BORDERS DIALOGUES 2015 24. – 27. November 2015, Uzhgorod - Košice th 6 European Forum on Cross-Border CooperationSummary in a Widerand conclusions Europe 6TH ANNUAL FORUM ON CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION (KOŠICE – UZHGOROD, 24 - 27 NOVEMBER 2015) 3 Introductory words 5 Photo - Cross-border cafe, Košice, Club Yasmin, 24 November 2015 7 Key Points of the 6th European Forum on Cross-Border Cooperation in the Wider Europe 12 Border Dialogues Awards 2015 18 Conclusions of the 6th European Forum on Cross-Border Cooperation in a Wider Europe, 2015 19 Acknowledgements to donors, partners and supporters BORDER DIALOGUES OVERVIEW INTRODUCTORY WORDS In 2009, at a meeting of the Norwegian Bar- it was considered a great honour to join the ents Secretariat (NBS), Institute for Stability team of organizers of the next round of these and Development (ISD) and several other or- conferences, which symbolically returned to ganizations was formulated the idea of regular where it started - to the vivid Carpathian Eu- border dialogues on efficient cross-border co- roregion. operation along eastern EU border. In 2010, the first of these took place in Uzhgorod, Ukraine In November 2015, starting in Uzhgorod and and Košice, Slovakia. The series continued at proceeding in Košice we could meet again to EU borders with Moldova and Ukraine in Chis- discuss with others what progress has been inau, Moldova, then with Russia in Elbląng, Po- made, as regards the border-crossing proce- land and Kaliningrad, Russia, then in Karelia dures and facilities on Slovakia/Ukraine border, Euroregion (Joensuu, Finland and Sortavala, as well as and in the field of cross-border coop- Russia), and finally in Kirkenes, Norway and eration between local administrations, compa- Nikel, Russia at the Barents See on the Euro- nies, universities and civil society organizations pean Far North. of the whole vivid Carpathian region, where meets borders of Hungary, Poland, Romania, ISD was involved in preparation and organiza- Slovakia and Ukraine. tion of all these conferences, which created a network of professionals, civil society activists, It follows from the key points of discussions regional policymakers and officers of border and conclusions of the conference, that this se- protection units and customs, involved in ex- ries of border dialogues should continue, while change of experience as regards cross-border focusing primarily on cross-border cooperation cooperation along the EU eastern border. Thus, along segments of the EU Eastern Border on its 3/ southern wing, which are exposed to the need sible to welcome and accommodate more to enhance border security under the influence than 200 conference participants from 7 coun- of migration flow and/or even frozen conflicts, tries and to provide them an opportunity to while preserving all already achieved in culti- take part in 13 discussion panels and sessions. vation of efficient cross-border cooperation and mutual trust between peoples living along On behalf of organizers, let me thank all distin- the EU eastern border. It is essential to seek for guished speakers from national and regional full support of EU and EEA institutions, as well governments, as well as chairs, commentators as of involved national and regional govern- and panellists for deep insight and many in- ments, and participating civil society organiza- spiring ideas. Specific acknowledgement goes tions. However, these goals may hardly be to Norway Grants, the financial support of achieved without sufficient funding from all which enabled this conference to happen. available sources. Petr Jan Pajas The team of organisers of the 6th European Chair, Board of Trustees Cross-Border Dialogue headed by Government Institute for Stability and Development Office of the Slovak Republic and supported by Norwegian Barents Secretariat, Uzhgorod Branch of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, Consulate General of the Slovak Re- public in Uzhgorod and experts affiliated to In- stitute for Stability and Development from the Czech Republic and Hungary tried to do all pos- /4 CROSS-BORDER CAFE, Košice, Club Yasmin, 24 November 2015 Role of Journalists in the border region -Informal discussion with journalists from Slovakia, Ukraine, Poland and Hungary /6 Key Points of the 6th European Forum on Cross-Border Cooperation in the Wider Europe When addressing the Border Dialogue 2015 guests There were two main topics of the conference: and participants, the representatives of governments A. The Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) as an 2 stressed the importance of the cross-border coopera- Important Tool of the Cooperation between tion, especially that with Ukraine, as a big but cur- the EU and its Eastern Neighbours rently extremely challenged country, which is a wel- comed partner to broader European free trade area. B. Promotion of European Stability and The contemporary wave of refugees creates addition- Development through Regional Cooperation al tension and uncertainty as regards the fate and fu- ture mechanisms of free movement that we all are The following texts is an attempt to provide more de- already used to within the Schengen Treaty Area. tails as regards the issues discussed on plenary panels Therefore, it is of great importance to make use of or on parallel sessions devoted to specific issues. good examples, like those on the Far North EU-Russia border. And it is worth of concentration substantial fi- The CBC topic had several subthemes, the discussion on nancial support from Norway Grants (NG) and other which is summarized as follows: EEA or EU resources to continued research and ex- a. Local and Regional Development on the Border change of experience as regards the proper develop- Regions ment of the cross-border cooperation, which should i. Cooperation of Communities on Both Sides be considered as one of the crucial aspects for Eu- of the EU Eastern Border - Experience, rope’s security and prosperity. Challenges and Perspectives • Discussed were the development of local and re- Thanks to the Norway Grants in the Carpathian Eurore- gional cooperation networks and their importance gion there are already implemented several concrete for creating or renewing bonds among those living project enabling deeper cross-border cooperation as on both sides of the EU border. regards nature and cultural heritage protection. We ii. EU Border Regime and Local Border Traffi c witness intensive tourism development supported by Barriers and Opportunities Slovakia and Ukraine. Mentioned was also very good • Discussed were challenges facing the border cus- experience with development of European Associa- toms and security authorities. On one side, the peo- tions of Administrative Units supported by Hungary – ple and companies call for facilitation of border there is a plan to create the Rakoczi cultural route crossing. On the other side there are non-trivial se- connecting cities and communities of Poland, Slova- curity issues, risk of illegitimate trade and fear of kia, Hungary and Ukraine along the eastern EU border. possible penetration of unwanted persons. All that It was recognized that especially the Carpathian Eu- is exposed to limited resources and corruption op- roregion needs more intensive and concentrated de- portunities, which make the optimal solution of the velopment of transportation infrastructures. border regime at some of EU border parts rather 7 / complicated. What may help are automatic border - Support of research of all factors where CBC checks implemented at modern border crossing fa- may have a potential for improving living cilities. standards in regions along EU eastern border • As a separate, more political then operational issue, – demographic structure of inhabitants, cultur- appears the process of negotiations about visa fa- al ties within broader regions, identification of cilitation or even visa-free regime on the EU border infrastructure development needs, mapping of for citizens of Ukraine. Some aspects of recent de- specific economic and human resources po- velopment – sharp increase in the number of illegal tentials available in the regions migrants, proper registering and effective returning • As regards the specific problems of the Carpathian policy require more intense cooperation of govern- Euroregion, there was mentioned high level of de- ments and reinforcement of border control units. pression and related unemployment, insufficient or even bad transportation infrastructure. However, b. Economic Perspectives of Cross-Border Coop- reasonable potential for growth consists in invest- eration ments to infrastructure, services to tourists. Last but • Panel of practitioners from CBC business develop- not least, simplified visa regulations and special ment between Slovakia and Ukraine provided a border crossing regime would allow for more inten- fresh insight into the issues of potential in econom- sive use of highly qualified but heavily underem- ic regional and cross-border cooperation. ployed human potential on Ukrainian side. These • As very important were characterized the following human resources would be welcome at companies proposals on EU side, who often lack experts well prepared in - Cooperation of chambers of commerce, espe- the fields of mathematics, natural sciences and cially as regards exchange of information technologies. about planned activities like economic coop- • A concrete initiative of cooperation on a project eration forums, fairs, shows and expositions based on a reported example of a successful in- - Creating a special border