Comparing Local Cross-Border Relations Under the EU and NAFTA

INTRODUCTION (1) The literature on cross-border relations provides us with different reasons for the existence and development of cross-border linkages (that is--the connections that span an international border); it suggests that such relations may take place because of (1) free trade, because they are in the interest of (2) international organizations, or (3) central states, or (4) because regional governments and/or cities take cross-border initiatives. Some authors also suggest that such relations result from (5) local sociological, economic, or cultural elements and from (6) geographical proximity. For instance, international relations specialist Duchacek, focusing on the role of states and international relations, classifies the international activities of non-central governments. He offers a taxonomy of international relations of non-central governments: (1) "global paradiplomacy" describes the case of a region that creates and maintains a worldwide network of offices, (2) "trans-institutionalized" relations exist when limited contacts occur between two regions, and (3) "cross-border regionalism" describes the "interaction between peripheral local and provincial, state, cantonal, or Lander governments." (2) A critique of this approach is that it does not really pay any attention to local governments. The last definition of cross-border regionalism is the starting point of this study of cross-border relations, a study that primarily focuses on local governments. Should we expect different outcomes in two different free trade areas, namely, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the European Union (EU)? This essay compares cross-border urban regions located on the Canadian-American border (Detroit/Windsor, and Niagara) with those spanning the borders of France and Belgium (Lille-Euroregion) and the Deutch-German border (Enschede-Euregio). (3) The argument presented in this paper is that each supra-national regime (NAFTA and the EU) imposes adjustments upon central-local intergovernmental relations that impact greatly on local governments. The scope and policy capacity of central states in North America are reduced by market pressure without strengthening local authorities. In Europe, however, the intermeshing of all levels of government weakens central-state control and enhances the power of local governments. In cross-border regions of North America, intra-metropolitan regional competition exists in principle, and there are few examples of cooperation. In the EU, intra-metropolitan regional cooperation develops in principle: networks and mechanisms of governance expand across borders as a result of local governments seeking resources and opportunities in response to European Commission regulations and policy frameworks. In Europe there are also examples of competition due to market pressure; however, competition between localities is not exacerbated by integration. The local government perspective is used to ask how and why cross-border relations in both free-trade areas may differ. Comparative studies illustrate the importance of transnational regimes and states; the local governments of the EU and NAFTA differ in their institutional structures and opportunities. The European regions (Lille and Enschede) are compared to the North American cross-border regions the Niagara, and Detroit and Windsor; in all case studies there are examples of cross-border cooperation initiated by local and regional elites who have been motivated to become international actors in response to both economic competition and economic and (in Europe) political integration. In the Detroit-Windsor-Niagara cross-border regions, intra-metropolitan regional competition exists in principle, and there are few examples of cooperation. In the EU, intra-metropolitan regional cooperation develops in principle; networks and mechanisms of governance expand across borders as a result of local governments seeking resources and opportunities in response to European Commission regulations and policy frameworks. …