The Trinational Eurodistrict Basel (TEB) is a cross-border cooperation platform for the trinational agglomeration of Basel, encompassing 81 local authorities from France, Germany, and Switzerland. Established to foster, initiate, and support cross-border projects, TEB focuses on regional planning, mobility, civil society, and tourism. It plays a crucial role in coordinating efforts and helping project partners overcome linguistic, intercultural, and administrative obstacles.
For over a decade, TEB has been coordinating the 3Land project to develop a cross-border district linking France, Switzerland, and Germany. A major highlight of this project is the planned construction of a bridge over the Rhine River. Aimed at enhancing mobility between Huningue (France) and Basel (Switzerland), this cross-border bridge will be open for pedestrians, cyclists and tramways.
But the project is currently on hold due to several obstacles. Each country has its own construction rules such as different permits and planning approvals, as well as safety and maintenance regulations. Therefore, an international treaty is needed to manage the bridge’s construction and operation. However, differences in the rules between France and Switzerland on who can make such treaties, and uncertainties about the legal framework, complicate the planning.
To tackle these challenges, TEB sought assistance from b-solutions, which assigned expert Michael Frey to the case. “For a project like 3Land, sourcing experts with trinational expertise and language skills can be challenging. The connections facilitated by b-solutions will be very valuable to us in the future” explains Judith Lenhart, Project manager of the 3Land project.
Michael Frey prepared a legal roadmap outlining the process needed to draft an international treaty for the bridge’s construction between France and Switzerland. The roadmap includes steps like preparing a letter of intent between the municipality of Basel and the agglomeration of Saint-Louis in France, conducting a joint cost-benefit analysis, concluding a bilateral treaty based on existing ones, and setting up a joint commission for coordination.
This roadmap is useful to approach the next steps with more clarity. “While the path to the 3Land bridge is still long, our project partners continue to work diligently. The case study results have broken down the challenge of the state treaty into smaller, concrete stages, enabling us to organise the subsequent procedural steps in terms of time and content, thereby facilitating coordination”, Judith adds.
That’s why Judith and her team are pleased with Frey’s approach. “Our expert has succeeded in developing a case study with concrete and feasible solutions that are supported by all project partners. He was also able to make his considerations and proposals comprehensible to non-lawyers. His mediation and organisation of the various submissions of the project partners in the joint meetings is particularly noteworthy”, she notes.
Currently, the project is in a new phase of b-solutions, focusing on advancing the identified solutions. “For us, this means preparing a letter of intent, though we have many questions about the conditions and procedure. Our expert, Mr. Frey, will continue to provide guidance throughout this phase. In addition to offering legal counsel, he serves as a neutral moderator with a wealth of background knowledge. This matter is also being addressed by our technical working group, whose members will be responsible for implementing the developed solution in the future,” Judith explains.
The journey towards the 3Land bridge continues, with dedicated efforts from everyone involved to turn this ambitious vision into reality.
Comments