Abstract
The idea of a "Europe of Regions" has been around for three decades now. Its heyday were the 1980s and 1990s when the European Community/European Union was seen as a potential ally for regions in their pursuit for influence on a continent led by nation-states and for the implementation of regional administrative and political structures (Knodt 2001: 66). The "Committee of Regions" is one example of the impact of these policies and the role of regions inside the boundaries of today’s European Union. The motives for regional cooperation range from the importance of cross-border partnerships in order to develop regions politically, economically and culturally, to the lobbying for a certain regional model on a European scale.