Central Europe: What's in a name? Forging an understanding of the region as a socio-legal and a socio-political space 1

What does Central Europe actually mean? Western Europeans, not to mention non-Europeans, often feel available at confused when people of the region insist they do not come from Eastern Europe. However, while a Central European knows for sure that they are not Eastern European, the answer to the eponymous question is neither easy nor simple. How can the region be delineated? Which countries to include and which to exclude? What basis should one use: geographical, cultural, social, legal…? The purpose of this paper is to focus on the five most vital areas in the author's opinion – culture, law, politics, memory, and heritage – in the hopes of not only uncovering what constitutes Central Europe and its identity – but also showing how this identity may help or hinder regional cooperation. In the introductory part of the paper, the author presents his theoretical approach to the question of regional identity, later applying it to the case of Central Europe. In turn, in the third and fourth parts of the paper, the author investigates how regional cooperation works in Central Europe, looking into three major forms of collaboration – the Visegrad Group, 16/17/14 + 1, and the Three Seas Initiative – from the point of view of regional identity. Ultimately, in the concluding part of the paper, the author shows how a better awareness of the Central European identity could help regional cooperation, proposing the Three Seas Initiative as a way forwards for the region.