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 along Switzerland’s periphery. Following Issue 1, which addressed food aid; Issue 2 , the challenges facing the healthcare sector; Issue 3, water; Issue 4 , focused on culture; Issue 5, on unemployment benefits for cross-border workers; Issue 6 focused on the idea of a cross-border resident card, the next on sustainable mobility in cross-border urban areas, Issue 8 dedicated to the European aspects of cross-border cooperation, Issue 9 to the diversity of tax systems for cross-border workers, Issue 10 to Switzerland’s specific approach to counting the unemployed, No. 11 on sustainable transport planning in border agglomerations, No. 12 on the contribution of culture to a shared identity, No. 13 on the growing importance of border phenomena, on the 14th, the role of sports in cross-border relations; on the 15th, democracy in cross-border regions; on the 16th, cross-border forest resources; on the 17th, associations of cross-border workers; on the 18th, the future of mobility in cross-border areas; on the 19th, “Greater Geneva”; the 20th on agriculture in the Franco-Geneva region, the 21st on the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the 22nd comparing the experiences of Basel and Geneva, the 23rd devoted to cross-border tourism developments around Lake Geneva, and here is the 24th addressing the democratic pact at the cross-border level.
Noting a general erosion of democracy and of trust in the values upon which it is founded, the Council of Europe, at the initiative of its Secretary General Alain Berset, intends to promote a New Democratic Pact for Europe. A series of dialogue events has been scheduled, and an online platform has been created to facilitate broad consultations aimed at strengthening ties with citizens.
Very well. But what about the cross-border dimension? How might we contribute to this, and what gaps need to be addressed to do so? This line of thinking is essential if we acknowledge that the success of the project cannot be dictated by institutions but must be built day by day where the border is experienced and endured by local communities, along with all the obstacles and imbalances it may create.
Are citizens the ones missing from cross-border cooperation?
Like the European Union—and for largely the same reasons—cross-border cooperation has largely developed without involving citizens, focusing instead on relations between government officials and executives, between administrations and representatives of specific socio-economic interest groups, joined by various specialists and experts.
It was not until 1979—nearly a quarter of a century after the creation of the Common Market—that the EU (27 countries) established a Parliament elected directly every five years. However, each Member of the European Parliament represents an average of 600,000 citizens, which is a huge number. For its part, the Council of Europe (46 member states), of which Switzerland has been a member since 1963, has no body directly elected by the citizens. It should be noted, however, that it has a Conference specifically bringing together approximately 300 NGOs with “participatory status.”
For their part, cross-border regional bodies—whether the Franco-Geneva Regional Committee, the Lake Geneva Council, the Trilateral Eurodistrict of Basel (despite the existence of an assembly of its 83 member local authorities that meets only once a year), the Arc jurassien, or the Insubrica Working Community (Ticino), give prominence to executive bodies and have few bodies that meaningfully involve citizens in their activities.
The only exception—albeit a relatively minor one—is the so-called “Greater Geneva” metropolitan area, which has a forum comprising 82 civil society organizations, but holds only advisory power. Nevertheless, through its ability to take up any issue it deems relevant (“self-referral”), it is possible, with patience, to help shift the mandate of Greater Geneva (initially focused on urban planning, mobility, and the ecological transition) toward equally crucial topics such as health or housing, for example. But this takes time… A further step, long discussed by some, would be to create a cross-border parliament… But is this really realistic?
Is it possible (and desirable) to take this a step further?
In reality, to make further progress toward institutionalization, a number of conditions would need to be met. How, indeed, can such a step be taken in practice when many Genevans openly complain about the traffic congestion caused by cross-border traffic, or when some mistakenly believe that the 400 million paid this year to the neighboring region is a pure gift to France, when in fact it comes from one-third of the taxes paid by cross-border workers in Geneva, with the bulk (the remaining two-thirds) going to the Canton, its 45 municipalities, and the Confederation?
Or when neighboring France loses a large portion of its healthcare workers—who were, after all, trained in France at the country’s expense—or when the French municipalities bordering Geneva are among the most unequal in France, making life very difficult for workers paid in euros, retirees, and even civil servants, some of whom are forced to sleep in their cars because they cannot find housing?
These realities do not build a society, but rather foster resentment, jealousy, and even conflict.
Toward a cross-border resident card?
All of this might be more easily overcome if there were a sense of shared identity on both sides of the border, as exists in the Rhine region. But it must be acknowledged that this is not the case. It would therefore be advisable to proceed in stages, gradually creating the conditions for the foundations of cooperation to become sustainable, whereas it is quite clear today that they are not.
At a major cross-border meeting held at the European Parliament (EU) in Strasbourg on December 3, organized at the initiative of Alsace, FEDRE President Claude Haegi emphasized his commitment to raising awareness of the New Democratic Pact launched by the Council of Europe and to contributing to the activities planned under this framework. As we have seen, much remains to be done to better establish a form of participatory democracy at the level of cross-border regional cooperation. To achieve this, a gradual approach, consisting of successive steps, appears essential.
As a first step, FEDRE would like to reiterate one of its proposals: to explore the creation of a “resident card” for a specific cross-border region—such as Greater Geneva—that would grant its residents preferential access to a range of local services, starting notably with a universal Culture Pass.
The goal is ambitious, but with careful planning, it is certainly achievable. Moreover, it would have the broader impact of fostering a shared sense of belonging—an essential step toward greater achievements made possible by a shared identity—in the Lake Geneva region’s tourism sector, benefiting all service providers and organizations, as well as our region’s economy as a whole.