Asymétries institutionnelles et territoriales: Quelles conséquences pour la gouvernance transfrontalière?

The purpose of this paper is to analyse one of the inherent characteristics of cross-border cooperation: multi-level asymmetries. One of the main difficulties in developing cooperation is to find one's counterpart on both sides of the border. Being from different states, and thus different administrative and legal systems and cultures, the institutions involved in the cooperation work at different scales and are de facto mismatched. Two types of asymmetry are analysed: institutional and territorial. The harmonisation of regulations at European level, the conclusion of interstate agreements or sectoral regulations at regional level all put these findings into perspective. In addition, informal cooperation is essential for the stakeholders. Finally, the European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) could be a useful tool to reduce or minimise the impact of this asymmetries depending on the powers conferred to it. The use of these various tools may point towards the gradual institutionnalisation of a multi-level cross-border governance in some transfrontier areas.