Article 3 — Definitions

1. For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions apply: (1) cross-border interaction means: (a) any infrastructure necessary for public or private cross-border activities; or (b) the establishment, functioning or provision of any cross-border public service in a cross-border region; (2) cross-border obstacle means any legislative or administrative provision in a Member State, or any administrative practice by a public authority in a Member State, that has the potential to negatively affect a cross-border interaction and thus the development of a cross-border region and which does not have the potential to infringe Union law; (3) competent authority means a body at national, regional or local level that has the power to adopt legally binding and enforceable acts in a Member State that establishes one or more cross-border coordination points; (4) cross-border file means a document that has been prepared by one or more initiators and submitted to a cross-border coordination point; (5) cross-border public service means an activity that is carried out in the public interest to provide a service in, or to address common problems or the development potential of border regions located on different sides of one or more neighbouring Member States’ borders, and that fosters economic, social and territorial cohesion in the cross-border region concerned; (6) initiator means any private or public entity involved in the provision, operation, establishment or functioning of any cross-border public service or of infrastructure on a border for which at least one cross-border coordination point is established; (7) relevant authority means any authority, public law body or permanent entity within a Member State without any cross-border coordination point, which a cross-border coordination point from a neighbouring Member State can contact with regard to a cross-border file. 2. For the purposes of this Regulation, a reference to the competent authority shall also cover situations where more than one competent authority within the same Member State is competent or has to be consulted. 3. For the purposes of this Regulation, the term cross-border obstacle shall cover one or more cross-border obstacles linked to a cross-border file.