Geopolityczne uwarunkowania rozwoju regionów przygranicznych

The development of border regions is determined mainly by geopolitical conditions, connected with the nature of bilateral relations between neighbour countries and their positions in international environment. Changing spatial and functional character of the state border is the effect of these relations.

The aim of paper is to:

• identify criteria of border delimitation and factors of spatial and functional changes of state borders,

• present the influence of changing character of state border on the development process of border regions.

It is worthy to underline that favourably geopolitical conditions are necessary but not sufficient to stimulate development of border regions. The next conditions are: institutional, socio-demographical and economic.