form for functional alliance is the ability to exercise independent financial management and have self- sufficient support systems for projects. Under these conditions, independent personnel can be employed, contracts can be fmalized, and finally, projects can be carried out in the region. The problem should be solved by an institutionalization of cross-border cooperation in the form of Corporation in the area of public law is in part associated with the administration of the distribution of funds15 Economic interactions are detectable in trade relations or in competition situations. The political leveł is a much morę short-term form of interaction, and it is measurable per legislative period. The cultural context for inceraction consists of: the spoken language, the history of the region, and forms of education. The enumerated components can be different or the same, and they play an important role for cross-border regions.The functional relationships are only activated in circumstances where mutual interests are involved. If one side of the border is clearly better off than the other, then it can be expected that both sides of the border will have the same level of interest in organized cross-border cooperation. The vision of cross-border cooperation should be marked by veiy different notions on both sides of the border. The program of cross- border cooperation can combine the field of culture, youth, sport, economies, transportation, infrastructure etc. The routine work should be completely done on a voluntary basis by the members. Only a number of secretaries can be provided through the reallocation of part-time positions from the administrations. Following the experiences of the cross-border regions, which are well described in the literaturę, the cooperation is morę a result than a goal of the border regions working together. Some of them tried to establish an institutional level of cross-border cooperation, the others did not such attempt.84. Borders as a barrier to interactionIn generał, borders can be defmed as barriers to interaction16. The function of borders as a barrier to interaction results from differences in the regulation that exist between various bordering societies and social structures17 The interactions involved can be of different types. Among the others the interactions form the business climate in the border region, e.g. they depend on the forms of payment (money exchange) or forms of direct relationships between individuals. When Crossing a border, regardless of whether this takes the form of a physical Crossing by car, the transfer of money into another country via a bank, or telephoning a company or friend in a neighboring country, the border is experienced as a tangible barrier. There are also some barriers which we can defme as an obstacle designed to or capable of delaying or preventing the free flow of either goods, money, labor or know-how, and thus interfering with the norma] functioning of markets.The regional scientists have stated opinion that whatever form the Europę of regions will take, the resulting picture will lead: „not to new rigid boundaries but a patchwork pattem of overlapping jurisdiction or to a variable geometry of multiple transnational cooperation networks18. Ali over the world, neighboring regions combine their efforts in all sorts of regional cooperation. Thus, they create borderlands or border regions in which interaction is intensified instead of being blocked by the border19.1. Ciechocińska M. 1997, The Changing Business Climate in the Transborder Cooperation: A Case of Poland and the Republic of Belarus, [in:] Regional Studies Association, Regional Frontiers, September 20-23, European Urban and Regional Research NetWork, European Universitaet Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, Conference Abstract Book, pp. 21-22.2. Gibb R, Michalak W. /Eds./, 1994, Continental trading Blocs: the growth of regionalism in the world economy, Wiley, London.3. Cappellin R., Batey P.W.J. /Eds./, 1993, Regional Networks, Border Regions and European Integration, Pion, London.4. Rumley R., Minghi J.V. /Eds./1991, The Geography of Border Landscapes, Routledge, London.5. Scofield C.H. /Ed./, 1994, Global Boundaries, Volume 1, Routledge, London.6. Velde B.M.R. van der, 1997, The Genesis of New Transnational Regions within Europę? An economic-geographic perspective, Nijmeegse Geografische Papers 2, Vakgroep Sociale geografie, Nijmwgen.1. Ciechocińska M. 1997, Polska-Bialorus: szansę i zagrożenia współpracy, [in:] Maria • Ciechochinska /Ed./ Podlasie w warunkach transformacji systemowej lat 90., WSRP, Siedlce, pp. 277-310.8. Ciechocińska M. 1995, Podlasie region wrunkach gwałtownej zmiany, [in:] Maria Ciechochinska /Ed./ Podlasie w warunkach transformacji systemowej lat 90., WSRP, Siedlce, pp. 11-48.99. Ciechocińska M. 1997, Searching for a Model of Trans-Border Cooperation: A Case of Poland and the Republic of Belarus, paper presented at the European Regional Science Association Summer lnstitute, Are-Meraker, Sweden - Norway, June 15-19, mimeo.10. Lukiewicz U., Turystyka handlowa czyli walka ludzi o przetrwanie w nowych warunkach ekonomicznych, [in:] Maria Ciechocińska /Ed./ Podlasie w warunkach transformacji systemowej lat 90\ WSRP, Siedlce, 1997 pp249-258.11. Gibb R., Michalak W., 1994 Continental Trading Blocs; the growth of regionalizm in the world economy, Wiley, London, p.254.12. Hansen N. 1977, Border Regions: A criliąue of spatial theory and a European Case Study. Annals ofRegional Science 11, pp. 1-14.1. Schack M., Hansen C, 1997, Cooperation in Border Regions - Why and How? Casc- studies of Euro-regions along the German-Dutch Border and the Danish-German Border Region, Institut for Grenseregionsforskining, Aabenraa, p. 13.14. Gabbe J., 1992, EUREGIO - Regionale grenzueberschreitende Zusammenarbeit an der Basis, [in:] Akademie fuer Raumforschung und Landesplanung: Grenzuebergreifende Raumplanung, Effahrungen und Perspektiven der Zusammenarbeit mit den Nachbarstaaten Deutschlands, Hannover; Raich S., 1994, Grenzueberschreitende und interregionale Zusammenarbeit in einem 'Europa der Regionen', Baden-Baden; Scott J., 1996, Dutch-German Euroregions: a model for transboundary cooperation? [in:] lnstitute for Regional Development and Structural Planning, Border Regions in Functional Transition, European and North American Perspectives, Erkner.15.INTERREG - LACE, 19990, Business Cooperation and Development in Border Regions, [in:] Grenzueberschreitende Zusammenarbeit in der Praxis, Gronau.ló.Rietfeld P.,1993, Transport and Communication Barriers in Europę, [in:] Cappellin R., Batey P.W., /Eas./Regional NetWork... op.cit, pp. 47-59; Gross B., Schmitt-Egner P.,1994, Europas kooperierende Regionen, Rahmenbedingungen und Praxis transnationaler Zusammenarbeit deutscher Grenregionen in Europa. Baden-Baden.17. Schack M., Hansen C, 1997, Cooperation in Border Regions - Why and How? Case- studies of Euro-regions along the German-Dutch Dorder and the Danish-German Border Region, Institut for Grenseregionsforskming Aabenraa, p. 8.18. Cappelhn R., 1993, Interregional cooperation in Europę: anintroduiction, [in:] Cappellin R., Batey P.W., /Eds./Regional NetWork... op.cit, pp. 1-20.19. Ratti R., 1993, Spatial and Economic Effect of Frontiers: overview of traditional and new approaches and theories of border area development, [in:] Ratti R., Reichman S., /Eds./ Theoiy and Practice ofTransborder Cooperation, Helbing and Lichtenhahn, Basel.10

Borders as a barrier to interaction: a case the Вrest- Вiala Рodlaske Siedlce region

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Borders as a barrier to interaction: a case the Вrest- Вiala Рodlaske Siedlce region

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