The Basel agglomeration, located in the tri-border area and home to nearly one million people, covers 250 municipalities in the Swiss cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Solothurn and Aargau in Switzerland, the districts of Lörrach, Bad Säckingen and Wehr in Germany, and the southern part of Alsace in France. Institutionalized cooperation has been established to resolve common issues, coordinate development and deepen relations between authorities in this economically and residentially attractive border region. The Trinationale Eurodistrict Basel (TEB), established in 2007, is a civil association registered under French law, which aims to improve the living conditions of people living and commuting in the border region. The organization strives to enhance the economic competitiveness of the region, taking into account housing and environmental needs, and to discuss and implement joint project ideas. The members of the association include local actors at various levels of self-government (e.g., municipalities and their associations, districts, cantons, regions).
The highest body of the Eurodistrict is the General Assembly, in which each member of the association is represented by one vote and which determines the main directions and program of cooperation and approves the annual report and budget. The General Assembly meets once a year, providing an opportunity for knowledge transfer and to learn about the details of ongoing projects.
The Executive Committee is responsible for managing the day-to-day affairs of the association and for its operation. Nine delegates may be appointed from each country (27 in total), who are appointed by the General Assembly. The members are required to meet at least four times a year, and each country has the right to veto decisions. In addition, the Executive Committee is responsible for electing the three members of the Presidency (the President and two Vice-Presidents). The members of the Presidency must come from different countries and their positions rotate every two years. Their task is to define the strategy for cooperation and to monitor compliance with the statutes.
The fourth organizational unit is the Coordinating Council, which has 20 Swiss, 15 French, and 15 German members and assists the TEB in its work with its comments. The decisions, motions, and findings of the Council are submitted to the Executive Committee. Meetings are held at least twice a year, and a total of six subcommittees are maintained. These subcommittees are divided into the following areas:
Economy, labor market, and tourism.
In addition, there are separate working groups that bring together experts on specific topics. Their work involves preparing decisions for the Executive Committee, planning new projects, and sharing knowledge and experience among members.
Among the working groups, the Technical Coordination Group is particularly noteworthy, with 24 members responsible for preparing the decisions of the Executive Committee. Overall, the following working groups exist:
The cooperation also operates a central office in Village-Neuf on the French side. The Office currently employs four people who are responsible for the administrative and financial tasks of the projects, the coordination of the professional groups, and the support of the work of the Steering Committee and the Presidency and the implementation of their decisions.
Separate from the ETB’s organizational structure, but developed from it, are the IBA and 3Land political committees. Both organizations represent a set of related projects. The IBA brings together projects from the international architecture exhibition in Basel, while 3Land supports initiatives for the development of underutilized areas along the Rhine
The project is financially supported by the European Union,
within the framework of the Interreg Hungary – Slovakia Programme.
For more information visit www.skhu.eu.
The project is financially supported by the European Union,
within the framework of the Interreg Hungary – Slovakia Programme.
For more information visit www.skhu.eu.