Joint International Conference on Long-term Experiments ...

PERSPECTIVES ON ROMANIAN-HUNGARIAN CROSS-BORDER
COOPERATION. THE BIHOR - HAJDÚ-BIHAR EUROREGION MODEL
Gabriela Popoviciu 1 , M.C.Neacşu 2
1 University of Oradea, 2 Academy of Economic Studies Bucharest - Romania
ABSTRACT:
The promotion of regional cooperation, including cross-border initiatives, represents a
new concept for international relations between two or more neighbouring countries,
which have the same interest in interregional research and development cooperation in
order to stimulate investments in the private sector and lead to a general improvement
of living standards. On the other hand, the regional development policy promoted some
measures by local public and central administration, in partnership with the private and
public sector, and volunteers’ community also, for ensuring an economic, dynamic and
sustainable growth through the efficient valorisation of the local and regional potential
aiming.
This is one of the main goals of cooperation between Romania and Hungary.
Particularly, in this case study we will make notifications about regional development
between the two countries, in connection with their natural resources and their ways of
maintaining them in good quality for future generations. For this reason, both countries
have identified cross-border cooperation as a priority area and have made further steps
to enhance it.
Key words: Development, cooperation, cross-border, perspectives, regional
INTRODUCTION
In the past few years, the cross-border relations and cooperation between states have
started to follow a new tendency. These countries have begun to develop new crossborder
cooperation systems, the new one consisting of Euroregions.
In this context, we carried out a research on the topic of Cross-border Cooperation
in one of the newest Association Systems between two neighbouring countries,
Romania and Hungary. We will mention here the Bihor-Hajdú-Bihar Euroregion, which
exists in this configuration since October 2002.
The Bihor-Hajdú-Bihar Euroregion has its origins in the Carpathian Euroregion
(composed by Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia and Romania), the first cross-border
cooperation form between Central and Eastern European countries. However, over the
years, this Euroregion has had various problems with transposing the entire countries’
programmes for a common working. This moment was the starting point for the Bihor-
Hajdú-Bihar Euroregion. It consisted of two cross-border counties, Bihor (RO) and
Hajdú-Bihar (HU). The official agreement’s act of partnership was signed by the
Bihor’s County Council and Self-government’s Hajdú-Bihar along with consolidating
cooperation among authorities, other public or private organisations and, last but not
least, between the population from those counties.
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