Agreement on the Government Conference of Northwestern Switzerland

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 Swiss Government Conference aims to

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

b) effectively represent agreed northwestern Swiss interests to the Confederation and other cantons;

c) jointly present agreed northwestern Swiss concerns and positions in the media;

d) enhance cooperation in agreed areas based on the principle of variable geometry;

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

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

g) coordinate inter-cantonal bodies such as regional conferences of directors and heads of specialist departments, as well as working groups and other delegates;

h) promote collegiality among the 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). Representatives from the cantons of Zurich and Bern participate 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 after preliminary discussion in the working committee: reports from the working committee of the Northwestern Switzerland Government Conference, the member delegated to the Leading Committee of the Conference of Cantonal Governments, the regional specialist directors' conferences, the Environmental Protection Commission of Northwestern Switzerland, established working groups, and appointed experts;

d) initiates joint solutions for important inter-cantonal and cross-border issues;

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

3. The handling of urgent matters is carried out 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 the chairperson. The deputy chairperson role is assumed by the subsequent chair canton.

2. ...

3. The term of office is generally two years.

4. The chairperson sets the focus of the conference activities in agreement with the governments of the participating cantons.

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 responsibilities:**

a) Handling current affairs and formulating proposals for the consideration of the Plenary Conference;

b) Identifying and addressing potential areas of joint action and selected key political dossiers;

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

d) Designating joint consultations and determining the lead management;

e) Receiving agendas, result protocols, and reports from the regional conferences of specialist directors;

f) Establishing and maintaining a network of relationships with members of the federal parliament, federal administration offices, and other major regions;

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

h) Establishing additional working groups and appointing delegates;

i) Regulating financial compensations for ordinary and extraordinary expenses in accordance with the Agreement on the Interparliamentary Conference of Northwestern Switzerland of June 14, 2022[1].

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.