SPECIFICS OF MANAGING THE DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION

Abstract

The article focuses on cross-border cooperation and presents an authorial approach to understanding the management of local authorities across all cross-border regions of Ukraine. The article examines the key concepts of cross-border cooperation as an important component of Ukraine's European integration processes and a factor in enhancing regional competitiveness. The research is based on the ideas of competitiveness, macroeconomic stability, and theories of social capital development and public-private partnerships. The essence of cross-border cooperation is revealed. It is identified that improving the economic component of the cooperation regulation mechanism requires increasing the efficiency of its functions. This includes enhancing financial support for cross-border cooperation and encouraging regional economic actors to participate in its organizational and economic forms, particularly through the development of foreign economic relations in Ukraine's border regions. It has been determined that the core principles of organizing cross-border cooperation in European countries include partnership, subsidiarity and complementarity. The article also analyzes the types of cross-border cooperation organization employed in European practice, including ad hoc cooperation, Euroregions, European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs), Euroregional cooperation associations, and working communities. A major challenge faced by those seeking to expand cross-border cooperation in Ukraine is the lack of professionally trained territorial managers who can effectively leverage opportunities arising from cooperation with neighboring regions. The goal of developing cross-border cooperation is to support nationbuilding processes, which require the delimitation and demarcation of borders, enhancing their barrier function. The primary aim of cross-border cooperation is to mitigate the impact of national borders while ensuring national security. Addressing these tasks necessitates new approaches to developing state strategies, including regional policies, integration processes, and the adoption of European practices and methodological recommendations that have proven effective in practice. The key components that characterize the effectiveness of the program for managing cooperation issues – aimed at accelerating the socio-economic and environmental development of peripheral border areas – have been identified. The main obstacle remains the qualification of personnel at all levels of government. Only the availability of qualified professionals will enable the creation of a comprehensive system of cross-border cooperation, similar to that in the EU. Given the current state of the country amidst globalization changes and military conditions, measures for improvement have been proposed.