CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT WITHIN MERCOSUR: AN EXPERIENCE OF INTERMUNICIPAL CONSORTIUM

Abstract

The Mercosur path looks sinuous and riddled with inequalities, but has favored cross-border cooperation that may help communities to face problems and explore opportunities collectively. The article addresses this subject looking at a specific experience of cross-border cooperation in the Southern Cone, the one concerned with the Consórcio Intermunicipal da Fronteira (CIF), formed by Dionísio Cerqueira (Santa Catarina), Barracão and Bom Jesus do Sul (Paraná), and also by Bernardo de Irigoyen (Misiones, Argentina). The text firstly discusses the issue of inequalities within Mercosur, and then deals with cooperation in integration processes, international interactions involving subnational actors and cooperation opportunities observed in the Southern Cone. In its largest section, the article concentrates on the CIF.