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Crossing the borders. Studies on cross-border cooperation within the Danube Region Case Study of the Őrség-Goričko cooperation Contents 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 2 2. Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 7 3. The development of cross-border co-operation ................................................................. 11 4. Presentation of the geographical environment of the co-operation .................................. 21 5. Organisational and institutional structure and operation ................................................... 31 6. The components of the work organisation ......................................................................... 44 7. Main areas of activities/profile ........................................................................................... 46 8. Initiatives related to the first nature park: Projects prior to the establishment of the Őrség National Park and Goričko Landscape Park .............................................................. 48 8.1 Joint trans-European co-operations ............................................................................ 50 8.2 Green Belt Initiative ..................................................................................................... 55 8.3 Mutual cross-border co-operation projects ............................................................... 59 8.4 CBC projects carried out by the Goričko Nature Park ................................................ 67 8.5 CBC projects carried out by the Őrség National Park ................................................. 73 9. Management, budget (revenues/expenditures) ................................................................. 86 10. SWOT analysis (cooperation-based, not territorial-based) ................................................. 89 10.1 External conditions of the cooperation: reinterpretation of the role of borders, cooperation frameworks, general impacts of the European Territorial Cooperation .................................................................................................................. 89 10.2 Internal characteristics of the cooperation and the cooperating partners: concrete activities and results, characteristics in connection with the joint projects ......................................................................................................................... 91 11. Future plans and goals of the cooperation ......................................................................... 95 12. Unique, regional or own resources the cooperation can be based on ................................ 98 13. Synthesis, Summary ......................................................................................................... 113 14. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 117 15. Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 124 Printed sources..................................................................................................................... 124 Internet sources ................................................................................................................... 127 1 Crossing the borders. Studies on cross-border cooperation within the Danube Region Case Study of the Őrség-Goričko cooperation 1. Introduction We are living in a time of co-operation and co-dependence. Thus it is worth discussing the significance of the co-operation between Őrség National Park and Goričko Landscape Park. The Central-European small and medium-sized countries are essentially transit countries with a linking role, as well as borderline countries, thus borders have a huge impact on the majority of their area, so on Hungary and Slovenia as well (Hajdú Z. 2000, Bufon, M. 1996, 2004). Both the Slovenian and Hungarian geography emphasise that the region lies in the junction of cultural regions, macro regions and biogeographic units, and its border feature is highly important (Orožen Adamič, M. 2004, Perko, D. 2004). One pivotal statement of the Hungarian geography is that in the respect of ethnics, society, economy and traffic, borders break spatial continuity, hinder smooth relationships and flows. (Nárai–Rechnitzer 1999). Milan Bufon (2004), Slovenian geographer concludes that the Slovenian borderline regions are like a "European integration laboratory". Regarding the co-operation, at a macro regional level, it must be emphasised that in general, among the ever-narrowing border lines ranging from North - North-West to South - South-West, the borderline of the studied region represents one of the peripheral open types of the Danube River Basin. From a historical aspect in the two decades following the demolition of the Iron Curtain, a basically landscape-based integration took place in the border region, which deserves a case study to be presented. Moreover, the developments in regional cohesion, aiming at nature and environmental protection of the National Park and the Landscape Park as outstanding actors, are in harmony with the guidelines due to the cohesion policy of the EU, which referred to the spatial perspective exceeding the administrative borders (i.e. European Spatial Development Perspective, Territorial Agenda). The significance of the co-operation lies in that it gives an example to the cohesion-based mutual co-ordination and management initiatives. Furthermore, it must be mentioned that the success of the borderline co-operation between Őrség National Park and Goričko not only has a great influence on the common future of the Slovenian-Hungarian borderline areas and population, but also on that of the whole macro- region and of the European ecological networks. Beside the mutual care for cross-border landscape, this co-operation also bears great significance. Due to the small area of the countries and the dense network of borders (many times breaking the landscape) it is hardly possible to launch large-scale programmes within one country without having cross-border impacts on the neighbouring countries (Illés I. 2002). It is not possible to examine the development of the Danube-region areas including only the local framework (social, economic, planning etc.). The function of the borders of Central- Europe, including that of Hungary and Slovenia, is in perpetual change, as well as the border regions themselves. The dissolution of borders offers many a great opportunity, meanwhile creating new problematic areas. The need to treat these with a combined, integrated strategic 2 Crossing the borders. Studies on cross-border cooperation within the Danube Region Case Study of the Őrség-Goričko cooperation approach, enhances the territorial development role of cross-border co-operations, meaning the best practice, of Goričko and Őrség. The interoperability and openness of the common border region of Hungary and Slovenia were influenced, on one hand, by the system changes in the region and by the European integration, on the other. The enmity and distrust following World War I, were not in favour of cross-border co-operations and relationships (Tóth J. – Golobics P. 1996, Golobics P. – Tóth J. 1999, Rechnitzer J. 1999). After World War II, both countries became part of the Soviet alliance of interests, however, the Cominform1 condemned Yugoslavia in 1948 (due to its independent geopolitical endeavours), which was an indisputable step to a break-up, and with this step the building of the Iron Curtain begun. The present Slovenian-Hungarian borderline became even more closed than in the interwar period, mainly in the first half of the socialist regime.2 The Slovenian border was closed with barbed wire fences and special missile attack warning system. The Iron Curtain initially consisted of wire obstacles, mine fields, roadways and checkpoints inside the countries. The roadway followed the mine field, which was installed in the wire obstacles, that is, barbed wires braced to 150 cm tall dual-lined wood poles. From the borderline the 50-500 m wide lane was the border lane and the 15 km area was the "borderzone". In one of these only with a certain permit was it possible to reside and build. Only in harmony with the 1955 Soviet-Yugoslavian reconciliation, in 1956 mines and wire obstacles were removed. From the beginning of the 70s did the border's hermetically sealed character mitigate; this was the period of "gentle Iron Curtain", during which a low-voltage wire fence substituted the existing complex technical blockade. At the system change on 1 August 1989, this method of border control finally ceased to exist on the examined border section. In the period of the closed, strongly restrictive Iron Curtain, the border was perceivable through its peripheral process enhancing impact. Due to this, the borderline area drifted to a peripheral situation in a social, economic and political way. The defensive political will prevented and slowed the development of border regions. It was excluded from the preferences of the national regional policy, it did not appear as beneficiary area. The lack of investments started an autocatalytic process: with the borders getting more closed the attraction zones became more truncated, the border control limited the free movement of the population

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