Cross-Border Cooperation in Slovak-Czech Border Region under EU Programmes

Cross-border cooperation is one of the development opportunities of border regions. Cross-border cooperation (CBC) along the Slovakia-Czech border is specific. It is due to several factors like common history under one state formation, historical ties and similarity of language and culture. Cooperation was realised also in the past. CBC got new forms and intensity after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia in two independent states - Czech Republic and Slovak Republic and the possibility to draw support from EU instruments for cross-border cooperation in the pre-accession (after 2003) and the programming periods 2004-2006 and 2007-2013. The aim of this contribution is to highlight the implementation status and opportunities of Operational Programme Cross-Border Cooperation Slovak Republic - Czech Republic 2007-2013 (OP CBC SK-CZ 2007-2013) and at a lower administrative level to evaluate the potential of local governments of the Trenčín Self-Governing Region (TSR) and three border self-governing regions (Trnava, Trenčín, Žilina) for involvement in cross-border cooperation. In the current programming period of 2007- 2013, cross-border cooperation is implemented also in the Slovakia-Czech border region under the OP CBC SK-CZ 2007-2013. Research pointed to a lower intensity of drawing funds on OP CBC SK-CZ 2007-2013. The main reasons are the lack of experience of local governments with grant applications, project implementation and difficult project administration. The problem is also long term of verification of the financial costs of the project activities what gets municipalities into trouble with co-financing of projects. It caused that municipalities have low interest to apply for new projects.