CENTROPE Regional Development Report 2012. Project Summary and Policy Conclusions – Executive Summary

This report summarises the results of the CENTROPE regional development report project as well as the related literature on regional development in this cross-border region. In particular we propose that cross-border policy initiatives in CENTROPE should focus on fulfilling the following functions: 1. securing and providing information on the activities of and development in other regions, 2. co-ordinating spatial policies at the borders of administrative units, 3. pooling resources and developing own projects in various strands of economic policy to improve competitiveness, and 4. lobbying for common interests of the participating regions. Furthermore, the report also suggests that the focal areas of cross-border co-operation should be structured around 4 priorities: establishing and improving the institutional preconditions for cross-border policy making and cross-border spatial planning, developing CENTROPE into a deeply integrated knowledge region, integrating cross border labour markets, and securing international competitiveness of the CENTROPE region.