The Directions of International Cooperation of the Polish Voivodeships and Large Cities with a Particular Focus on Cooperation with Ukraine

Abstract

Nowadays a foreign policy is no longer the domain of national governments and the role of international relations at the level of regions and cities is growing. For these territorial units, it is a way to build their competitive position in a globalising world. The paper aims at examining the structure of the directions of international relations of the Polish voivodeships and cities – regional capitals, taking into account the role that the Ukrainian regions and cities play in this structure. Observations were made regarding differences in the directions of international activity of the voivodeships and their capitals as well as the dynamics of this phenomenon over time, and conclusions were drawn recommending the inolvement of territorial units in international cooperation. Bilateral relations with partner cities and regions prove to be only a prelude to network integration which for years has been promoted by the structures of the European Union, first by its support for Euroregions, and in the last decade through the creation of European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation. The in- volvement of regions and cities in the structures of international cooperation can significantly affect the creation of a strong competitive position in the territorial market.