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

**1. The Conference of Northwestern Swiss Governments aims to:**

a. Ensure comprehensive mutual information and coordination among the Northwestern Swiss cantons in the fulfillment of agreed state responsibilities;

b. Provide effective representation of agreed Northwestern Swiss interests to the federal government and other cantons;

c. Present agreed Northwestern Swiss concerns and positions jointly in the media;

d. Enhance collaboration in agreed areas based on the principle of variable geometry;

e. Consolidate representation within the framework of cross-border and European cooperation;

f. Develop joint positions in the preparation of matters for the Conference of Cantonal Governments;

g. Coordinate inter-cantonal bodies, such as regional directors and heads of specialist departments conferences, as well as working groups and further appointees;

h. Promote collegiality among the members of the Northwestern Swiss governments.

1. Collaborative projects pursuant to Article 2 letter d shall be considered projects of the Northwestern Switzerland Government Conference if at least three cantons show 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) is informed about topics of general interest which directly affect the cantons;

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

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

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

3. The handling of urgent questions takes place within the framework of the Working Committee.

4. The Working Committee can convene an extraordinary Plenary Conference or seek a circular decision from all five governments.

1. The plenary conference elects a government member as chairperson from among the cantons of Solothurn, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Aargau, and Jura in rotation. The vice-chair is held by the subsequent chair canton.

2. ...

3. The term of office is generally two years.

4. The chairperson, in agreement with the involved cantonal governments, establishes the focal points of the conference activities.

1. If the plenary conference adopts a resolution with the votes of four cantonal governments, this shall be considered a resolution of the Northwestern Swiss 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 is supported by a permanent intercantonal working group comprised of representatives from 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 set up working groups or appoint delegates.

5. The Working Committee delegates one of its members for a maximum of four years to the Executive Committee of the Conference of Cantonal Governments.

1. The Working Committee has the following duties

a. Handling ongoing business and formulating proposals for the Plenary Conference;

b. Identifying and discussing potential joint fields of action and selected major political dossiers;

c. Providing information on the status of selected major political dossiers and submitting requests to the involved cantonal governments;

d. Designating joint consultations and establishing leadership;

e. Receiving agendas, result protocols, and reports from regional specialist directors' conferences;

f. Establishing and maintaining a network with federal parliamentarians, 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 representatives;

i. Regulating financial compensations for regular and extraordinary expenses in accordance with the Agreement on the Interparliamentary Conference of Northwestern Switzerland dated June 22, 2022[[1]](#enumeration_itemtext_content_fn_3341780_2_1_c).

1. The Secretariat of the Northwestern Switzerland Conference of Governments is conducted by the State Chancellery of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft in the German language. French-speaking members of the Conference may use the French language. The conference documentation shall, in decision-relevant areas of the committee and plenary session and in external representation, generally be bilingual, and in other conference matters, it shall be bilingual as needed.

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, on the mutual information of the cantonal governments of Northwestern Switzerland (Information Regulation) are repealed.

2. This Agreement enters into force on July 1, 2004.