Spatial policy meets foreign policy in macro-regional strategies of the EU

Macro-regional EU-strategies have since their launching in 2009 led to a "stimulating unrest" in the field of transnational cooperation. These pilot-type processes follow the characteristic of soft policy tools and are applying a multi-level and cross-sectoral approach at the crossroads of territorial policies and the arena of foreign relations. The author takes stock of the debate about results, impacts and value added so far from the perspective of the national coordination in Austria.