The influence of the Covid-19 pandemic on Czech-Polish cross-border cooperation: From debordering to re-bordering?

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought many changes to social behaviours in Europe. One of its major consequences was the temporary closure of borders, which was introduced as a measure to prevent the uncontrolled pandemic spreading and involved internal Schengen borders. This has had a major impact in the way in which cross-border cooperation has been conducted in Europe, including the Czech-Polish borderland, as it dramatically restrained all flows across borders. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of the pandemic on five roles of cross-border cooperation: 1) as a multi-level governance form; 2) as a regional development tool; 3) as a para-diplomacy form; 4) as a post-conflict reconciliation tool; and 5) as Europe-building. We argue that the impacts of the pandemic complicated regional development and the Europe-building role of cross-border cooperation in the Czech-Polish borderland. The article envisages re-bordering processes also in the Czech-Polish borderland, but with important exceptions in the regions with a high level of cross-border integration, mainly in the Euroregion Těšínské Slezsko/Śląsk Cieszyński. The paper also calls for the elaboration of the guidelines for possible repeated (Schengen) border closures and proposes modifications of the INTERREG microprojects schemes, to keep them attractive also in times of expected cuts in public finances.

International Mobile Workers Caught Between Restrictive Measures and Freedom of Movement During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Slovenia

“…An example of this is the international "isolation" of Italy, which in the spring of 2020 was one of the countries most affected by COVID-19. Similar distinctions were made on the Czech-German, Polish-German, and Czech-Polish borders during the same period and later (Opiłowska, 2021;Böhm, 2021;Novotný, 2021).…”

Moving across Borders: The Work Life Experiences of Czech Cross‐border Workers during the COVID‐19 Pandemic

“…Taken together, along with the difficult and often unequal employment conditions, as well as the constant pressure they experience due to societal disintegration in both their host and the home country, CBWs are faced with significant challenges. These conditions create a difficult environment that negatively affects the personal and professional lives of these individuals in normal times (Böhm, 2021 ; Haindorfer, 2013 ; Pires and Nunes, 2018 ). Moreover, in times of global crises and challenging economic situations, the combination of inequality, social alienation, and a lack of support in the host country may further worsen the lived experiences of CBWs (Haist and Kurth, 2022 ).…”

“…Despite their economic importance, research into the personal and professional experiences of CBWs in the EU, and more specifically during times of crisis, is lacking (Haindorfer, 2020 ). However, the literature shows that the number of CBWs has reduced drastically during the COVID‐19 pandemic (Böhm, 2021 ). This could be attributed to various potential reasons, including fear of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, increased remote working policies, contract terminations and other unfavourable employment conditions (Böhm, 2021 ; Rausis and Hoffmeyer‐Zlotnik, 2021 ).…”

“…However, the literature shows that the number of CBWs has reduced drastically during the COVID‐19 pandemic (Böhm, 2021 ). This could be attributed to various potential reasons, including fear of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, increased remote working policies, contract terminations and other unfavourable employment conditions (Böhm, 2021 ; Rausis and Hoffmeyer‐Zlotnik, 2021 ). In addition, border crossings between certain member states, such as between the Czech Republic and Germany, was made more difficult during the COVID‐19 pandemic, which may be another contributing factor (Novotny, 2021 ).…”

“…Rather than being shining examples of solidarity and collaborative efforts to find effective solutions against COVID‐19, European governments responded with unilaterally imposed measures, as well as rebordering (Novotny, 2021 ). Rebordering refers to the reintroduction of (temporary) border controls or complete border closures within the EU (Böhm, 2020 , 2021 ; Nonnenmacher et al ., 2021 ). Importantly, the closure of internal borders during the initial COVID‐19 wave opposed the fundamental narrative of European integration.…”