The paper aims to explore the manner in which the cross-border cooperation model perceived by the Romanian and Bulgarian citizens living in the cooperation area responds the current economic and social challenges. The main issue investigated is: does the local population – as a main actor in the Romanian-Bulgarian Neighbourhood Area (ROBULNA) – connect its aspirations with the realities, possibilities and potential of this area?

The analysis relates and comments upon aspects regarding human capital, unemployment, economic structure and their distribution in ROBULNA, revealing fields of both convergent and divergent opinions, which enhance or, on the contrary, create difficulties in constructing an integrated cross-border cooperation action.