Trinational Eurodistrict Basel

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Trinational Eurodistrict Basel
TEB-o-blau.jpg
purpose Development and deepening of the cooperation between the actors of the trinational agglomeration of Basel
Chair: Mike Keller , Mayor of Binningen, Marion Dammann , District Administrator from Lörrach and Jean-Marc Deichtmann, Mayor of Huningue
Establishment date: 2007-01-26
Seat : Village-Neuf
Website: www.eurodistrictbasel.eu
Greater Basel area

The Trinational Eurodistrict Basel ( TEB ; French Eurodistrict Trinational de Bâle , ETB ) is an organization of cities , municipalities , municipal associations and regional authorities as well as municipal special purpose associations in the trinational agglomeration of Basel . It is made up of 81 members from the three countries and more than 900,000 inhabitants and has set itself the goal of coordinating and bringing together project ideas, planning or planning intentions in the trinational agglomeration and promoting exchange within the trinational population.

history

The Upper Rhine area can look back on a long history of cross-border cooperation. The inhabitants of the region constantly crossed the now known borders between France , Germany and Switzerland . This intensive economic and social exchange across regional boundaries made cooperation absolutely necessary, also at the official level.

Nevertheless, cross-border cooperation on the Upper Rhine decreased in the course of the 19th century. This was partly due to the growing nationalism at the time, but also due to the Franco-German war . With the beginning of the First World War , the borders were further strengthened. During the world wars, goods were still exchanged in the region, but cooperation on the sub-national level was hardly possible any more.

Institutionalization after the world wars

After the end of the Second World War , cross-border cooperation in the trinational agglomeration of Basel was resumed as quickly as possible. One of the first achievements was the opening of today's Euro-Airport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg in 1946. In the years that followed, cross-border cooperation mainly consisted of informal, sectoral cooperation.

With the establishment of the Regio Basiliensis association in 1963 and the Regio du Haut-Rhin in 1965, the first results of this cross-border cooperation became visible. The informal character of the cooperation on the Upper Rhine was viewed critically by the national side, especially the French. The three governments decided to give the cooperation an institutional framework. This was achieved with the government agreement in Bonn on October 22, 1975.

Introduction of the Interreg program

As part of the European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) , the European Union launched the Interreg program in 1989 . This gave European actors in regional development a further boost. For the Upper Rhine region, the Interreg programs were subdivided into the areas PAMINA and Upper Rhine Middle-South in the first three program periods. From 2007, the Interreg Upper Rhine area was formed from this. The introduction of the Interreg program made it possible for project sponsors to receive funding from the European Union.

The Upper Rhine Conference

Practically at the same time as the Bonn Agreement of 1975, two regional committees were founded: the “Comité Bipartite” for the northern area and the “Comité tripartite” for the southern area. The division, however, proved to be rather inefficient and sluggish in the years that followed. In 1991 the German-French-Swiss Upper Rhine Conference was founded from the two committees . With the German-French-Swiss government agreement of 2000 in Basel, the significance of the Upper Rhine Conference was contractually recognized and defined.

The foundation of the trinational agglomeration of Basel

After a meeting between politicians, planning officials and business representatives from southern Alsace , Baden and north-western Switzerland in 1995, work began on developing a development strategy for the so-called trinational agglomeration of Basel (TAB). In the overall development concept of the TAB, sectoral goals were defined, which should be achieved with the help of projects in the areas of settlement, transport, economy, nature and the environment, infrastructure and political structure. With the establishment of the TAB-Verein in 2003, coordinated spatial planning and an overall strategy for the trinational region were developed for the first time.

The Eurodistricts

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty , the then German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and the French President Jacques Chirac spoke out in favor of the establishment of the Strasbourg-Ortenau Eurodistrict . This call created a dynamic. Shortly after the establishment of the Strasbourg-Ortenau Eurodistrict in 2005, the Eurodistrict of the Freiburg / Center et Sud-Alsace region was founded in 2006.

In the course of the call for the establishment of the Strasbourg-Ortenau Eurodistrict, interest was expressed in creating a Eurodistrict in the Basel area. This should further develop the existing TAB structures. In order to achieve this, a trinational steering committee developed a project outline in cooperation with the Regio Basiliensis and the TAB association. The planning of a Eurodistrict was first ratified by the individual bodies before the founding agreement of the trinational Eurodistrict Basel was signed on January 26, 2007 in Saint Louis, France.

expansion

TEB

Today the TEB covers the following areas:

With around 830,000 inhabitants, the TEB has a population of metropolitan format . 60% of the population live in Switzerland, 30% in Germany and 10% in France.

TAB

The TAB is smaller than the TEB and includes those 54 municipalities that meet the criteria for an agglomeration according to the Federal Statistical Office:

organization

The TEB is an association under private French law. It consists of various organs and committees.

Organization chart of the trinational Eurodistrict Basel

The general meeting

The general assembly consists of representatives of the association members. The members each send a delegate to the meeting. Each delegate has one vote. The meeting is convened once a year by the President of the TEB. The general orientation, goals and programs of the association are determined at the general assembly. In addition, the membership fees are determined and the annual accounts, the annual report and the budget are approved.

The board of directors

The TEB board consists of nine Swiss, German and French members. They are elected by the general assembly. The board of directors decides on the current business and the management of the association. Associate members as well as the president of the district council take part in the board meetings in an advisory capacity. The meetings take place at least four times a year.

The board is elected for two years. This mandate can be extended by re-election. To become a board member, the individual must have an electoral mandate within their local authority. The current president is Mike Keller, mayor of Binningen .

The Bureau

The executive committee of the TEB consists of a president and two vice-presidents. Each member of the Presidium represents a nation, which avoids a one-sided alignment of interests. The term of office of the presidents and the vice-presidents is two years. The presidency rotates between the three countries at these intervals.

The Presidium coordinates the work of the TEB, defines the strategy and monitors compliance with the association's statutes.

The office

The office represents the administration of the TEB. It supports the work of the board and the president. The central tasks of the office include the implementation of the resolutions of the board of directors and the presidium, project development, public relations and the coordination of working and expert groups.

The working groups

The working groups prepare the resolutions of the board in various subject areas. New projects and partnerships can emerge from the working groups. The TEB has the following working groups:

  • Technical coordination group (consisting of 24 administrative officers)
  • Spatial planning and landscape
  • Mobility and traffic
  • Civil society

The District Council

The TEB District Council is composed of 20 Swiss, 15 French and 15 German municipal councils. The council meets at least twice a year.

The council is divided into six standing commissions. These are:

  1. Education, Culture, Youth, Sport and Identity Commission
  2. Social, Health and Research Commission
  3. Environment, Energy and Agriculture Commission
  4. Transport Commission
  5. Regional Planning Commission
  6. Economy, labor market and tourism

The district council can express itself in the form of motions to the board of directors on a matter, it can adopt opinions and draft resolutions.

aims

The aim of the TEB is to improve cross-border cooperation and coordination in spatial planning. The aim is to make the agglomeration more attractive and strengthen it as a European business location.

Numerous key projects were defined and a joint development concept worked out. In addition, an association for sustainable spatial development of the TEB was founded.

The TEB names four overarching goals:

  • strengthen the citizens' identification with the trinational region
  • Increase public participation in cross-border issues
  • expand cross-border cooperation
  • make the common European living space more attractive and livable for everyone

financing

The TEB is financed through the annual contributions of its members as well as with the help of European, national and local grants and subsidies.

Projects

The trinational Eurodistrict Basel accompanies various long-term projects, the realization of which is in turn made possible by various individual projects.

International Building Exhibition (IBA)

The International Building Exhibition Basel (IBA) was brought into being on the initiative of the TEB by the regional authorities that are part of it for the period from 2010 to 2020. The IBA supports the implementation of cross-border projects with a focus on the subject areas of “landscape areas”, “urban spaces” and “living together”. These can be projects for the construction of new parks, neighborhood meeting points or footpaths and bike paths. The IBA is thus pursuing its goal of transferring approaches for the creation of a coherent cross-border area on the strategic-political level to the practical level.

3 country

For the 3Land project, project partners from Switzerland, France and Germany have come together to coordinate the spatial planning of the cities of Huningue , Weil am Rhein and Basel in the area between the Dreirosen Bridge and the Palmrain Bridge. The project is divided into three committees (political control, overall project management and overall project management) and three working groups (AG 1: Bridges / Mobility / Economic Efficiency, AG 2: Freedom / Initial Usages and AG Communication). As part of 3Land, the partner municipalities implement small sub-projects, such as the Vis-à-vis project.

Vis-a-vis

The Vis-à-vis project will be one of the first sub-projects implemented as part of the 3Land project. It is a joint project between the cities of Huningue and Weil am Rhein,which is carried by the TEB and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within the framework of the INTERREG V Upper Rhine program of the European Union.

The focus of the Vis-à-vis project is the design and implementation of a cross-border park on the opposite banks of the Rhine from the cities of Huningue and Weil am Rhein. The two opposite parts of the park are to be built at the level of the three-country bridge and connected by it.

Dreilandradreiseregion

The aim of the “Dreilandreiseregion” project is to promote cycling tourism in the trinational agglomeration of Basel. For this purpose, signs, maps, websites and information boards should be used to draw attention to cross-border bike tours and to facilitate their use. The project partners come from all three countries. The project is financially supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union (INTERREG V Upper Rhine) and the New Regional Policy (NRP) of Switzerland.

Parc des Carrières

The IBA project “Parc des Carrières” aims to create a recreational zone in the area between the cities of Basel, Allschwil , Hégenheim and Saint Louis . In the area characterized by large-scale gravel mining, footpaths and bicycle paths are to be created. In addition, areas that are no longer used for gravel mining are to be continuously redesigned. The project sponsors consist of several Swiss and French organizations and municipalities.

Funding instruments

The TEB has several funding instruments with the help of which civil society projects are to be funded that contribute to the intercultural exchange of the inhabitants of the trinational agglomeration.

Encounter fund

With the help of the encounter fund, the TEB supports projects that promote exchange between the residents of the trinational agglomeration. This can be, for example, sporting events, concerts or theater performances.

Fund for class encounters

Similar to the Encounter Fund, the class encounters funding instrument is used to promote exchange between schoolchildren from the three countries.

EU-funded small projects

As part of the Interreg program, the European Union supports small cross-border projects with a maximum of € 40,000. In order to receive funding, the project sponsors must adhere to certain guidelines and procedures. The TEB accompanies project sponsors in this procedure.

Globetrotter

The Eurodistricts PAMINA, Strasbourg-Ortenau, Freiburg / Center et Sud Alsace region and the trinational Eurodistrict Basel are pursuing the goal of expanding the knowledge of schoolchildren about the respective regions with the help of the Globetrotter project. With the help of an online game, the pupils can go on a virtual journey through the Eurodistricts. Knowledge questions can then be solved for the respective locations.

Class encounters are also funded as part of the project. School classes from different countries can meet and work together to create new tasks to expand the game.

Associated projects

The TEB can also be a partner in projects that go beyond the boundaries of its area.

Atmo-Vision

The Atmo-Vision project aims to improve air quality on the Upper Rhine. To this end, tools, criteria and suggestions for action are to be created for the institutions and administrations in the project area. These are intended to help record emissions and sustainably reduce them in the future. Numerous partners from all three countries have come together for the project.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Trinationaler Eurodistrict Basel - TEB. Retrieved May 6, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Gireaud, Fabrice .: The Eurodistricts - a new form of cross-border cooperation? a comparative analysis of the Strasbourg-Ortenau Eurodistrict and the Basel trinational Eurodistrict . LIT, Berlin 2014, ISBN 978-3-643-12863-8 .
  3. ↑ a b c d Origin - Home. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Milestones of the Upper Rhine Cooperation - Regio Basiliensis. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Interreg: European Territorial Co-operation. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  6. ↑ INTERREG 1989–2006 - INTERREG Upper Rhine. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Manuel Friesecke: Forums of cooperation in the border areas of Switzerland . In: Hans Martin Tschudi, Benjamin Schindler, Alexander Ruch, Eric Jackob, Manuel Friesecke (eds.): Writings on cross-border cooperation . tape 8 . Dike Verlag, Nomos Verlag, Zurich / St. Gallen / Baden-Baden 2014, ISBN 978-3-03751-610-2 , p. 107-136 .
  8. ↑ Frédéric Duvinage, Dirk Lohaus, Florence Prudent: A Future for Three: Development Strategy 2020 . Ed .: Trinationaler Eurodistrict Basel. tape 2 , 2009.
  9. ↑ Joint statement on the 55th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty - France-Allemagne.fr. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  10. ↑ What is a Eurodistrict? - TEB. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  11. ↑ TEB website
  12. ↑ Web presence of the TEB ( Memento of the original from July 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.eurodistrictbasel.eu
  13. ↑ BfS criteria ( Memento of the original of November 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , TEB website  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bfs.admin.ch@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.eurodistrictbasel.eu  
  14. ^ History. Retrieved May 20, 2019 .
  15. ↑ project | 3-land.net. Retrieved on May 20, 2019 (German).
  16. ↑ Presentation of the project. In: Atmo-VISION. Retrieved on May 20, 2019 (German).