As a core element of the EU’s cultural action, the European Capital of Culture (ECOC) is an important vehicle to promote transnational and cross-border cooperation, which is in line with the EU’s policy direction of promoting balanced spatial development and territorial cohesion. However, whether theoretically or practically, the cross-border cooperation among the ECOC host cities have not received much attention from academia. Based on a qualitative meta-analysis, this study offers a holistic overview of the experiences of the ECOC programme over 40 years. This study aims to critically evaluate the achievements and challenges faced by the ECOC in cross-border cooperation. Four regions - Franco-Belgian border, Luxembourg and the Greater Region, Central and Eastern European, and Scandinavia and the Baltic are investigated and compared.