There has been, however, a recent increase in collaboration among cross-border regions on the continent (Association of European Border Regions, 2010). Local and regional authorities, as well as the economic sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), are playing a growing role in many cross-border fields in this part of the world, but the co-operations are still informal and not well structured. These areas are an international zone of adjacent regions from different countries - or very often, regions that are neighbours, but separated by a sea.