Agreement on the Northwestern Switzerland Conference of Cantonal Governments

1. The governments of the cantons of Solothurn, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Aargau, and Jura form a permanent regional conference entitled the Northwestern Switzerland Government Conference. The cantons of Zurich and Bern are associate members of the Northwestern Switzerland Government Conference.

1. The Northwestern Switzerland Government Conference aims to

a) provide comprehensive mutual information and coordination among the Northwestern Swiss cantons in fulfilling agreed-upon governmental tasks;

b) effectively represent agreed-upon Northwestern Swiss interests to the federal government and other cantons;

c) jointly present agreed-upon Northwestern Swiss concerns and positions in the media;

d) strengthen cooperation in agreed-upon areas according to the principle of variable geometry;

e) consolidate efforts in the context of cross-border and European cooperation;

f) develop joint positions in preparation for matters of the Conference of Cantonal Governments;

g) coordinate inter-cantonal bodies such as regional directors' conferences and meetings of departmental heads, as well as working groups and other designated representatives;

h) promote collegiality among members of the Northwestern Swiss governments.

1. Collaborative projects according to § 2 letter d are considered projects of the Northwestern Switzerland Government Conference if at least three cantons express interest.

1. The governments meet once a year for a joint session (plenary conference). A delegation from the Cantons of Zurich and Bern participates in the plenary conference without voting rights.

2. The Plenary Conference

a) addresses matters of fundamental importance;

b) receives information on generally interesting topics that directly affect the cantons;

c) receives the following reports and decides on motions following their preliminary examination in the working committee: reports from the working committee of the Northwestern Swiss Government Conference, the member delegated to the Steering Committee of the Conference of Cantonal Governments, regional specialized directors' conferences, the Environmental Protection Commission of Northwestern Switzerland, established working groups, and commissioned experts;

d) initiates joint solutions for significant inter-cantonal and cross-border problems;

e) serves as a platform for personal, collegial discussions and for the open exchange of opinions and information among government members on current, future, and overarching political issues.

3. Urgent matters are dealt with within the framework of the working committee.

4. The working committee may convene an extraordinary plenary conference or seek a circular resolution from all five governments.

1. The Plenary Conference elects, in rotation among the cantons of Solothurn, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Aargau, and Jura, a government member as Chairman or Chairwoman. The deputy chairmanship is assumed by the subsequent chair canton.

2. ...

3. The term of office is generally two years.

4. The Chairperson, in agreement with the governments of the participating cantons, determines the focal points of the conference activities.

1. If the plenary conference adopts a resolution with the votes of four cantonal governments, it shall be considered a resolution of the Northwestern Switzerland Government Conference.

2. The right of the member cantons to make their own statements remains preserved.

1. The plenary conference establishes a working committee, which handles ongoing business, submits proposals to the involved cantonal governments, and prepares the plenary conference.

2. The working committee meets as needed, typically on a quarterly basis.

3. For the preparation of business, the working committee has at its disposal a permanent inter-cantonal working group consisting of representatives of the cantonal administrations, under the leadership of the secretary of the Northwestern Switzerland Government Conference, as well as the conference secretariat.

4. To address specific matters, the working committee may establish working groups or appoint delegates.

5. The working committee delegates one of its members to the Steering Committee of the Conference of Cantonal Governments for a maximum of four years.

1. The Working Committee has the following tasks

a) Handling of ongoing business and formulation of proposals for the plenary conference;

b) Identification and addressing of potential common fields of action and selected political priority dossiers;

c) Providing information on the status of the selected political priority dossiers and submitting proposals to the involved cantonal governments;

d) Designating joint consultations and establishing leadership;

e) Receiving agendas, outcome protocols, and reports from the regional specialist directors' conferences;

f) Establishing and maintaining a network of relations with federal parliamentarians, federal administration offices, and other large regions;

g) Nominating members of the Northwestern Switzerland Government Conference for the bodies of the Conference of Cantonal Governments;

h) Establishing further working groups and appointing commissioners;

i) Regulating financial compensations for ordinary and extraordinary expenditures in accordance with the Agreement on the Interparliamentary Conference of Northwestern Switzerland dated June 14, 2022.

1. The Secretariat of the Northwestern Switzerland Government Conference is managed by the State Chancellery of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft in the German language. French-speaking members of the Conference use the French language. Conference documentation is maintained bilingually in decision-relevant areas of the committee and plenary assembly and in external communication in general, and on a case-by-case basis in other conference matters.

1. The Agreement of January 21, 1972, on the mutual information and cooperation of the Northwestern Swiss Cantons and the Regulation of June 9, 1972, regarding the mutual information of the cantonal governments of Northwestern Switzerland (Information Regulation) are hereby repealed.

2. This Agreement shall enter into force on July 1, 2004.