Cross-border initiatives: an advantage for collaboration in AAs?

As a majority of Swiss AAs have a cross-border dimension, it is expected to enquire on how cross-border cooperation may interact with cooperation between Swiss stakeholders. This is also relevant from a European point of view, as a significant number of ‘soft cooperation’

instances are implemented across national borders, or have to deal with opportunities and challenges resulting from proximity to a border. The ESPON GEOSPECS project (University of Geneva et al., 2012) identified two types of situations for border regions. They may either constitute ‘half circle’ economies/functional areas as a result of the lack of permeability or

2 “With the New Regional Policy […], both the federal government and the cantons support mountain and border regions as well as rural areas in coping with changes in economic structures. This includes improving hard and soft locational factors of a region as well as promoting innovation, the creation of value and competitiveness in a sustainable way” (Regiosuisse, n.d.). Interreg A programmes are part of NRP as well.

interface areas that capitalise on a variety of differentials (regulatory, institutional, economic, social, and cultural) and on the flows they generate. Therefore, border areas do not only raise specific issues with regard to territorial development, but generate also specific opportunities for collaboration. We analyse the relations of Swiss AAs to cross-border cooperation dynamics against this background.

a) A historical heritage

As in the rest of Europe, there have been two phases of development for cross-border cooperation in Switzerland:

1. In the 1970s, cross-border cooperation has initially been developed at large scale with State-to-State agreements. These agreement fostered regional cooperation with strategic objectives on economic, mobility, planning matters. In 1980 the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities provided a legal framework for the establishment of cross-border regions.

2. In 1990, the introduction of Interreg A programme for territorial cooperation has facilitated the participation for local actors to cross-border collaboration. In Switzerland, these initiatives have been facilitated by the Madrid Convention (1980) and its annex (1995) and by the Karlsruhe Agreement (1996) between France, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland. The implementation of a legal framework, combined with Interreg A programmes, made it possible for local actors to progressively get involved and provided them with a source of funding. Collaboration topics were initially very limited (environment, culture, local governance) and the area of cooperation was narrower than in early State-to-State and regional cooperation.

As a result, one can make a distinction of cooperation initiatives, according to the period they were initiated:

• Regional cooperation: State-to-State agreement, large scale cooperation, executive authorities, development of integrated strategies.

• Local cooperation: narrower scale, functional areas such as metropolitan area or massif, predominant role of local authorities, focus on concrete projects.

Interreg has not wiped-out the cooperation structures from the 1970-80, and local initiatives have not replaced regional cooperation. In fact, the two coexist, collaborate and nourish each other in a complementary way.

b) On-going and learning process

As noted by De Sousa (2012), ‘cross-border co-operation is a learning process. What we are witnessing today is an extraordinary degree of institutional experimentation at the fringes of nation states. Not surprisingly, the European Commission termed Euro-regions ‘the laboratories of European integration’. In Switzerland, Jura Massif and Lake Geneva regions

illustrate how current inter-cantonal dialogue is the result of long-term experimentation initiated in the context of cross-border collaboration.

A shown in Table 1, by 1985, a cross-border working group called ’Jura Working Community‘

(‘Communauté de Travail du Jura‘ - CTJ) was created through the adoption of a State-to-State agreement. At the beginning, it focused on cross-border issues. However, it progressively started promoting a dialogue and coordination of cantonal actors (Berne, Jura, Neuchâtel and Vaud) within the Swiss parts of the Jura massif. This led to the creation of the Swiss working group (Swiss-CTJ) in 1994, which is referred to as arcjurassien.ch since 2008. Furthermore, a City Network of Jura Massif was created in 1993, gathering 16 municipalities spread over the four cantons of the Jura Arc. This inter-cantonal structuration answers to twofold issues: first improved cross-border efficiency and second formalize inter-cantonal relations.

Alongside traditional institutional cooperation, new forms of citizen cooperation have emerged over the past decade. At regional scale, the Cross-border Forum Jura Massif (Forum Transfrontalier Jurassien) created in 2007 brings together citizens and public actors from both side of the border so as to promote dialogue and reflexions.

Table 1 : Cross-border cooperation processes in Jura

Timeline Actors

Cross-border Conference Jura

1985 Intergovernmental agreement bounding 4 Swiss cantons to 1 French region

2003 Cooperation protocol signed with Lake Geneva Council (Cf. 13

1994 creation of the association CTJ-Switzerland

2008 renamed "Arcjurassien.ch" with increased competencies

Association made of cantons Bern, Jura Neuchâtel and Vaud.

City Network of Jura Massif

1993 (purely political cooperation) 2008 (formalisation)

16 municipalities composing a city network across the 4 cantons composing the Swiss part of Jura Massif

Cross-border Forum Jura Massif

2007 Foundation of an association that emerged as a citizen initiative

9 people in the Steering Committee 40 members = individuals and institutions such as for example:

- Club 44

- Laboratoire ThéMA Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté - CCI Region Franche-Comté - CCI Doubs

- ISBA Institut Supérieur des Beaux-Arts de Besançon

- ASHD Amicale des Suisses du Haut-Doubs

The number and diverse nature of existing collaboration initiatives is clearly an asset for the implementation of the Jura Massif AA. Their integration in terms of both strategic vision and implementation programmes provides the AA with a number of development opportunities.

Mapping these initiatives (Figure 3Figure 3) shows that the Jura Massif AA is well covered by a variety of overlapping initiatives that also extend cooperation to the neighbouring Lake Geneva metropolitan AA.

Figure 3: Institutional map of Jura Massif AA

Source: ESPON ACTAREA, 2017

A similar process occurred in the Lake Geneva Region. As synthetized in Table 2, by 1973 the Franco-Geneva Regional Committee was set up when the Swiss Federal Council, acting on behalf of the Canton of Geneva, and the French Government agreed on financial compensations⁵ for cross-border commuters working in Geneva. Parallel and complementary structures have emerged since. The creation of the Lake Geneva Council in 1987 extended collaboration to all governmental entities with a stake in the development of the Lake Geneva and its surroundings, e.g. with the inclusion of canton Valais and a coordination with the Cross Border Conference of the Jura Massif.

Around 2000, two additional collaboration initiatives were set up: the Greater Geneva Area at the scale of the cross-border agglomeration and the Lake Geneva Metropolis ensuring inter-cantonal cooperation between Geneva and Vaud. These cooperation instances handle more or less the same themes as Lake Geneva Council but focus on the functional scale of the agglomeration.

In addition, there are a variety of cross-border associations born within the framework of the Lake Geneva Council, e.g. the Union of Agriculture or the Union of Arts & Crafts. Each of these

5 Workers paid their taxes in Switzerland even they leave in France.

collaboration initiatives contribute to the governance within Lake Geneva Metropolitan AA, managing sectoral issues. The articulation is rather complex but often the same stakeholders sit in various institutions.

Table 2: Cross-border cooperation processes around Lake Geneva

Main stages Actors

Regional

1994 cooperation protocol with Lake Geneva council

2004 joined by Regional Council Rhône-Alpes

2006 integration of agglomeration project “France-Vaud-Geneva (later becoming LGCC Greater Geneva Area)

2007 joined by Canton Vaud

National

- Swiss Federal Council acting on behalf of the Canton of Geneva

- Government of the French Republic.

Regional: Council Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Cantonal: Geneva, Vaud Intermunicipal:

- Association of Geneva municipalities (ACG)

1994 Cooperation protocol with RCFG

2003 Cooperation protocol with CTJ (Jura)

Members:

- Departments: Ain, Haute-Savoie - Cantons: Vaud, Valais and Geneva Observers : French State, Swiss

- 2009: regional infrastructures Metropolis agreement: signed in 2011

Cantons of Geneva and Vaud

Partnership with relevant stakeholders/organisations

Greater Geneva Area

2004: 1st agglomeration project 2012: 2nd agglomeration project 2013: LGCC - Greater Geneva Area

Cantonal: Geneva District: Nyon Intermunicipal: Arc Civil society Source: ESPON ACTAREA (2017)

The complexity of resulting governance framework (see

Figure 4Figure 4) reflects a need for flexibility and demonstrates a political will to handle together a maximum of subjects with a strategic perspective.

Figure 4: Institutional map of Lake Geneva Metropolitan AA

Source: ESPON ACTAREA, 2017

As a conclusion, the review clearly shows that both, in the Jura and Lake Geneva regions, cross-border initiatives initiated in the 1970s and 1980s have laid the groundwork and created favourable framework conditions for regional cooperation initiatives to emerge. Learning from cross-border experience and encouraged to regroup to defend their shared interests, the involved Swiss actors, institutions and networks have taken the opportunity to set up intercantonal and interregional cooperation initiatives within Switzerland.

c) Cross-border initiatives as an advantage for AA collaboration implementation

Cross-border cooperation initiatives push involved actors to go beyond the traditional sectoral, administrative and institutional boundaries. By doing this, they have prepared the ground for inter-cantonal cooperation as well as the implementation of the SSS. Results of on-going and learning processes developed in sub-section b) allows to draw general conclusions on the facts that:

• Cross-border cooperation usually appeared before cooperation initiatives involving actors from different cantons or municipalities;

• Same actors and institutions are often found both in regional and local cross-border cooperation initiatives;

• Swiss actors and institutions involved in supra-regional or inter-cantonal partnerships are essentially the same ones that are involved in cross-border partnerships.

3 Framing the analysis of Swiss Action Areas

After clarifying the policy context within which Swiss AAs are developing and the perception of involved stakeholders of the nature and purpose of an AA, chapter 3 develops background components mobilised for the analysis of the Swiss case studies.

Section 3.1 provides a general description for each of the 12 AAs in terms of geographical and socio-economic features. Section Error! Reference source not found.3.2 presents the regionalisation logic behind the definition of the Action Areas per main geographical feature:

metropolitan, small and medium-sized town networks and Alpine region. Finally, section 3.3 sets out the methodology used to identify relevant cooperation initiatives and the dimensions analysed in each of the Swiss AAs. The approach follows as much as possible the general methodological approach developed by ACTAREA so as to ensure best comparability with other European case studies.