Extract

Compared to other European cross-border regions, the Channel area (covering southern England, northern France and the maritime space between) presents several barriers to cooperation. The most obvious is the Channel itself, which ranges between 33km and 240km wide. This limits some features seen in other regions, such as cross-border commuting or cross-border public service provision. While the construction of the Channel Tunnel now provides a connection between England and France, the operation of services between capital cities has led to a corridor effect meaning direct connections within the Channel region remain limited. The border between England and France is also marked ←172 | 173→by different languages, administrative structures and political cultures. It is surprising, then, that despite these challenges cross-border cooperation has developed.

The development of cross-border cooperation has built on a long shared history between southern England and northern France. While the Channel itself represents a geographical barrier not found in many other cross-border regions, it can nevertheless be regarded as a shared space. From the late 1940s attempts were made to formalize cross-border links with the emergence of several town-twinning associations, though this cooperation was limited to civic and cultural engagement. However, cooperation intensified from the late 1980s. The marked change here was formalization of cross-border cooperation through bilateral cooperation accords, which committed regional and local authorities to work together in substantive policy areas beyond the more traditional civic and cultural engagement activities. This process started with an accord between Kent and...