The Upper Rhine Cooperation
20 May 2022
One more year, and the Association Regio Basiliensis will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2023 as one of the first cross-border partnerships in Europe.
Regio Basiliensis
The Association (www.regbas.ch) is a successful pioneer of cross-border cooperation and distinguishes itself by its political and institutional framework. It is expressed, for example, in the Oberrheinkonferenz (Upper Rhine Conference), the Oberrheinrat (Upper Rhine Council) and the German, French, and Swiss Regierungskommission (Intergouvernemental Commission of Governments).
General Assembly
On 3 May, the Association met for its 59th General Assembly in Bad Bellingen (Baden-Württemberg). At the meeting, consideration was given to digitalisation, an integrated labour market, harmonised educational programmes and recognised diplomas in the Upper Rhine Region (Oberrheinregion).
The Corona pandemic shows the importance of agreements and cooperation in cross-border regions. It depends on the attractiveness of living and working in the Upper Rhine region.
Action points
A study by the Association in cooperation with the Swiss Economic Consultancy firm BAK Economics AG (Schweizer Wirtschaftsforschungs- und Beratungsinstitut BAK Economics AG) provided the themes for the panel discussion. This report is the third in the “Arbeitsmarkt am Oberrhein” series. (Employment in the Upper-Rhine region).
In particular, the mutual recognition of diplomas and the harmonisation of educational programmes, the digital age, language skills, projects to allow residents and especially young people to work across borders and good public transport came up as important points of reflection and possible action. The increasing tightness of the labour market, the climate and demographic developments are topical issues as well.
The report also shows the differences between the regions of the Upper Rhine region: Alsace, Baden, the southern part of Rhineland-Palatinate (Südpfalz) and Northwest Switzerland. The areas differ in industrial and economic development, innovation and research, (un)employment, and digitalisation.
Northwest Switzerland (the cantons of Solothurn, Aargau, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft and Jura) has about 1.5 million inhabitants, Alsace 1.8 million, Baden 2.5 million and the Southern Palatinate about 0.3 million (total over 6.1 million). Northwest Switzerland is the job engine and champion of patents, economic growth, innovation and income growth, closely followed by the Freiburg area in Baden.
The Upper Rhine Region and the European Union
These facts also put the discussions on the (broken off) negotiations with the European Union into perspective. The subsequent sanctions (a.o. the blocked access to the European stock market (Börzenäquivalenz) and the EU-educational Programme Horizon) affect the whole region. This relationship was mentioned during the meeting but was not on the agenda and was not an issue.
The following remarks do not express the discussions at the meeting, let alone the point of view of the Association, but are relevant topics anyway.
Significantly, the Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg is actively lobbying in Brussels and Berlin to lift these sanctions. At the meeting, there was, once again, a call for a willingness to compromise on both sides.
Mont Terri Project
It is a fact that Switzerland is one of the world’s most innovative countries with the best research centres and scientists. The Mont Terri Project in St. Ursanne (canton of Jura) is a good example. This project was initiated and funded by Switzerland in 1996 and now has participating organisations from countries all over the globe. Even the European Union participates. The project is well organised and based on transparent co-financing, objective selection of partners, a minimum of bureaucracy and unique results—quality rather than quantity.
Internal market
Another aspect concerns the internal market. Northwest Switzerland is the job and economic engine of the region. Every day, around 34 000 French citizens cross the Swiss border to work, compared to 100 Swiss, and over 36 000 Germans, compared to 400 Swiss. Even so, Northwest Switzerland has the lowest unemployment rate.
Inflation and the euro
The current inflation in Switzerland is around 2.5% but is approaching 10% in France and Germany. The euro’s depreciation against the Swiss Franc is significant as well. Until 2002, Germany still had a strong currency. In 2002: 1 DM : 1.55 CHF, May 2022: 1. Euro: 1.04 CHF.
The soft euro or the hard Swiss Franc and the inflation are to be taken into account in the long term. The situation will worsen with the European Central Bank (ECB) policy, the transfer union and the participation of ever more and poorer euro countries. Wages in Switzerland are already three times higher, and inflation and (cantonal) taxes are much lower than in Alsace, Baden and Südpfalz.
Conclusion
The well-founded report, the focus and the themes of the Association show the added value for the Upper Rhine Region. At the same time, the many differences in this small region make it clear that reality is often more obstinate than ideals of undifferentiated unity.
Switzerland is a kind of European Union on a micro-level. This also applies to the Upper Rhine region. The traditionally pragmatic policy of Switzerland and the concrete action points and working method of Regio Basiliensis show that a bottom-up approach identifies and analyses possibilities, problems, bottlenecks and solutions for citizens and companies most effectively.
(Source: www.regbas.ch; Bak Economics AG, Arbeitsmarkt am Oberrhein, Regio Basiliensis (Herausgeber), Basel 2022).