Assessment of cross-border specialization of border regions of Ukraine

Annotation. Cross-border cooperation is phenomenon of global scale and it is a key element of the European Union's policy towards its neighbours. It supports sustainable development along the EU's external borders, helps to reduce disparities in living standards and to address common problems across those borders.. The role of the cross-border cooperation in regional development is determined by its ability to mobilize and effectively use the existing potential of border areas and activate the resources of neighbouring border regions to find the solution to common problems and promote cooperation within cross-border regions. The article analyses the state of cross-border specialization of regions of Ukraine that have border with the EU member states. Ensuring the effective use of cross-border cooperation opportunities for regional development is possible only with a systematic approach to the organization of managerial influence on the processes of such cooperation. It is very important to take into account the specifics and individual features of each cross-border region. To assess the coefficient of cross-border specialization of Ukrainian cross-border regions four areas were studied: investment, foreign trade, tourism, and migration. Based on the analysis, the areas with the highest coefficient of border specialization and with the lowest were identified. The results of the calculation allowed us to identify areas of interaction with the highest degree of cross-border specialization. The author also analyses the dynamics of the coefficient of border specialization of the studied regions during the last decade and proves the importance of cross-border cooperation for the border regions of Ukraine that have the common border with the EU member states