Crossing the borders. Studies on cross-border cooperation within the Danube Region Case Study of the Euroregion Danube-Drava-Sava Contents 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 2 1.1 Methodology and approach .......................................................................................... 3 2. The development of the cross-border cooperation .............................................................. 5 2.1 The Establishment of the Euroregion Danube-Drava-Sava .......................................... 5 3. Determination of geographical confines .............................................................................. 7 3.1 Membership of the Euroregion Danube-Drava-Sava ................................................... 7 3.2 Territory and population of the EUROZONE Danube-Drava-Sava ............................. 12 4. Organisational and institutional structure .......................................................................... 14 4.1 The first organisational model of the Euroregion Danube-Drava-Sava (1998- 2001) ............................................................................................................................. 14 4.2 Reform of the organisational structure OF THE EUROREGION DANUBE-DRAVA- SAVA in 2001 ................................................................................................................ 15 4.3 The OrganiSation of the “Euro-regional cooperation Danube-Drava-Sava Croatia“ ......................................................................................................................... 19 5. The Composition of the working group of the Euroregion DDS .......................................... 22 6. Main activity areas and profile ........................................................................................... 23 6.1 Goals of the EUROZONE Danube-Drava-Sava ............................................................. 23 6.2 Joint activities prepared and implemented by the members of THE Euroregion .... 26 6.3 OrganiSation of events (meetings and congresses) ................................................... 27 6.4 Development projects prepared by the members of the Euroregion ...................... 34 6.5 Other activities of the edds related to project preparation and implementation ....................................................................................................................................... 42 7. Management & budget (income/expenses) ....................................................................... 43 8. SWOT analysis .................................................................................................................... 44 9. Future plans and goals of the cooperation ......................................................................... 46 10. Unique, regionally specific features of the cooperation Area ............................................. 49 11. Summary ............................................................................................................................ 52 12. Bibliography ....................................................................................................................... 54 13. Annexes ............................................................................................................................. 56 1 Crossing the borders. Studies on cross-border cooperation within the Danube Region Case Study of the Euroregion Danube-Drava-Sava 1. Introduction The Euroregion Danube-Drava-Sava (EDDS) represents one of the most long-lasting cross- border cooperation efforts between local and regional self-government bodies and their related institutions in the cross-border space of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), and Hungary. The EDDS provides a good example for an institutionalized cross-border cooperation, worth to be further analysed within a case study. The main reason for this is that this cooperation has a rich history of self-development and activities, and has also undergone organisational reforms in order to ensure its full functioning. Moreover, it can provide with a solid ground for deducting certain insights on the weaknesses, opportunities and obstacles that every cross-border cooperation can come across in the process of its development. Insights deducted from the case of the EDDS are appropriate to be used as lessons for other cross- border initiatives in a European Union (EU) context. There is a severe lack of successful institutionalized cross-border cooperation between actors in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and between Croatia and its other neighbours, and generally in Southeast Europe. The vast majority of existing cross-border institutions in the region have neither really achieved any significant developmental results nor managed to continue their activities after the projects that were instrumental for their establishment – mainly funded through various EU cross-border programmes – were implemented. In most of the cases, appropriate financial and institutional sustainability of such cooperation was not ensured, or the stakeholders engaged in the cooperation lost their interest in the continuation of cross-border activities. In addition, many of the cross-border initiatives simply lack the basic visibility elements (prepared and available for public official documents, reports, articles and other recorded events) and are thus inadequate for any sort of reconstruction of their developmental process. Additionally, central figures in the cooperation are no longer accessible for interviewing since in most cases they moved to other fields of activities. In this context, the EDDS represents an exception. The Euroregion was relatively inactive during the last few years; nevertheless, it has a pretty history of development that stretches over a decade. During that time, members of the Euroregion conducted numerous joint activities and were engaged in solving challenges and problems related to the cross-border area in Croatia and B&H in order to enhance and catalyse overall economy and social development of the Eurozone space. Moreover, the history of these efforts, which represents the life of the “Danube-Drava-Sava” cross-border cooperation, is well recorded and detailed enough, so it can be reconstructed in a manner that provides enough insights and information to allow certain lessons to be deducted. The main reasons why the EDDS was chosen as a theme for a representative case study are the following: a long period of its existence, a high number of implemented activities and fields of engagement, an eager enthusiasm of its members, a well-recorded and accessible history, and a dedication to self-enhancement. 2 Crossing the borders. Studies on cross-border cooperation within the Danube Region Case Study of the Euroregion Danube-Drava-Sava 1.1 Methodology and approach This case study builds on the combined findings of desktop research as well as information gathered through direct contacts with the representatives of the Eurozone “Danube-Drava- Sava”. The desktop research includes the identification and analysis of various materials related and relevant to the Euroregion, such as official documents of the Euroregion, reports, statistical reviews, media articles and other available records. Direct contacts with the representatives of the EDDS were utilized in order to gather additional information which are inaccessible via desktop research. Interviews were carried out with: Zoran Kovačević, President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy – Municipal Chamber Osijek Stjepan Ribić – Director of the Regional development agency of Slavonia and Baranja, Kornelija Mlinarević – Main secretary of the EDDS and Chief Director of the Department of economy and EU projects and programmes of the City of Osijek, and finally Davor Brunčić – Secretary of the Slavonia-Baranja County. Subsequently, a high level of objectivity and reliability of the case study has been ensured. It is also important to point out that the prepared case study has attempted to search, investigate and analyse the existing cross-border cooperation and the best practices in cross- border cooperation. Prior to the selection of the best practices examples, a thorough research was conducted in order to define existing cross-border cooperation, their efforts and involved actors. The following forms of cross-border cooperation were identified during the selection process: Adriatic Ionian Euroregion; Euroregion “Drina-Sava-Majevica”; Alps-Adriatic Alliance; Tourism zone Haloze-Zagorje; Euroregion “Danube-Drava-Sava” ; Transfrontier Euro-Institute Network; and the Cross-Border Municipal Working Community Dežela pod Peco–Petzenland. Additionally, numerous networks of twinned towns were also recognized but were immediately excluded from further assessment due to their extremely poor visibility element and a severe lack of joint activities as well as accessible information regarding these activities. 3 Crossing the borders. Studies on cross-border cooperation within the Danube Region Case Study of the Euroregion Danube-Drava-Sava During the selection of the cross-border cooperation inititatives, the following main selection criteria were adopted: a consistent history of activities conducted jointly by the members of the cross-border cooperation; the cross-border cooperation had to be initiated by local and/or regional actors; and a good visibility and