The first European cross-border region, the EUREGIO,[2] was established in 1958 on the Dutch–German border, in the area of Enschede (NL) and Gronau (DE).
In particular, two supranational bodies, the Council of Europe and the European Union, were important for improving the conditions under which NCGs could co-operate across borders.
Whereas the Council of Europe was in past particularly active in improving the legal situation, the Commission of the European Union new provides substantial financial support for CBC initiatives.
Legally, the first cross-border regions were based on agreements with varying degrees of formality and mostly relied on good will.
However, the regulations delivered by such agencies are binding only on the public authorities within the cross-border area concerned and not on civil subjects (Denters et al. 1998).
Their organizational structures usually consist of a general assembly, an executive committee, thematic working groups and secretariats (Aykaç, 1994: 12–14), but activities tend to be confined to common declarations and information exchange.
Occasionally, third organizations, such as regional development agencies, interest associations and chambers of commerce, have become official members.
For estimating the co-operation intensity of existing CBC arrangements, a catalogue of criteria proposed by the AEBR can be used:[3] A third way of distinguishing cross-border regions considers the nature of the participating authorities.
By contrast, in Italy, it is meso-level authorities, the 'province' (provinces), that are usually involved in cross-border cooperation initiatives while the municipalities play a minor role because of their relative fragmentation compared to the German Kreise.
In Scandinavia, as for instance in the Øresund region, both counties and large urban municipalities (Greater Copenhagen) participate in the cooperation arrangement.
In general, in countries with a strong role for inter-municipal associations, cross-border co-operation is often pursued by local actors.