Sonderband 2. International Council on Archives. Dritte Europäische Archivkonferenz, Wien 11. bis 15. Mai 1993. Tagungsprotokolle (1996)

2. Session /Séance. Regional (trans-border) Cooperation / Coopération régionale (transfrontaliere) - Brejon de Lavergnée, Marie-Edith: New economic Zones and their Archives / Nouvelles zones économiques et leurs archives (english 77 - français 100)

2. Session/Seance: Brejon de Lavergnée, New economic Zones and their Archives

Which law is to be chosen? The question has cropped up for example when considering the cooperative fabric of the Economic Development Zone, ever since the famous French law of 1901, carried to a successful conclusion by the Lorraine Centre for Children and Young People and the Research Seminar on Socio-Ecological Activities. They are responsible for exhaustively listing all the associations founded since the promulgation of the laws of 1901 in France, of 1908 in Moselle, of 1921 in Belgium and of 1928 in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, all within the area of influence of the EDZ in expectation of a single European act.

There is no lack of questions: will French law, i. e. the law of 1901 serve as a basis for discussion? or will it be the case as in Moselle that the property or funds of the association at the time of its dissolution be dispersed? will non profit making Belgian associations become more open? which legislation will beat the others? How to integrate the titles of associations?

The number of bodies whose terms of reference overlap each other or run parallel to each other is infinite, which makes for complicated situations. Thus in his annual report of November 21, 1984, the Chairman of the Upper Rhine Region, who was also chief executive officer of that département, complained that „the institutional conditions for the effective operation of trans-border cooperation have not yet always been achieved despite the impending changes regularly called for by public authorities“.

This request reflects the whole of the problems involving the three sectors of the upper Rhine Regio. They are indeed more historical in nature than in the spirit of the present times and seem to be all the more desirable that the joint national situations. If the French and the Germans are somewhat cautious in face of the economic power of the Swiss, it the French try to avoid the pitfalls which arise from the very considerable ascendancy enjoyed by German industrial and tertiary momentum, the Alsatians frequently use their peripheral position to profit by expressing their grievances against their government, whatever its political colour may be in general terms. They also feel disheartened, when they sit in international meetings and note that their fellow elected members from Germany and Switzerland speak in the names of their region. Thus, the working of the Regio suffers blows and repercussions as a result of these consultations. This creates more strain than does simple administrative confusion, which overloads the decision-making process, slows down developments and curbs initiative. On this matter, the three governments are unanimous. To prevent too hasty decisions, they ensure that they control the forces which are deployed within the confines of their states. As regards central governments, they themselves have various European commitments: some like the French and the Germans are involved in the European Economic Community, others like the Swiss are members of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe.

What has been said about the Upper Rhine Regio with regard to the complexity of texts and institutions, applies equally elsewhere Thus in the case of the EDZ, the

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