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Territorial coordination : aligning territorial development in macro-regions without a governance framework

Macro-regions have recently gained importance in the EU policy debate following the promotion of macro-regional strategies as one of the key tools of European integration and increased territorial cohesion. They are perceived as a means of improving the coordination between, and thus the effectiveness of, various policies delivered in respective area. This paper is trying to argue that in order to achieve better coordination in dealing with territorial development in macro-regions and thus also added value from macro-regional strategies, territorial coordination should be pursued, focusing on functional aspects and informal processes of mutual learning and adaptations of goals between the actors involved. To support this position the paper elaborates and emphasizes a distinction between territorial coordination and territorial governance, where coordination is seen as a product of decentralised control over resources, processes and activities, whereas governance refers to deliberate transcending of the borders of government, while retaining some degree of centralised control. Towards the end it suggests that appropriate tools for territorial coordination are needed, including at least working groups for tackling specific transnational and cross-border planning problems as well as area-wide platforms for exchanging information and knowledge that would allow for continuity and transparency needed for the construction of collective knowledge in the area.