Трансграничното сътрудничество като инструмент на Европейския съюз за повишаване на сигурността в Средиземноморския регион в началото на XXI век

Abstract

This Ph.D. research “Cross-border Cooperation as an Instrument of European Union for Increasing the “Wider” Security in the Mediterranean Region in the Early 21st Century” presents cross-border cooperation (CBC) as an effective instrument of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) that gives different opportunities which have a positive influence on the aspects of the “wider” security – political, economic, social, ecological and cultural security. Seven members of the European Union and ten partners from the North Africa and the Middle East take part in the Mediterranean CBC. The Mediterranean CBC is analyzed as a system with two environments – external and internal. The work presents PESTEC-analysis and SWOT-analysis. Also, it shows the logical relation between external factors, internal characteristics and future results of cross-border projects. Applying research and statistical methods and tools, it is modeling and verifying a better model for measuring and assessing the CBC’s effectiveness. The Model includes external factors and internal elements, dependent and independent variables, effectiveness metrics. Model’s verification is done by integrating the Model into a plausible scenario. Last, but not least, three strategic tools are used: strategic map, balanced scorecard and TOWS analysis that help identify relevant strategic options that the Mediterranean CBC could pursue for more successful and effective CBC in regard to the aspects of the “wider” security.