Cross-border integration and local communities, 2015: Effects of the entry of the Republic of Slovenia into the Schengen area and Republic of Croatia in the European Union on the development possibilities of the ethnically mixed area in Istria - Slovenian
September 14, 2022

Author of Research: Bufon Milan, Sedmak Mateja, Rameša Martina, Medarić Zorana and Zadel Maja

Year of Research:  2015

Key words: border areas; cross-border contacts; Schengen area; European Union; Slovenia; Croatia; Istria; minorities; Italian minority; multiculturality; ethnically mixed families; culture; national identity; national cultures; cultural interaction;

In the border area of Istria, a case study was carried out (in-depth field research) among members of the Italian national minority in Slovenian Istria. The purpose of the study was to get an insight into the life of the minority in the culturally mixed border area of Istria, to determine the intensity of cross-border contacts along the Slovenian-Croatian border and to identify the role of the minority in maintaining various contacts with Slovenia, the role of various media in informing about minority issues, the expected role of Slovene border areas and the Slovene and Italian minorities after Slovenia’s accession to the EU and the expectations of the border population regarding the effects of Slovenia’s (RS) accession to the Schengen area and Croatia’s (RH) to EU on further development of relations between the two countries. At the same time, the same study was conducted among members of the Italian national minority in Croatian Istria (see study ADP - IDNo: ISTRAH15).

Survey was conducted by Public Opinion Research Centre, Science and Research Centre Koper, within the framework of the ARRS program (P6-0279 - Areas of cultural contact in integration processes).


More info about the research you can find in ADP Catalogue.


Bufon, M., Sedmak, M., Rameša, M., Medarić, Z. and Zadel, M. (2022). Cross-border integration and local communities, 2015: Effects of the entry of the Republic of Slovenia into the Schengen area and Republic of Croatia in the European Union on the development possibilities of the ethnically mixed area in Istria - Slovenian Istria [Data file]. Ljubljana: Univerza v Ljubljani = University of Ljubljana, Slovenian Social Science Data Archives (ADP). ADP - IDNo: ISTRAS15. https://doi.org/10.17898/ADP_ISTRAS15_V1