Ustvarjanje, vzdrževanje, ponovna uporaba: mejne komisije kot ključ za razumevanje sodobnih meja – CREMARE

Project website

Project Code: J6-2574.

SICRIS

All borders are historical. The history of any border is not merely an underlying story, but is ingrained in its very structure. The way in which it has been constructed and maintained (why, how, when, where, and who has created it) contributes to the characteristics of contemporary borders. The border commissions that have created and/or maintained a specific border are of vital importance for its detailed understanding. It is not possible to understand the current borders without knowing the work of the border commissions. The repeated strengthening of the borders is one of the greatest challenges in contemporary Europe (securitisation of migrations, border fences, Brexit). If before 2015 the borders within the EU were seen as an anachronism, the 2015 Refugee crisis showed that the specific characteristics of the individual borders were exceedingly important. Only the knowledge of the complex heritage of individual borders allows for a successful and humane management of state borders. Border commissions are a legal tool for political entities to settle their mutual borders on an equal basis. Commission members include officials and experts. Border commissions may also be implemented by the political entities that are not independent. Some border commissions also include the “third factor”: the federal authority, representatives of superpowers, etc. It is difficult to define the difference between bilateral joint commissions and multilateral commissions. According to their function, commissions can be divided into the following: a) those that define the border; b) those that maintain the border. In terms of duration, we can divide them as follows: a) permanent (e.g. border commissions addressing border rivers); b) special, “ad hoc” (addressing particular issues/disputes).