The involvement of Regional and Local Governments in European Cooperation Networks

Abstract

This article analyses the participation of Spanish regions and local governments in networks of cooperation with other European sub-national governments. The article asks if these networks are a new form of activism in the EU by Spanish regional and local governments. The first hypothesis is that the participation of Spanish sub-national governments in these networks can be explained as a way to develop ways of influence that can complement more institutionalised venues for the representation of sub-national interests in the EU. The second hypothesis is that the motivation of Spanish sub-national governments to participate in these networks is to promote their own interests by cooperating with other actors sharing the same objectives. The article uses network analysis methodology in order to analyse in which networks Spanish actors participate and uses these results in order to understand their motivation to do so. The article concludes that Spanish sub-national governments, in particular regional ones, participate intensely in networks of cooperation in matters of their own competence and that this constitutes a strategy of interests representation that can complement representation in more institutional venues.