The Regio Basiliensis is an association based in Basel. It is the Swiss partner for the Upper Rhine cooperation and the competence center of choice to foster the cross-border cooperation. Therefore, it is in the service of politics, public authorities, economy, sciences, organizations and population. Its aim is to provide incentives from the Swiss side designed to develop the Upper Rhine area into a cohesive European border region and to actively contribute to attaining this objective. In its role as inter-cantonal coordination office at Regio Basiliensis, it coordinates and represents the interests of the cantons Aargau, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Jura and Solothurn in the cross-border cooperation.
History
The Regio Basiliensis as an association was established in 1963 by representatives from the economic and academic sectors. The objective was "to plan and promote the economic, political and cultural development" of the territory and "to remove border constraints between the various subterritories inasmuch as they constitute an economic and socio-psychological factor." In 1969, the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft signed a formal agreement establishing the inter-cantonal coordination office at Regio Basiliensis as an adjunct to the association. In its capacity as IKRB, Regio Basiliensis has been carrying out government duties in respect of minor foreign policy matters since 1970. Since 1996 this has also included the canton of Aargau and since 2003 the cantons of Solothurn and Jura. In the beginning, the Regio Basiliensis was mostly a driving force. Already in the 1970s, the idea of a cross-border suburban railway was spread. The cross-border cooperation was really boosted by the launch of the EU funding programme Interreg in 1989: The pilot phase developed into an implementation stage and cross-border projects and measures further replaced planning and programmes. Today, the association is co-financed by the cantons and about 250 single members and 150 collective members.
Commitment
Acting as an association and/or on behalf of the cantons, the Regio Basiliensis is predominantly active in two distinct geographical zones:
This division into zones is the result of years of cooperative practice and reflects a cooperation of "variable geometry" whereby different areas cooperate according to the topics covered and the partners involved. The object of the association as defined in its articles of association is to „provide incentives from the Swiss side designed to develop the Upper Rhine area into a cohesive European border region and to actively contribute to attaining this objective“. Since it was founded in 1963, the Regio Basiliensis has played a major role in shaping regional cooperation in the Upper Rhine region and has contributed significantly to most of the trinational achievements in the region. Through its active participation as a member of the Association of European Border Regions Association of European Border Regions and other European regional organisations, the Regio Basiliensis also has a long track record of involvement at a European level in numerous initiatives designed to strengthen the regions of Europe and promote cross-border cooperation. The Regio Basiliensis is one of the main actors of the association RegioTriRhena, founded in 1995. It sees itself as a platform of mixed-economy for the southern part of the Upper Rhine area as well as an umbrella organization for associations of regional promotion in Germany, France and Switzerland. The main object is to promote the trinational region so that it can compete better with other regions. RegioTriRhena organises each year several visits at innovative companies in southern Alsace, southern Baden and north-west Switzerland to better link the economy in the border triangle. Furthermore, it invites once per year to a conference that treats current topics with experts from France, Germany and Switzerland.
Swiss cross-border cooperation involvement in the Upper Rhine region
In its capacity as IKRB, the Regio Basiliensis has been carrying out government duties for the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft in respect of minor foreign policy matters since 1970. Since 1996 this has also included the canton of Aargau and since 2003 the cantons of Solothurn and Jura. Thus, its sphere of action goes from north-western Switzerland up to the southern Palatinate region, covering the cross-border Upper Rhine region with 6 million inhabitants. Partners of the Regio Basiliensis are government bodies and public corporations. She carries out four-fifths of its work in conjunction with the inter-cantonal coordination office. This includes coordination with the European programme on territorial cooperation in the Upper Rhine and a number of other cooperation bodies. In general terms, Strategic Policy Document of the Northwestern Switzerland Government Conference for the years 2019 until 2022 sets out the framework for the cross-border cooperation.
Within the framework of the European Territorial Cooperation of the European Union, namely Interreg and the News Regional Policy of the Swiss Confederation, the Regio Basiliensis acts as the regional coordination office for the cantons of Northwestern Switzerland and the Swiss federal government. The cantons of Aargau, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Jura and Solothurn were quick to recognize the importance of the Interreg/ETC programmes for promoting cross-border and European cooperation as they were active participants in the regional programs from the very beginning. In the 2014-2020 funding period, the cantons of Northwestern Switzerland participate in six ETC programs:
Interreg VA Upper Rhine
Interreg VB North-West Europe
INTERREG VB Alpine Space
Interreg V Europe
URBACT III
ESPON
For Northwestern Switzerland, however, Interreg A Upper Rhine is the most important programm. To date, Switzerland has been involved in more than 200 cooperation projects in the Upper Rhine region. These cover a wide range of topics from spatial development and transport to business initiatives and education to youth work and culture. The projects of the current period can be consulted on the project data base on the website of the Regio Basiliensis. The fact that the Swiss Confederation has been taking part in Interreg/ETC programmes since 1995 and provides funding for cooperation projects in this context is largely due to the work of the Regio Basiliensis. Since 2008, federal funding has been provided within the framework of the New Regional Policy. The aim of the NRP is to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, added value and competitiveness in the regions. The federal government therefore only assists Interreg projects which support the aims of the NRP.
A platform for the public: is a mean of information, promotion and lobbying on matters of cross-border cooperation in the interest of the public with a particular emphasis on cross-border commuting.
A platform for Europe: provides information to the general public and interest groups on the relationship between Switzerland and Europe and its impact on Northwestern Switzerland and the Upper Rhine region.
A platform for services: provides access for other groups from the economic and academic sectors and the public at large to cross-border services and incentive programs and provides advice on successful cooperation projects.
Organisation
The association and the inter-cantonal coordination office together form a single operating unit with a total of 4.7 full-time positions. The total annual budget is CHF 1 million. The Regio Basiliensis is an association established under the Swiss Civil Code and is co-financed by about 250 individual members and 150 collective members. The governing bodies of the association, namely the general assembly, the board of directors and the monitoring group provide the central control mechanisms for the Regio Basiliensis association and its activities in the Upper Rhine cooperation. The board of directors is the supreme executive body. It approves the budget, annual account and annual report for the association and the inter-cantonal coordination office under the auspices of the general assembly. The monitoring group is a consultative body consisting of representatives from politics, administration, economy, science and civil society. The association is also the legal entity which employs the Swiss members of staff in the regional offices co-funded by the cantons, namely the ORK administrative office in Kehl and INFOBEST PALMRAIN in Village-Neuf. The inter-cantonal coordination office at Regio Basiliensis is affiliated to the Northwestern Switzerland Government Conference and its structures.
