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The paradiplomatic activity of sub-state regions has become an important element of international relations. The sub-state regions are able to implement specific international programs and deal with supra-regional challenges. The ability of regions to interact internationally depends primarily on the political and legal system of a given country, but also on the economic and socio-cultural potential as well as the geographical location. The paradiplomatic actions are also influenced by processes taking place in international relations, in particular globalisation and technological development. The author examines the dynamics of international activity of sub-state regions with a particular focus on the factors and premises that encourage regional authorities to undertake paradiplomatic actions. The main research objective of the article is a diagnosis of the motivation of regional activity in the international arena. A brief analysis of the development of international activity of sub-state regions is a starting point for considerations about economic, political and socio-cultural motives to paradiplomatic actions. Democratisation, liberalisation, development and ethnic diversity are considered as having a particularly significant impact on shaping the dynamics of international activity of sub-state regions. In his deliberations, the author primarily references the literature on the subject as well as his own achievements in the field of paradiplomacy studies.

The problem of enclaves/enclaves in the theory of IR opens an interesting field of study, not only because of the actual phenomena and processes accompanying the formation of said entities, but also due to inaccuracies and variances in the very terms in use, especially in the field of public policy. The Kaliningrad Oblast is either an enclave (from the point of view of the EU, NATO, as well as Poland and Lithuania), or an exclave (from the point of view of the Russian Federation). The status of the region as perceived by the Western countries and organisations differs from the Russian standpoint. The Kaliningrad Oblast always would be a region of external influences of the West, an element of their foreign, security and economic policies, while for Russia Kaliningrad is a sphere of its domestic governance, although shaped by many international determinants resulting from its geographical location. This paper is aimed at examining public policy of the EU and neighbouring countries towards the Kaliningrad Oblast in the context of its specific geographical location and legal status. Possibilities of the region's incorporation in the EU's neighbourhood is also emphasized in the paper as an important factor affecting the position of the Kaliningrad Oblast.

The problem of enclaves/enclaves in the theory of IR opens an interesting field of study, not only because of the actual phenomena and processes accompanying the formation of said entities, but also due to inaccuracies and variances in the very terms in use, especially in the field of public policy. The Kaliningrad Oblast is either an enclave (from the point of view of the EU, NATO, as well as Poland and Lithuania), or an exclave (from the point of view of the Russian Federation). The status of the region as perceived by the Western countries and organisations differs from the Russian standpoint. The Kaliningrad Oblast always would be a region of external influences of the West, an element of their foreign, security and economic policies, while for Russia Kaliningrad is a sphere of its domestic governance, although shaped by many international determinants resulting from its geographical location. This paper is aimed at examining public policy of the EU and neighbouring countries towards the Kaliningrad Oblast in the context of its specific geographical location and legal status. Possibilities of the region's incorporation in the EU's neighbourhood is also emphasized in the paper as an important factor affecting the position of the Kaliningrad Oblast.