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 Switzerland cantons in fulfilling agreed governmental tasks;

b) effectively represent the agreed interests of Northwestern Switzerland regarding the federal government and other cantons;

c) jointly present agreed concerns and positions of Northwestern Switzerland in the media;

d) enhance collaboration in agreed areas of expertise according to the principle of variable geometry;

e)* consolidate the presence within 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 department heads' conferences, as well as working groups and other appointees;

h) promote collegiality among the members of Northwestern Switzerland's 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 of 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 that directly affect the cantons;

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

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

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

3. The handling of urgent issues takes place within 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 Executive Committee has the following duties

a) Managing ongoing business and formulating proposals for the Plenary Conference;

b) Identifying and addressing potential joint fields of action and selected key political issues;

c) Providing information on the current status of selected key political issues and making proposals to the involved Cantonal governments;

d) Identifying joint consultations and determining leadership;

e) Receiving agendas, minutes, and reports from regional conferences of professional directors;

f) Establishing and maintaining a network of relationships with members of the federal parliament, administrative bodies of the federal government, 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) Arranging financial compensation for regular and extraordinary expenditures in accordance with the Agreement on the Interparliamentary Conference of Northwestern Switzerland dated December 7, 1978.

1. The Secretariat of the Northwest Swiss 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. The conference documentation is generally maintained bilingually in decision-relevant areas by the committee and plenary assembly, as well as in external communications, and in other conference matters on a case-by-case basis 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, 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.