On June 23, the annual general meeting of the M.O.T. was held in Saint-Louis, near Basel on the French side of the border. The M.O.T. is an organization tasked with studying cooperation initiatives along France’s borders with neighboring countries and submitting proposals to the various relevant ministries.
The discussion naturally touched on Franco-Swiss cooperation in the areas around Basel, the Jura Arc, and around Geneva, as Switzerland is home to the largest number of French cross-border workers (240,000), half of whom are concentrated around Geneva.
This is an opportunity to take stock by recalling what FEDRE itself has highlighted in its studies on the “frontier effect” between the two countries.
Cross-border work is not limited to those who commute across the border
Sometimes, there is a tendency to equate cross-border relations solely with the phenomenon of cross-border workers. It is true that this is often the most visible aspect, particularly in Geneva and Ticino. However, this is less the case in Basel, where relations are more harmonious because they have not developed primarily around this issue, but rather around a broader range of economic ties.
Why are Geneva-based companies reluctant to invest across the border, unlike their Basel counterparts, who are so eager to do so in Germany and neighboring France—where they create jobs, thereby limiting the rapid increase in the use of cross-border workers (120,000 in Geneva, 60,000 in Basel) and the problems that go along with it?
Companies in Basel clearly see the advantage of establishing a presence in the EU’s internal market, which is just a few kilometers from their headquarters; companies in Geneva or Ticino, it seems, are much less aware of this.
An examination of the cases in Geneva, Basel, and Ticino shows that the less cross-border cooperation relies on jobs created almost exclusively in Switzerland with a workforce drawn from the neighboring country, the less likely that cooperation is to be unbalanced and a source of tension.
On this point, as we have said before, the Basel model should serve as an inspiration for us. What is possible there should be possible here as well.
The Need to Balance Functional and Human Considerations
Cross-border regions are not political regions, but rather functional regions whose primary objective is to reduce the perceived negative aspects of the border in a specific number of areas. They are therefore essentially pragmatic constructs in which progress is made step by step—often slowly—while taking care, whenever possible, not to shift problems elsewhere or create new ones.
This may explain why cross-border regions—and the “Greater Geneva” metropolitan area is no exception—seem to lack character. As a result, they are often criticized for their lack of appeal, their detachment from citizens, and their impersonal and overly technocratic nature. How can we make them come alive in the hearts of residents? It’s a real challenge, and it would take a clever person indeed to have a ready-made answer.
To address this, we must proceed step by step, while keeping the human element at the forefront (the M.O.T. refers to the “living environment”). This brings to the forefront aspects that have long been neglected in cross-border cooperation but are now beginning to take on greater importance: health, quality of life, environmental protection, culture, social issues…
Healthcare? Thanks to the wage gap, Geneva is drawing in healthcare workers from neighboring France, disrupting the sector and creating a dependency that could prove fatal if the border were ever to close again (as it did during the COVID pandemic). It’s a complex issue, where progress is slow and painstaking—far from any quick fixes—but we’d like to see things move a little faster. Social issues? Wealth breeds poverty, as employees paid in euros (i.e., non-cross-border workers) cannot keep up with rising prices in the border region. In Geneva itself, are people really living so well when the percentage of people receiving food aid is comparable to that of neighboring France? The same is true for the number of unemployed people when the same statistical criteria are applied.
Quality of life? What does that mean when wealth coexists with poverty, when prices are high—as is unemployment—and finding housing is a headache, when public transportation is overcrowded and the roads are plagued by traffic jams during rush hour? Environmental protection? It’s a challenge in an expanding metropolitan area, where roads and buildings are gradually replacing green spaces—not to mention the fact that issues that were once uncontroversial, such as water, are becoming more contentious.
What about culture?
All of these issues, for which there are no immediate solutions, are sources of additional tension and even often fruitless disputes.
Let’s focus on areas where progress is possible: culture, in particular, which is closely linked to both tourism and recreational sports. Unlike competitive sports organized through national federations, recreational sports—which are booming—allow people to cross borders on skis, by bike, or on foot, and to enjoy the open spaces. This is how people discover a region. Similarly, tourism—which thrives on heritage, museums, festivals, and more—is organized around the lake by the “Léman sans frontière” network, which offers its member institutions a “Pro Tourism Pass” covering some thirty sites.
In contrast, there is nothing of the sort in the cultural sphere: while “Pass Culture” programs—under various names—abound on both sides of the border, none currently targets a cross-border area, except in the limited sector of contemporary dance (Passedanse). Thus, there is no “Pass Culture” for the Lake Geneva region, or even for Greater Geneva. It is time to take action in this area, and FEDRE is committed to doing so.
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Founded in Geneva in 1996 in association with the Council of Europe, FEDRE has always focused on cross-border regions. In 2023, it formed a partnership with Crédit Agricole next bank to study the “border effect” in the regions surrounding Switzerland. Here are the issues published: 1. Food aid; 2. Challenges in the healthcare sector; 3. Water; 4. Culture; 5. Unemployment benefits for cross-border workers; 6. The idea of a cross-border resident card; 7. Sustainable mobility in cross-border metropolitan areas; 8. European aspects of cross-border cooperation; 9. Diversity of Tax Systems for Cross-Border Workers; 10. Switzerland’s Unique Approach to Counting the Unemployed; 11. Sustainable Transportation Planning in Cross-Border Metropolitan Areas; 12. The Contribution of Culture to a Shared Identity; 13. The Growing Importance of Cross-Border Phenomena; 14. The role of sports in cross-border relations; 15. Democracy in cross-border regions; 16. Cross-border forest resources; 17. Cross-border workers’ associations; 18. The future of mobility in cross-border areas; 19. “Greater Geneva”; 20. Agriculture in the Franco-Genevan region; 21. Challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution; 22. Comparing the experiences of Basel and Geneva; 23. Cross-border tourism developments around Lake Geneva; 24. A democratic pact at the cross-border level; 25. Putting people at the heart of “Greater Geneva”; 26. The “Greater Geneva” Metropolitan Forum ; The multi-layered electoral structure of “Greater Geneva.”