Limits for successful cross-border governance of environmental (and spatial) development: the Lake Constance Region

Cross-border regions are multi-actor and multi-level spaces. Without any formal competencies they are exclusively based on cooperation between widely self-organized systems (regions). Thus, cross-border governance is facing multiple governance dilemmas. In this respect imperative environmental problems have often served as unifying element, putting diverging forces into the back. But just as often these issues fell from the agenda when the most important problems seemed to be solved - as they are too likely to cause severe conflicts between the partners. The paper discusses the significance of cross-border governance for environmental issues in Europe, mainly based on empirical data from the cross-border region of Lake Constance.