'Great expectations - The regional administrative reform in Eastern Central Europe in anticipation of the EU'

摘要

[Introduction]. One of the key issues of governance of European Union is relationship between its governance and its boundaries in broad sense adopted by Friis and Murphy, who distinguish (after Smith 1996) four types of EU boundary; geopolitical, institutional, legal, transactional, and cultural. This paper on governance and boundaries between the European Union and Central and Eastern Europe; concentrates one type of barrier; the institutional. This paper on current reform of regional administration in Central and Eastern Europe: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary an example suggesting adaptation to similar regional structure, as in the European Union. There have been plenitude of studies on 'convergence in Europe', for example, B`rzel investigation of institutional adaptation to Europanizeation in Germany and Spain, Harmsen's comparative study of national administrations of France and the Netherlands and finally, Wollmann's comparison of Great Britain, French and German local government systems; from historic divergence toward convergence?' However, it is likely that a degree of convergence is also taking place in the countries which are not members of the European Union.