The background of the paper is at the confluence of two scientific areas: cross-border regions (CB-R) and institutions. In this paper I intend to approach the relation between institutions and cross-border cooperation (CBC) using the institutional and organizational analysis, exploring the role institutions, norms and organizations have on the CBC using as study case Romania-Ukraine CB-R. The endeavor aims to be inventory mostly, and as an underline of the issues that need further detailed research as having a significant impact on the CBC, with secondary potential outcome - a ‘map' of actors involved in the CBC. Aligning together the two areas of research, CB-R and institutions, the main questions to be answered through the paper are: what is the role of the institutions, the norms and of the organizations in the governance of CB-R? and which would be the criteria for a comparative approach between two forms of institutional complex architectures, as to distinguish in a structured manner the similarities and differences, the cooperation points as well as conflictual ones?