The Atlantic Arc: Transnational European reality or regional mirage?

In promoting transnational regional development, the European Commission de signated the 'Atlantic Arc' as one of eight 'Euroregions' in its Europe 200 0 reports. This article critically examines this 'Arc' concept and assesses the degree to which it is being transformed into reality. It then draws im plications for builders of other potential transnational regions within the EU. While the Atlantic Are Commission has promoted a range of cross-border activities, commitment to it varies greatly and the projects undertaken re main limited ill scale. Therefore, it is too soon to judge whether it is ge nerating durable transnational 'bottom-up' development, or merely pursuing a regional mirage.