Trilateral meeting on cross-border co-operation in the Upper Rhine region

The government commission is the interface between the Upper Rhine Conference and the national governments. It deals with cross-border questions that cannot be resolved exclusively at the regional level. The Upper Rhine Region includes the cantons of north-west Switzerland, parts of the German länder Baden-Württemberg and Rheinland-Pfalz and the French region of Alsace. Switzerland has held the chairmanship of the commission since December 2010.

In the meeting the government commission dealt with transport issues, in particular the EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg and the Rhine Valley railway. The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss the implementation of the free movement of persons and of the accompanying measures and other cross-border topics such as energy provision and cultural cooperation. The talks were conducted in a very friendly atmosphere. A constructive trilateral exchange on a wide range of areas took place. Once again the excellent level of cooperation between the Confederation and the cantons in the field of cross-border co-operation was confirmed.

The three delegations were headed by members of the respective foreign ministries. Ambassador Florence Tinguely Mattli, head of the Europe, Central Asia, Council of Europe and OSCE division in the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), met her German and French counterparts Peter Schoof and Frédéric Basaguren. Representatives of the capital cities and of the region were also in the delegations. 

After the meeting, the delegations visited the EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg (EAP), a centrally important transport infrastructure for the entire Upper Rhine region and a key factor in the development of the business location. Switzerland is keen to secure the future of the “Upper Rhine Airport”, which is a successful model of tri-national cooperation. It wishes to see the EAP play a key role in the development of the region.

Further information:

Switzerland’s cross-border cooperation

Address for enquiries:

Information FDFA
Bundeshaus West
CH-3003 Bern
Tel.: +41 58 462 31 53
Fax: +41 58 464 90 47
E-Mail: info@eda.admin.ch

Publisher:

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs