THE MODEL OF CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION IN THE ROMANIAN-BULGARIAN NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA BETWEEN DESIRE AND REALIZATION

Abstract

This paper develops some findings from the project entitled “Bulgarian-Romanian Area Identities: A Neighbourhood Study” (BRAINS), funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the auspices of the Romania-Bulgaria Trans-border Cooperation Programme 2007-2013, Priority Axis 3 – Economic and Social Development. More precisely, it aims to explore the manner in which the cross-border cooperation model perceived by the Romanian and Bulgarian citizens living in the cooperation area responds the current economic and social challenges. The main issue investigated is: does the local population – as a main actor in the Romanian-Bulgarian Neighbourhood Area (ROBULNA) – connect its aspirations with the realities, possibilities and potential of this area? The correlation degree between these two aspects is established starting from the project sampled data connected with the official data from the Romanian and Bulgarian 2011 censuses. The analysis relates and comments upon aspects regarding human capital, unemployment, economic structure and their distribution in ROBULNA, revealing fields of both convergent and divergent opinions, which enhance or, on the contrary, create difficulties in constructing an integrated cross-border cooperation action.

Keywords

• ROBULNA
• trans-border cooperation model
• regional analysis
• county analysis Romania
• Bulgaria