Revija za geografijo 3-1, 2008 
 
7 
Predgovor 
 
Filozofska fakulteta Univerze v Mariboru je v času od 14. do 27. septembra 2008 
organizirala mednarodno poletno šolo GEOREGNET z naslovom Evropa Regij – 
Evropa kot regija v okviru srednjeevropskega programa CEEPUS (Central  European 
Mobility Network). Namen poletne šole je bil, da razširimo in okrepimo sodelovanje 
partnerskih znanstvenoraziskovalnih ustanov v GEOREGNET mreži in s svojim 
pedagoškim delom prispevamo k boljšemu razumevanju družbenogeografskih 
procesov v srednji Evropi in na zahodnem Balkanu.  
 
Tema poletne šole je bila usmerjena v analizo procesov regionalnega povezovanja 
evropskega prostora. Sodelujoči geografi so razpravljali o različnih vidikih evropske 
integracije s posebnim poudarkom na vlogi srednjeevropskih držav v tem procesu. 
Prispevki so bili usmerjeni k razumevanju socio–ekonomskega položaja v državah 
zahodnega Balkana in njihovim prizadevanjem za vstop v Evropsko unijo. Avtorji 
posameznih prispevkov so poudarili prostorske in funkcionalne spremembe do 
katerih je prišlo v času tranzicijskih procesov v postsocialističnih državah, pomen 
zagotavljanja konkurenčnosti gospodarstva posameznih regij ob vstopu na evropski 
trg, zlasti pa nujnost oblikovanja skupne regionalne politike v obmejnih območjih. V 
diskusijskih prispevkih je bil poseben poudarek dan ugotavljanju uspešnosti in 
sprememb v vrednotenju evropskega modela »združenosti v različnosti« v območjih 
družbenega in kulturnega stika.  
 
Posamezni gostujoči profesorji so se prijazno odzvali na naše povabilo in svoje teme 
oblikovali v prispevke za  revijo, ki je pred vami. Tako bodo tudi dodiplomski in 
podiplomskih študenti iz Avstrije, Bosne in Hercegovine, Češke, Hrvaške, 
Madžarske, Slovaške, Slovenije, Srbije in Poljske prejeli revijo kot študijsko gradivo, 
kar je še posebej dragoceno. 
 
V imenu mednarodnega programskega odbora se zahvaljujemo Filozofski fakulteti 
Univerze v Mariboru za vso pomoč pri organizaciji in izvedbi mednarodne poletne 
šole GEOREGNET.  
 
                                                                        
 
                                                                               Lučka Lorber 

Revija za geografijo 3-1, 2008 
8 
Preface 
 
The Faculty of Arts at the University of Maribor organized, within the CEEPUS 
programme (Central European Exchange Programme for University Students), the 
1
st
 International GEOREGNET Summer School entitled Europe of Regions – Europe 
as Region, which took place from 14
th
 to 27
th
 September 2008. The purpose of the 
Summer School was to expand and strengthen the cooperation of partner research 
institutions in the GEOREGNET network, and to contribute through pedagogical work 
to a better understanding of socio-geographical processes in the Central Europe and 
the Western Balkans. 
 
The topic of the Summer School was focused on the analysis of the regional 
connection processes in the European area. The participating geographers discussed 
the different aspects of the European integration, with a special emphasis on the 
role of the Central European countries in these processes. The contributions were 
focused on the understanding of the socio-economic situation in the countries of the 
Western Balkans, and their endeavours to enter into the European Union. The 
authors of the articles stressed the spatial and functional changes which emerged 
during the transition processes in the post-socialist countries, the importance of 
assurance of competitive economy of individual regions at the entrance into the 
European market, and particularly the need to form a common regional policy in the 
border areas. In the discussion contributions, a special emphasis was put on the 
analysis of the success and the changes in the evaluation of the European model 
“united in differences” in the social and cultural contact areas.  
 
The participating professors kindly accepted our invitation to prepare review 
contributions on the topics presented in their lectures. Thus, the undergraduate and 
graduate students from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, 
Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and Poland will receive this Review as a 
study material, which gives it a special value.  
 
On behalf of the international Programme Committee, I would like to thank the 
Faculty of Arts at the University of Maribor for its help and assistance in the 
organization of the International GEOREGNET Summer School.  
 
                                                                        
 
                                                                               Lučka Lorber