Basiliensis region

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The Regio Basiliensis is an association based in Basel . It is the Swiss partner for the Upper Rhine cooperation called RegioTriRhena and the first choice competence center for promoting cross-border cooperation on the Upper Rhine . It is in the service of politics, authorities, business, science, organizations and the population. Its purpose is to give impulses from the Swiss side for the development of the Upper Rhine area into a coherent European border region and to participate in its realization. As a branch office for the cantons of Aargau , Basel-Landschaft , Basel-Stadt , Jura and Solothurn, it coordinates and represents the interests of north-western Switzerland in cross-border cooperation.

history

The association was founded in 1963 by representatives from business and science. The aim was the planning and promotion of the economic, political and cultural development of the area and the dismantling of the border barriers between the various sub-areas (the region) as far as they represent an economic and socio-psychological factor.

In 1969 the state treaty between the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft was signed, which concerned the establishment of the ICRB, the intercantonal coordination office at the Regio Basiliensis, which is affiliated to the Regio Basiliensis association. This has also applied to the canton of Aargau since 1996 and to the cantons of Jura and Solothurn since 2003.

In the first decades, the RB was primarily a source of inspiration. The idea of ​​a cross-border regional S-Bahn was launched as early as the 1970s. The cross-border cooperation with Interreg experienced a real boost from 1989: The transition from the pioneering to the implementation phase took place. Cross-border projects and measures increasingly took the place of plans and programs.

Today the association is supported by around 250 individual and 150 collective members in addition to the cantons.

tasks

The Regio Basiliensis operates as an association and / or on behalf of the cantons mainly in two different spatial perimeters:

This subdivision has developed over the years in the course of cooperation and reflects a cooperation of "variable geometry", according to which different areas of cooperation prove to be useful depending on the subject areas and partners involved. According to the statutes of the association, it is "to give impulses from the Swiss side for the development of the Upper Rhine area into a coherent European border region and to participate in its realization". Since it was founded in 1963, the Regio Basiliensis has played a decisive role in shaping regional cooperation on the Upper Rhine and has made a significant contribution to most of the trinational achievements on the Upper Rhine. Via membership and active participation in the Working Group on European Border Regions (AEBR) as well as in other European regional organizations, the Regio Basiliensis was and is also involved in numerous efforts at European level to strengthen the regions of Europe and cross-border cooperation.

The Regio Basiliensis is one of the main players in the RegioTriRhena, which was founded in 1995 . It sees itself as a mixed-economy platform for the southern Upper Rhine and at the same time as the umbrella organization of the regional societies in Germany, France and Switzerland. The overriding goal is to strengthen the trinational region so that it can better survive the competition between the regions. In order to network the economy in the border triangle, the TriRhena region organizes several company visits to innovative companies from all sectors in southern Alsace, southern Baden and north-western Switzerland. In addition, once a year it invites you to a large annual conference that brings together experts from France, Germany and Switzerland on current topics.

Swiss participation in cooperation bodies

As a branch office of the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft, the association has been fulfilling state functions in the sense of minor foreign policy since 1970. This has also applied to the canton of Aargau since 1996 and to the cantons of Solothurn and Jura since 2003. The area of ​​activity extends from north-western Switzerland to the southern Palatinate and thus includes the cross-border region of the Upper Rhine. The partners are the state authorities and public corporations. The Regio Basiliensis fulfills four fifths of its tasks with the Intercantonal Coordination Office (IKRB). These include the Swiss coordination of Interreg Upper Rhine and various cooperation vessels ( Tri-national Metropolitan Region Upper Rhine TMO , German-French-Swiss Upper Rhine Conference ORK , Trinational Eurodistrict Basel TEB , INFOBEST Palmrain). In general, the strategy of the Northwestern Switzerland Intergovernmental Conference (NWRK) for the years 2019 to 2022 provides the relevant framework for the content-related objectives of the intercantonal coordination office at the Regio Basiliensis. The aim of this paper is to give the Northwestern Swiss cantons the content-related priorities for the Upper Rhine cooperation and thus to make a contribution to strengthening the ability to act and to generating projects in the interests of north-western Switzerland.

European Territorial Cooperation (Interreg) and New Regional Policy

Within the framework of the European territorial cooperation ( EtZ ) of the European Union (EU) and the new regional policy of the Swiss Confederation, the Regio Basiliensis / ICRB acts as the regional coordination office for the north-western Swiss cantons and the federal government.

The cantons of Aargau, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Jura and Solothurn recognized the great importance of the Interreg and EtZ programs for promoting cross-border and European cooperation early on: they have been involved in the local programs from the start. In the current fifth funding period 2014-2020, the Northwestern Switzerland cantons are participating in six EtZ programs:

  • Interreg VA Upper Rhine
  • Interreg VB Northwest Europe
  • INTERREG VB Alpine Space
  • Interreg V Europe
  • URBACT III
  • ESPON

For Northwestern Switzerland, however, the Interreg Upper Rhine program is the most important program: By March 2020, around 440 cooperation projects with Swiss participation had been implemented in the Upper Rhine since 1990. These cover a wide variety of areas: from spatial development and transport to business and education to youth and culture. The projects of the current funding period can be viewed in the project database on the Regio Basiliensis website.

The fact that the federal government has been participating in the Interreg and EtZ programs since 1995 and supporting cooperation projects in this context is largely due to the initiative of the Regio Basiliensis / IKRB. In the period from 1995 (Interreg II) to 2020 (Interreg V), federal funds totaling around 21 million Swiss francs were used in north-western Switzerland for cross-border and European cooperation projects.

Since 2008, federal participation has been part of the New Regional Policy (NRP). The aim of the NRP is to strengthen innovation, entrepreneurship, value creation and the competitiveness of the regions. The federal government thus only supports Interreg projects that contribute to the goals of the NRP.

Information, promotion, lobbying

The association is:

  • Citizens' platform: It carries out information, promotions and lobbying measures for cross-border cooperation in the interests of the population (focus on economy, transport, education and research, environment).
  • European platform: It informs the general public and interested parties about the relationship between Switzerland and Europe and its effects on Northwestern Switzerland and the Upper Rhine region.
  • Service platform: It enables broad circles from business, science and civil society access to cross-border services and funding programs and provides advice on successful cooperation projects.

organization

The association and the state coordination office together form an operational unit with a total of 470 percent positions. The total annual budget is currently 1 million Swiss francs (2019). The Regio Basiliensis is an association under the Swiss Civil Code, which today is supported by around 250 individual and 150 collective members. The office of the Regio Basiliensis association and the intercantonal coordination office at the Regio Basiliensis are managed as one operational unit. The association's organs, the General Assembly , the Board of Directors and the Advisory Group, represent central control instruments for the Regio Basiliensis Association and the Upper Rhine Cooperation. The Board of Directors as the highest executive body represents the Regio Basiliensis externally and is composed of representatives from business, science and politics. He approves the budget, the annual accounts and the annual report for the association and the ICRB for submission to the general assembly. The advisory group is made up of representatives from politics, administration, business, science and civil society and submits proposals to the board through its chairperson. The association is also the employing body for the Swiss employees in the "branch offices", which are supported by the contracting cantons, ORK secretariat in Kehl and INFOBEST Palmrain in Village-Neuf (F).

The Intercantonal Coordination Office at the Regio Basiliensis (IKRB) is integrated into the Northwestern Switzerland Intergovernmental Conference (NWRK) and its structures.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ According to Article 1 of the statutes of the Regio Basiliensis Association
  2. ↑ Details on the strategy of the Northwestern Switzerland Intergovernmental Conference (NWRK) for the years 2019 to 2022
  3. ↑ More information on European territorial cooperation of the European Union
  4. ↑ More information on the federal government's new regional policy (NRP)
  5. ↑ More information on the Interreg Upper Rhine program
  6. ↑ More information on the Interreg North West Europe program
  7. ↑ More information on the Interreg Alpine Space program
  8. ↑ More information on the Interreg Europe program
  9. ↑ More information on Urbact
  10. ↑ More information on ESPON
  11. ↑ Overview of the projects funded by Interreg Upper Rhine with Northwestern Switzerland participation
  12. ↑ More information on the federal government's new regional policy (NRP)