Comparison of factors influencing the Internationalisation Process in France and Poland

The aim of this article is to reveal crucial factors (political, administrative and financial) that influence the attitudes of local governments in the internationalisation process. The paper’s conclusions are based on a study referring to various types of analyses, both quantitative and qualitative, of official documents, databases as well as in-depth interviews. The study was conducted in Lublin, Poland and Nancy in France. The research shows that the local governments’ attitudes towards international cooperation depend greatly on political factors. In both cases (Lublin and Nancy), despite the differences in political and administrative systems; the nature, activity and range of the existing cooperation is governed much more by the mayor’s ability, his/her individual attitude and approach than by the city’s councillors.