Daniel Badulescu, Alina Badulescu and Catalin‐Adrian Bucur
prevention, the development of procedures for cross‐border alert and assistance for emergency services( fire intervention, civil defence, public order and safety).
2. Cross‐border cooperation in public services in Bihor ‐ Hajdu‐Bihar Euro‐region
One of the most recent( i. e. settled since 2002) euro‐regional structures is Bihor ‐ Hajdú‐Bihar Euro‐region, located in the North‐Western part of Romania / Eastern part of Hungary, on the Romanian‐Hungarian border area. Bihor ‐ Hajdú‐Bihar Euro‐region aims to foster cooperation by maintaining and developing good neighbourly relations, identifying areas of potential cross‐border cooperation, promoting cooperation within established programs, promoting euro‐regional cooperation with other international organizations, supporting the Euro‐region’ s entities in the euro‐integration process( Romanian Encyclopaedia, 2010).
Bihor ‐ Hajdú‐Bihar Euro‐region has been involved in several cross‐border projects that have received preaccession funds of PHARE CBC even before 1998( i. e. when the border between Romania and Hungary became eligible for this program). Thus, during 1996 – 2003, 28 million euros were allocated for cross‐border projects for the Romanian part and 34 million euros for the Hungarian one( BRECO, 2012). Subsequently, the PHARE CBC( Cross‐Border Cooperation) Program was implemented in Romania( from 2004 to 2006), together with INTERREG IIIA sub‐program in Hungary.
A simple overview of the actions and projects undertaken highlights on public service: modernizing local roads, border services, population registering services, preventing common impacts of flooding and waste by decisions based on integrated monitoring and information, operational data transfer, radioactivity and heavy metals content joint operational monitoring, CBC for sustainable development, local management performance and local development, euro‐regional centre for cross border crime prevention and fight, etc.( BRECO, 2012). Currently, the CBC Program Hungary‐Romania 2007‐2013 continues the previously implemented programs: INTERREG IIIA Hungary and PHARE CBC in Romania, expanding and developing the results and lessons already learned( BRECO, 2012). The distinctive feature of this period is the focus on the objectives of the Lisbon and Goteborg strategies, with greater emphasis on competitiveness and environmental issues, and joint( both European and national) financed projects.
3. Research design
For better understanding and anticipation of possible future developments in cross‐border cooperation, we conducted, during November‐December 2011, a survey‐based research, targeting experts and cross border project managers involved in public order and civil protection institutions, across the Hungarian‐Romanian border( from Bihor County ‐ Romania and Hajdú‐Bihar County ‐ Hungary). As part of a wider research project addressing issues such as aims and achievements, benefits and limits, effectiveness and efficiency, sustainability and future prospects etc., we focus on this paper strictly on the questions related to the benefits, sustainability and prospects of the cross‐border cooperation actions. The research has been carried out starting from a designated questionnaire consisting of 20 questions( 9 opened and 11 closed). The questionnaire was administered to 52 experts, project managers or managers / deputy from: Regular Police( 36), Border Police( 8), Gendarmerie( 4), Emergency and special interventions services( 4), all located in border areas. 27 were from Romanian institutions and 25 from Hungarian ones. In this paper we present the preliminary results related to issues concerning the benefits, sustainability and prospects of the cross‐border cooperation actions already undertaken.
4. Preliminary results
The responses to valid questionnaires have indicated a number of 72 actions undertaken within cross‐border cooperation actions in Bihor ‐ Hajdu‐Bihar Euro‐region, the majority of them being the mixed patrols and the actions undertaken within PHARE CBC and HU‐RO Programs. In the followings, we present some preliminary results derived from analysing the responses provided to several questions addressed within the questionnaire related to the benefices and sustainability of the joint actions.
4.1 The main actual beneficiaries of CBC programs
To understand the way cross border cooperation programs in public order services have achieved their overall objectives, by improving the activity of institutions, communities and Euro‐regions as a whole, is a key step in the analysis of the effectiveness of these programs, regardless of the extent, duration and variety of stakeholders. Even a preliminary view emphasizes the experts’ opinion a main category of beneficiaries are the
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