Networks of cross-border cooperation in Europe – the interests and values. The case of Spree–Neisse–Bober Euroregion

This article discusses the significance of cross-border partnerships, which are understood to be the social networks from which communities emerge based on the ties which satisfy the needs of their participants and those of the cross-border area’s inhabitants. The problems of the Euroregion, when seen from this perspective, are focused on the actions undertaken collectively which are part of realizing delineated interests and accepted values. The basic questions formulated by the current paper refer to three areas of the analysed network: (1) network construction, (2) network relations, and (3) network management. The main research area is the analysis of the relation between the participants of the Spree–Neisse–Bober Euroregion (SNBE), and the role which the SNBE plays in creating social connections. Based on the research, we have come to the conclusion that the SNBE replaces local institutions in creating cross-border cooperation. The analysis is the result of a research project conducted in 2013 which included content analysis, a survey (800 respondents), semi-structured interviews (70 experts from Poland and Germany), as well as content analysis covering the documents of the project and the web pages of the official SNBE website (Polish and German) for the years 2014–2016.