CrossBorder Cooperation in the BalkanDanube Area The SWOT Analysis as a comparative tool for transfe

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Cross-Border Co-operation in the Balkan-Danube
AreaThe SWOT Analysis as a comparative tool for
transferring best practicesAlberto Gasparini
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Cross- border cooperation in the Balkan-Danube
Area

• Is an efficient comparative tool to foster
  strategies for the synergic interaction of
  individuals, small economic and cultural groups
  and local public institutions in the framework of
  Euroregions.
• Pint-points the generic yet fundamental issues of
  cross-border co-operation in the Balkan-Danube
  area and converts them into factors-variables for
  comparison within the SWOT analytical framework
  (Part I)
• Applies the SWOT analysis to each individual area
  to investigate and asses the CBC context (Part
  II)
• Constructs the methodological framework of
  analysis to identify variables and planned
  strategies, puts its focus on the actions
  required to implement the identified strategies
  also through the functions of national and
  international agencies (Part III)
• Develops the concept of the governance of
  cross-border cooperation through its
  institutionalisation within Euroregional
  structures (Part IV).

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The SWOT Analysis as a comparative tool for
transferring best practices

• Aim outlying the backbone of the analytical
  framework underpinning the study
• Through
• Recalling the generic issues within the
  Cross-border co-operation context in the
  Balkan-Danube area
• Reconstructing the SWOT analysis
• identifying variables
• assessing S,W,O,T
• identifying operational strategies
• 3. Outlying the Euroregional structures

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Specific Traits and Common Problems 1/3The Area
Countries studied Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Turkey, Hungary
and Serbia and Montenegro Tot. border lengths
6.560 kilometres Tot. population of 34.515.000
(24 of total population)
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Specific Traits and Common Problems
2/3Cross-Border Co-operation

• Although geographically peripheral, the Balkan
  Danube area represents a key region for the
  European social, political and economic
  development process, especially in terms of
  integration and security
• Cross-border co-operation represents an
  operative planning approach within such a complex
  framework proving itself to be both specific and
  profitable
• Cross-border co-operation is defined as a
  process, more or less extended, carrying a
  different weight depending on the sectors in
  which a society expresses itself basically
  privileging the sectors of civil society
  (economy, everyday services, living standards,
  culture) while maintaining in the background the
  public-institutional sectors, as it usually
  occurs in all the regions within a national
  system (key variable civil society
  participation)

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Specific Traits and Common Problems 3/3 and
factors inhibiting co-operation

• Societal transition towards democracy (and ethnic
  unrest)
• Fragile or unstable political institutions
• poor effectiveness of foreign investments
• destroyed economic assets
• yet to be implemented economic reforms
• high degree of poverty and high unemployment
  rate
• widespread corruption and other forms of criminal
  activities
• State centralisation
• Structural co-operation shortfalls (a.
  involvement in CBC b. cultural/ethnic links
  illegal economies)
• Transitional economies (low W high U low human
  capital FDI not facilitated)
• Weakness of civil society and illegal economies
• Environmental issues.

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Analytical aspects contributing or inhibiting CBC
1/4Economic, Socio-Cultural and Institutional
Operators

• Level of propensity is estimated in most cases to
  be insufficient or sufficient
• Due to
• Lack of a deeply-rooted business mentality
• Insufficient infrastructural connection
• Linguistic barriers and historical tensions
• Excessive centralisation of decision-making
  powers.

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Analytical aspects contributing or inhibiting CBC
2/4Level of Propensity to co-operate
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Analytical aspects contributing or inhibiting CBC
3/4Level of Propensity to co-operate

• The propensity to co-operate is considered
  satisfactory in 17 cross-border areas
• Examples
• Bulgaria - The former Yugoslav Republic of
  Macedonia border
• economic actors are very active
• numerous enterprises
• Croatia-Hungary border
• will to cooperate is very good in the
  manufacturing and trade sectors
• increase in business opportunities
• occasional launching of joint ventures.
• Overall hindering factors
• Poor financial conditions,
• lack of local contacts,
• lack of fact-finding studies on border regions,
• lack of experience
• high regulation of cross-border activities

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Analytical aspects contributing or inhibiting CBC
4/4Main modalities of CBC in each activity sector
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Aiming for CBC The SWOT Analysis 1/810
Dimension of SWOT

• Ten dimension for 53 variables
• Level of propensity toward CBC
• Level of institutional training and co-ordination
• Level of CBC in each activity sector
• Incisiveness of institutional obstacles on CBC
• Incisiveness of economic obstacles on CBC
• Incisiveness of socio-cultural obstacles on CBC
• Institutional factors for an effective CBC
• Administrative factors for an effective CBC
• Economic factors for an effective CBC
• Linguistic, cultural, historical, factors for an
  effective CBC

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Aiming for CBC The SWOT Analysis 2/8Overall
SWOT Analysis
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Aiming for CBC The SWOT Analysis 3/8Marks of
the ten dimension in each border area
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Aiming for CBC The SWOT Analysis 4/8Decreasing
average marks of the ten dimension
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Aiming for CBC The SWOT Analysis 5/8Positivity
and negativity of the ten dimensions in
individual Cross-Border Areas
____________________ positive
elements/dimensions _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
negative elements/dimensions
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Aiming for CBC The SWOT Analysis 6/8 The
strategies
First Strategy
Second Strategy
Third Strategy
Fourth Strategy
Fifth Strategy
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Aiming for CBC The SWOT Analysis 7/8 Summary of
SWOT variables percentagesinternal/external,
positive/negative, and adequate strategy
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Aiming for CBC The SWOT Analysis 8/8 Romania
Bulgaria An example
Combination of internal/external and
positive/negative SWOT variables
Specific strategy
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The Institutionalisation of CBC The Euroregion
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The SWOT Analysis as a comparative tool for
transferring best practices
___________________________________ Alberto
Gasparini gasparin_at_univ.trieste.it ISIG
-Institute of International Sociology of
Gorizia v. Mazzini, 13 (I) 34170
Gorizia www.isig.it isig_at_uinv.trieste.it