Suchergebnisse

The poverty problem is particularly serious in rural Romania and arises from heavy dependence on small subsistence farms with little alternative employment. Case studies from the Carpathians reveal that there is no viable basis for intensification on these farms and there is a consensus that it is irrational to try and modernise them unless the average size can increase substantially. Hence the solution lies in a massive structural change in agriculture linked with retraining and redeployment of a section of the present workforce. However new jobs in agricultural services and light industry will depend on a radical improvement of the rural infrastructure and higher spending power by the rural population as a whole. (author's abstract)

Borders in East Central Europe have become much more permeable over the past ten years as formalities have been simplified and many new crossing points have opened. At the same time, cooperation in border regions has increased, thanks mainly to the EU 'Interreg' programmes, to include a range of business cultural and conservation interests. In many cases these arrangements have been formalized through Euroregions which have become an indicator of good international relations. The paper reviews these trends with reference to examples and pays particular attention to environmental projects and the joint planning initiatives being undertaken in a number of Euroregions. At a time when regional policy has been generally weak, cross-border cooperation has contributed significantly to cohesion and it is also a good indicator of stability in the region. However, the impact has been greater in the north than in the Balkans and the first round of EU eastern enlargement will have implications for cooperation across the new external borders.

East European industry is making radical adjustments as a result of the transition to a market economy. After some four decades of centrally planned development geared to large-scale production for a relatively undemanding Comecon network, private domestic entrepreneurs now have access to a global market. But there are major constraints, notably through the difficulty in raising capital at sustainable rates of interest. Consequently foreign direct investment (FD1) is of crucial importance both for the restructuring of old industries and for the development of new projects with export potential. However, FD1 is highly uneven, both within and between countries, and it is important to consider the reasons for this discrimination. The author discusses the location decisions of foreign companies, especially with regard to the large urban centres which are attracting the bulk of the investment. Reference is made to urban entrepreneurialism, industrial estates and special fiscal regimes, infrastructure, and environmental quality. Although some cities are particularly well endowed, most have only limited strengths to highlight as trade-offs against deficiencies. The question therefore arises as to whether all cities and their regions can exploit their strengths—and make positive use of spatial unevenness—to restructure their industrial sectors and provide gateways into the rural areas. Here there are both positive and negative views. Optimists see good prospects over the longer term through overspill and 'trickling down' through East Central Europe and indeed the Confederation of Independent States, whereas pessimists doubt whether even the more successful cities can attract sufficient FD1 and generate enough indigenous small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) to eliminate unemployment and deliver growing prosperity.