REPERE ISTORICE ALE COLABORĂRII TRANSFRONTALIERE LA GURILE DUNĂRII: JUDEȚUL CAHUL ÎN COMPONENȚA ȚINUTULUI „DUNĂREA DE JOS” (1938-1940)

Abstract

Euroregions are an effective mechanism for external collaboration of subnational territorial collectivities. On August 14, 1998, representatives of the local authorities from Romania: Galati, Braila and Tulcea counties, from the Republic of Moldova: Cahul, Cantemir and Vulcanesti districts, and from Ukraine: Odessa region and Reni district, signed the “Agreement on the creation of the Euroregion “Dunarea de Jos””. The current Euroregion “Dunarea de Jos”, created by the mentioned subnational territorial collectivities has a historical precedent - the “Dunarea de Jos” Land, which existed within the Romanian state between 1938-1940. Through the Administrative Law no. 2919, published in the Official Gazette no. 187 from August 14, 1938 the counties from Romania were grouped in 10 lands. The “Dunarea de Jos” Land was the second largest in Romania and the fourth largest in terms of population. The created Lands brought together counties that were located in different historical provinces. The “Dunarea de Jos” Land comprised ten counties of interwar Romania: eight counties from the Romanian Old Kingdom (Braila, Covurlui, Falciu, Putna, Ramnicu-Sarat, Tecuci, Tulcea, Tutova) and two from Bessarabia (Cahul and Ismail). The Euroregion “Dunarea de Jos” includes the old counties of Covurlui, Braila, Tulcea, Cahul (Republic of Moldova) and Ismail (Odessa region, Ukraine). The former Falciu county, the vast majority of localities from the former counties Putna, Tutova and Ramnicu Sarat from Romania are not a part of the current Euroregion, but it includes the Cetatea Alba county, which was part of the Dniester Land and the south-western part of Ukraine.