Valga-Valka
Overview
The cross-border conurbation project
The unique situation of Valga-Valka has made the conurbation into a symbolic space for the European integration process. It is here that the ceremonies for the entry of Latvia and Estonia to the Schengen Area were held on 21 December 2007. The Rainis/Sõpruse road, crossed by the border and hitherto also by a barrier, was reopened to traffic by the presidents of the two countries. Entry into Schengen also had repercussions on the urban fabric, with the opening of spaces once closed to traffic, such as the “customs officers’ footpath”.
While the border remains a reality in physical and urban terms (with the persistence of differences in housing on either side of the border) and cultural terms (there are few inhabitants who are bilingual in Estonian and Latvian), the financial integration of the region and the use of bank cards that are valid in both countries is contributing to its attenuation. The adoption of the Euro by Estonia on 1 January 2011, and by Latvia in 2014 represents a new step in the process of rapprochement between the two towns on either side of the border.
