Cross-border cooperation in the Upper Rhine as an element of the multilevel governance

This article examines cross-border co-operation in the Upper Rhine region. The focus is on the European Community of Alsace (Grand Est). An overview of the multi-level governance theory is given. The main documents that play a key role in co-operation are presented. The INTERREG programme Oberrhein - Rhin Supérieur, the activities carried out within the TriRhena Euroregion and the tri-national space of the Upper Rhine are selected as examples. The literature pays insufficient attention to the regional policy of the EU, the policy of interstate co-operation within the Union in border areas and cross-border regions, especially the Upper Rhine from the perspective of multi-level governance. Purpose: to analyse cooperation in the Upper Rhine region from the perspective of multilevel governance theory and to identify the role of Alsace in it. Methods: analysis and synthesis of empirical data; system analysis; retrospective approach; comparative analysis, multi-level governance theory. Results and Discussion: The policy directions of the European Community of Alsace are defined by the ‘Alsace Cross-Border Co-operation Scheme’ of 2022. In its elaboration, the interests of more than 50 actors were taken into account: national and cross-border associations of the three countries, in particular the already existing strategies of Strasbourg and the Grand Est region, and projects of European partners. Conclusions: Close cooperation and integration in transport and cross-border migration, education, health care promote greater interdependence of states in the region and contributes to creating an institutional framework for improving the well-being of the citizens of the three countries. Although such cooperation challenges territoriality, promoting cross-border strategies and delegating cooperation to the regional and local level is a conscious move by the authorities within the framework of multi-level governance and the logic of decentralisation and devolution.