Description

As more countries become members of the European Union, the number of border regions in Europe also increases. Networks are develop-ing in these regions and cooperation "across borders". Bridges are being built over what has divided, and people look towards what can unite. The largest bridge construction in Europe will open in the year 2000 in precisely such a border region - the Øresund Region. Here the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, will be linked with the third largest city in Sweden, Malmoe, by a fixed link across the international shipping channel, Øresund.

The physical bridge-building has initiated a large number of "mental" bridge-building pro-jects, aimed at creating a new metropolis in Northern Europe on both sides of Øresund, which for centuries has been the frontier be-tween Denmark and Sweden. The many cross-border initiatives reflect a desire to develop a model for European integration.

In this situation, the twin cities of Copen-hagen and Malmoe have taken on a special re-sponsibility. In no other part of the world has such an interaction been attempted over such a broad range of options and with such promising prospects. We believe that it will succeed, be-cause we have already experienced the positive energy generated by the start of the process.

We invite readers to see the Øresund Region as a challenge and an opportunity to test them-selves as "bridge builders". We invite you to be active participants in a historic project.

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