Comparing cross-bordering city-regional strategies beyond nation-states in Oresund and the Basque country

Cross-bordering implies taking into account a diverse range of factors between two regional hubs in the interest of comparing case studies. This paper contrasts two city-regional configurations: on the one hand, the Oresund city-region (or newly called Greater Copenhagen) between Copenhagen and Malmö; and on the other hand, the Basque Country between French Pays Basque, Navarra Statutory Autonomy and the Basque Autonomy. Both cases consist of two nation-states. In the case of Oresund, the city-region is configured between Sweden and Denmark. In the case of the Basque Country, the city-region is situated between Spain and France. Moreover, the two cases depict very diverse patterns of cross-bordering collaboration: in the Oresund city-region, the cooperation has been primarily fueled by the two main cities; in the Basque city-region, although there are remarkable territorial synergies, there is not clear leadership between the three aforementioned territorial entities