Local governments in international relations: Specificities and prospects of Polish-Belorussian cooperation

The paper presents brief history of the issue referred to in the title. Attention is drawn to the variety of formats and areas of cooperation between Polish and Belarusian local authorities, taking into account also the legal aspects of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. Comparative characteristics of the functioning of local self-governance systems in Belarus and Poland are discussed, with the focus on such issues as the context of systemic change, the specifics of the legal framework of both countries, international cooperation with third countries and organizations, as well as the motivation of the cooperating parties; special attention is paid to the consideration of successes and fallacies in the existing experience. The main part of the paper presents an analysis of the current Polish-Belarusian cooperation at the level of local governments. Principal external factors influencing the activation of bilateral relations are considered in detail: the place of Russia and the Eurasian Union in ongoing re-orientation of Belarus; Polish- Belarusian relations and the European Union; crisis in Polish-Russian relations; the Ukrainian dimension. With regard to internal factors ifluencing the Polish-Belarusian cooperation at the level of local self-government, the following issues are considered: state policies; legal issues; the level of democratic freedoms and independence in decision-making; ' nancial and economic problems; cultural, and informational components; personal dimension. In the final part of the paper the importance of the new realities is highlighted, and prospects of cooperation of local governments in Poland and Belarus are summarized; latest developments and the new trends in the area of cooperation are outlined, and the prospects of new possible areas of cooperation, and the supportive policies on the part of both the respective states as well as of international organizations are suggested