The Trinational Eurodistrict Basel

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The local authorities of the agglomeration first organised their cooperation in 1995 under the name Trinationale Agglomeration Basel (TAB), a project body that prepared studies on transport, urban development and the landscape along the Rhine. In 2007 the participants transformed the structure into an association under French law, the Trinationaler Eurodistrict Basel (TEB), with its seat in Village-Neuf.¹ Its members are the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft, communes and associations of communes from Aargau and Solothurn, the district of Lörrach and the German towns of the area, together with the French communauté d'agglomération Saint-Louis Agglomération. A council with representatives from the three countries steers the association, while a small secretariat coordinates projects.

The TEB has no legislative power. It works through planning, the coordination of projects and the management of European funds, especially from the Interreg programme of the European Union, in which Switzerland participates under its New Regional Policy.² Its significance lies in the habits of cooperation it has created. Planners in Basel, Lörrach and Saint-Louis now meet regularly, exchange data and prepare joint concepts for development areas near the borders, such as the Rhine banks at the point where the three countries meet. When a new tram line crosses the border, years of preparatory work in such bodies usually precede the formal treaty or agreement that makes it possible.

Notes

On the Trinationale Agglomeration Basel (1995) and the foundation of the Trinationaler Eurodistrict Basel as an association under French law in 2007, see the statutes and annual reports of the TEB. Date and seat to be verified. ↩
On the Interreg Upper Rhine programme (Interreg Oberrhein / Rhin Supérieur) and Swiss participation under the Federal Act of 6 October 2006 on Regional Policy (SR 901.0), see the programme documents and the publications of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). To be verified. ↩

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of August 2025.

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The Trinational Eurodistrict Basel

Notes

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