Regions, minorities and European integration: A case study on the Italo-Slovene border

Abstract - The study investigates the impact European integration has had on the mobilisation of the Slovenian ethnic minority and the Italian majority in the Italo-Slovene border region. It also addresses the changing interests and identities of the Slovenophone community living in Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG), placing them within the wider regional context, the latter of which is also undergoing a redefi nition. In particular, it addresses the influence of EU enlargement and of EU structural policies on minority and majority mobilization and perceptions, as well as on the redefinition of the regional interests since the 1990s.The research has focused on the following aspects: the socio-economic situation of the Slovenophone community living in FVG within the context of the regional and territorial development; the Slovenophone community’s political representation, mobilization and participation in public life; its identity representations, cultural recognition and perceptions of ‘Europe’. Key words mobilization, ethnicity, EU enlargement, perception of Europe