Background: The study concerns the inter-governmental dispute between the Polish and the Czech governments on the planned Turów coalmine expansion and its impact on the cross-border cooperation between the Polish and the Czech entities, particularly in the sphere of cross-border partnerships conducting microprojects financially supported by the INTERREG Program. The conflict went before the European Court of Justice in 2021 and was the cause of hostility between the two nations. the conflict was concluded in February 2022, with the signing of the agreement on the future of the Turów coalmine and compensation for the Czechs. Although the dispute has ended formally, but some problems in relations between the Polish and the Czech partners on the borderland still exist. Research problem and questions: The research problem concerns recognizing how inter-governmental disputes at a national level can impact on cross-border cooperation at a local level, and in particular the Polish-Czech partnerships conducting cross-border microprojects. It comprises of research questions concerning the impact of this inter-governmental dispute on the ongoing and future Polish-Czech institutional partnerships in cross-border projects and the factors necessary to improve the resilience of cross-border cooperation at a local level to political factors and actors. Methods: The authors used both qualitative research methods (in-depth interviews, media analysis, desk research) and quantitative research methods (survey CATI, CAWI surveys). Conclusions: The study shows slight changes in the intensity, efficiency and approach to the cross-border cooperation; it reveals the future activities essential to improving the Polish-Czech relations in the Nysa Euroregion. It points out the important factors necessary to improve the resilience of cross-border cooperation to political factors.

The idea of a smart city is widely discussed in literature but is associated to a lesser extent with the idea of moving towards a green smart city. Authors debate the critique of this type of approach and are of the opinion that climate change forces the construction of green models Like businesses, municipalities must be systematically assessed to identify assistance in terms of specialist advice or financial aid. The aim of this article is to develop the concept of a green smart city model, which may become a new development paradigm for municipalities. The article introduces the term eco-transformation in relation to the evolution of changes in the green smart city idea and proposes a tool to measure the action taken by municipalities in their pursuit of ecological maturity. The proposed models are universal in nature, i.e. they can be used to study other areas of a municipality’s activity. Many areas in the model are debatable and difficult for municipalities to incorporate without a critical approach to many areas of knowledge, for example, of municipality management processes, technology, macroeconomic and mesoeconomic specificity, and behavioural analyses.

Pandemia Covid-19 jest ostatnim kryzysem, który ujawnił i nasilił problem nierówności społecznych i regionalnych. Coraz częściej pojawiają się wezwania do „lepszej odbudowy” po pandemii, która będzie bardziej sprawiedliwa społecznie i przestrzennie. Badania regionalne mają do odegrania kluczową rolę w kształtowaniu i informowaniu o takim programie, co wymaga ponownego przemyślenia priorytetów badawczych i ram teoretycznych. Poprzez swoje rozważania Autorka sygnalizuje liczne problemy, które są związane z czwartą rewolucją technologiczną, pandemią COVID-19 oraz kryzysem klimatycznym. Transformacja nie powinna faworyzować ośrodków wysoko rozwiniętych i wymaga czasu, nakładów środków i odpowiednich programów, podobnie jak rozwój technologiczny.

The chapter examines the physical-geographical and human-geographical characteristics of the Czech-Polish-German Three-border region, particularly the Turoszów Spur in Poland and its surroundings behind the borders. These characteristics differ within the region and influence socioeconomic settings and cross-border flows. Resulting asymmetries became more visible in connection with the controversies around the Turów Mine located in the Turoszów Spur. The arguments took place mainly between the Czech Republic and Poland. However, Germany cannot be overlooked due to its importance in the region. Countries neighboring the mine are not satisfied with its long-term effects on their border areas, and their attitudes were shared by the EU. The analysis is interdisciplinary and mainly grounded in geography, specifically neo-environmental determinism, and border studies, predominantly examining the effects of market forces and cross-border flows. The text aims to illustrate the significance of geographical factors in the small region without extreme geographical barriers or differences.

Problematyka migracji staje się bardzo istotnym wyzwaniem, z którą mierzą się kraje o różnym rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczym. Stopień w jakim sobie radzą z tym problemem zależy od wielu czynników. Rozważania w artykule koncentrują się na trzech jej przekrojach: migracji z Ukrainy po 2014, migracji uchodźców wojennych oraz migracji z Ukrainy w wymiarze przestrzennym związanym z pograniczem polsko-ukraińskim. Praca powstała na podstawie studiów literaturowych i analizy danych statystycznych. Hipoteza pracy opiera się na stwierdzeniu, szczególnej roli otoczenia instytucjonalnego, makroekonomicznych czynników jako kryteriów warunkujących migrację z Ukrainy w analizowanym okresie. Głównymi celami zaprezentowanej analizy są ukazanie skali zjawiska w różnych okresach i przekrojach regionalnych oraz różnic w skali atrakcyjności regionów i stopnia przygotowania rynku pracy do absorbcji siły roboczej w przekroju Unii Europejskiej. Zaprezentowane analizy są zrealizowane w ramach projektu Challenges for the labour market in counties in the Polish-Ukrainian borderland with regard to the influx of war refugees from Ukraine. Assessment of the situation, conclusions for Polish regions, entrepreneurs, and county labour offices.