Romanian-Hungarian cross-border cooperation at various territorial levels, with a particular study of the Debrecen-Oradea Eurometropolis (European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation-EGTC)

The objective of the doctoral thesis “Research on different territorial levels of Romanian-Hungarian Cross-Border Cooperation with special emphasis on Debrecen – Oradea Eurometropolis (European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation EGTC)” is to emphasize the importance of the cross border cooperation dimension, and has as the target area the Romanian – Hungarian cooperation, the counties of Bihor, Hajdu Bihar, and last but not least the communities of Debrecen and Oradea. For achieving this objective we studied the theories and concepts relevant to this field of study using methods and instruments of research on the basis of which we intend to bring forward and to emphasize an innovative and actual element of the thesis, and also a possible future European Group of Cross border cooperation Eurometropolis Debrecen – Oradea (we analysed documents in order for us to be able to constructively defend our point of view). The chosen subject is strictly connected to the creation of the new legal instrument, officially applicable to the area of the European Union (EGTC), which function at the level of cross border cooperation, at the frontier of the states of the European Union1. This instrument is a new one, actual, and it is especially interesting for the European states because of the elements that can be put to good use (the first Eurometropolis which functions on the basis of EGTC is Eurometropolis Lille –Kortrijk-Tournai, LKT) created in January 28 2008). On the other hand, another dimension of this instrument importance is represented by the possibility of the development of the communities situated on both sides of the border, thus a field of interest of the involved communities in such a structure of cross border cooperation. At the margins of the interest of our study there is a series of other authors which made research oriented in different fields of interests which has as target the Romanian – Hungarian cross border cooperation: István Süli-Zakar, Ioan Horga, Kozma Gábor, Zsolt Radics, Alexandru Ilieş, Klára Czimre, Károly Teperics, János Pénzes, Ernő Molnár, Luminiţa Şoproni,Adrian-Claudiu Popoviciu, Attila Ambrus, Mircea Brie, Csülög Gábor ( Eurolimes, vol. I-XII; Analele RISE, vol. I-II; Süli-Zakar I., 2003a, b, c, d; Süli-Zakar I., 2004; Süli-Zakar I., 2005; Süli-Zakar I. – Horga I., 2006; Horga I. - Süli-Zakar István, 2006; Süli-Zakar I., 2008; Horga I. - Süli-Zakar I., 2010; Horga I. - Bărbulescu I. Gh. - Ivan A. - Palinchak M. - Süli-Zakar I., 2010; Süli-Zakar I., 2010; Süli-Zakar I.,2011; Şoproni L. - Horga I., 2010; Ilieş A., 2010; Ilieş A. - Wendt J., 2001). Among major domains approached by the studies of the above mentioned researchers we nominate: objectives and regional development in border regions, cooperation of towns on the two sides of the border, interethnic connections, Euroregions along the Eastern borders of the EU,cultural “pathways”, cross-border cooperation of educational institutions, borders and tourism, common infrastructure, cross-border cooperation, human resources, economy in the border regions, transport, regional development, regionalism, regional difference, migration, cross-border law, development. Our doctoral thesis intends to combine in an efficient way the theoretical dimension and the practical dimension, so as through this domain to obtain new, innovative results which can be utilized by our decision making factors: local, county authorities, national, regional, euroregional and European actors. Our thesis is structured in 4 major chapters and annexes through which we will try to justify the theoretical dimension of the theories concerning the cross border cooperation and the concepts specific to the field, our basis for our enterprise research, our studies, and, in the end, we can debate the final result, which is actual and innovative in the same time at the level of Romanian – Hungarian boundary, especially for the cities Debrecen and Oradea. During the chapter “Different territorial levels of Hungarian – Romanian Cross-Border Cooperation CBC”, we describe the conceptual and theoretical delimitations where we used concepts like regional, euroregional, regions of development, politics of regional development, institutions with an area of action in regional and euroregional field. A subchapter refers to a successful Eurometropolis at European level proposes the analyses of three such structures of success: Regio Basiliensis, Lille Kortrijk Tournai - LKT and Metropolis Maastricht which can represent efficient models for the future structures of cross border cooperation. We will detail the proposed subject at the level of communities Debrecen and Oradea “Agglomeration of the Communities Debrecen and Oradea” as a previous step, a project for strengthening cross border cooperation, which in time transformed itself proposing as a type of project a possible European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation Debrecen – Oradea. The results of our research are detailed in Chapter III; it is the result obtained from the socio-geographical analysis run in the target area of Debrecen –Oradea and on the target groups selected for this purpose, as well as the analysis and interpretation of existing data bases from Romanian and Hungarian institutions. Finally, we will present the conclusions of the approached topics,trying to bring positive arguments in the favour of proposed innovation at the Hungarian-Romanian border, the utility of this cooperation under this umbrella based on the instrument of EGTC and last, but not least, the awareness of the authorised institutions, so that the model proposed and constructed by us, i.e. to transit from a project stage to a functional stage, offers a series of viable solutions for a common development of neighbouring cross border communities of Debrecen and Oradea.