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A region is not merely a geographic-economic entity, it is also characterised by common traditions, values and interests. A different picture emerges if we see Europe as a continent, as an ensemble of countries or as a set of regions. The near fifty states to be found here can be divided into just seventeen regions and the states, as artificial formations, actually violate regional borders. Regional co-operation has to be co-ordinated across borders by sovereign states, in favourable cases the state makes compromises in exchange for the benefits of co-operation. As a result of the instability of European historical borders, it was not possible to establish state borders built on lasting regional divisions. Borders usually hinder contact as well as social and economic development, this was particularly strongly felt in Eastern Europe after 1945. The mid-level division of Hungary's territories is built on the counties, the borders of which, however, are rigid and cannot meet the modern needs of regionalisation.