The articles derives from the research about potential socio-economic and landscape changes EU accession would bring for Slovenia as perceived by the local population in the selected region. The author analyzed which of the predicted changes have been also mirrored in the landscape and how removing the borders improved not just the quality but also the perception of the landscape. Special attention was given to the joined cross-border initiatives which aim at improving the local and regional economic conditions, advancing the agricultural practice and better environment in the region. On one hand, the accession has been along with the opportunities EU initiatives offer accepted as the positive change in the region, on the other it has requested several, sometimes unwanted adaptations in the local communities in order to comply with the EU policies and legislation. Članek temelji na raziskavi, ki je bila opravljena pred priključitvijo Slovenije Evropski uniji z namenom, da se ugotovi, kako lokalni prebivalci dojemajo in predvidevajo družbeno-gospodarske posledice in spremembe v kulturni krajini, ki jih bo ta politična sprememba prinesla. Avtorica je analizirala, kako se napovedane spremembe odražajo v prostoru 10 let kasneje in kako je odprtje metje izboljšalo kakovost in tudi dojemanje krajine. Slednja se je spremenila zlasti zaradi prekomejnih CBC iniciativ, katerih namen je izboljšanje lokalnega in regionalnega gospodarstva, napredek kmetijstva in večja trajnost regije. Zaključimo lahko, da je priključitev Evropski uniji regiji prinesla pozitivne spremembe, vendar se je potrebno zavedati tudi nezaželenih posledic, ki nastanejo zaradi prilagajanja lokalnih skupnosti evropskim politikam.