Grand Genève

() is a ( or ), a public entity under Swiss law, in charge of organizing cooperation within the cross-border metropolitan area of Geneva (in particular metropolitan transports). The Grand Genève GLCT extends over Switzerland (entire Canton of Geneva and the canton of Vaud's entire Nyon District) and France (, literally "Metropolitan hub of the French Genevan territory", a federation of eight French intercommunal councils in the departments of Ain and Haute-Savoie).

The Grand Genève GLCT covers a land area of (27.7% Swiss territory, 72.3% French territory) and had a population of 1,046,168 in Jan. 2021 (Swiss estimates and French census), 58.3% of them living on Swiss territory, and 41.7% on French territory.

History

The city centre of Geneva is located only from the border of France. As a result, the urban area and the metropolitan area largely extend across the border on French territory. Due to the small size of the municipality of Geneva () and extension of the urban area over an international border, official bodies of transnational cooperation were developed as early as the 1970s to manage the cross-border Greater Geneva area at a metropolitan level.

In 1973, a Franco-Swiss agreement created the ('Franco-Genevan Regional Committee', in French). In 1997 an 'Urban planning charter' of the CRFG defined for the first time a planning territory called ('Franco- Vaud-Genevan urban area'). 2001 saw the creation of a ('Strategic Committee for the Development of Regional Public Transports', in French), a committee which adopted in 2003 a 'Charter for Public Transports', first step in the development of a metropolitan, cross-border commuter rail network (see Léman Express).

In 2004, a public transnational body called ('Franco-Vaud-Genevan urban area project') was created to serve as the main body of metropolitan cooperation for the planning territory defined in 1997, with more local French councils taking part in this new public body than in the CRFG created in 1973. Finally in 2012 the was renamed ('Greater Geneva'), and the following year it was transformed into a Local Grouping of Transnational Cooperation (), a public entity under Swiss law, which now serves as the executive body of the .

Organisation

Membership

The Grand Genève GLCT comprises 8 members and 2 associate members.

8 members:
* Canton of Geneva
* City of Geneva
* Canton of Vaud
* Region of Nyon (a federation of all the communes in the Nyon District to coordinate regional planning; note: the Nyon District is only a deconcentrated subdivision of the Canton of Vaud, and as such is not a legal person and is not member of Grand Genève, whereas the coterminous Region of Nyon is a legal person member of the Grand Genève GLCT)
* ' (literally "Metropolitan hub of the French Genevan territory"), a (federation) of six French intercommunal councils in the department of Haute-Savoie and two French intercommunal councils in the department of Ain
* Departmental council of Haute-Savoie
* Departmental council of Ain
* Regional council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

2 associate members:
* French State
* Swiss Confederation

Territory

The territory over which the Grand Genève GLCT exercises cross-border cooperation and metropolitan planning, formerly known as ('Franco-Vaud-Genevan urban area'), and now simply (although the former name is still used as a subtitle), is made up of the following areas:
* in Switzerland (553.2 km²)
** entire Canton of Geneva (245.8 km²)
** Canton of Vaud's entire Nyon District (307.4 km²)
* in France (1443.2 km²):
** (literally 'Metropolitan hub of the French Genevan territory'), made up of:
*** six intercommunal councils in Haute-Savoie (812.5 km²):
**** CA Thonon Agglomération (238.9 km²)
**** CA Annemasse - Les Voirons Agglomération (78.2 km²)
**** CC (99.3 km²)
**** CC (93.9 km²)
**** CC (150.7 km²)
**** CC (151.5 km²)
*** two intercommunal councils in Ain (630.7 km²):
**** CA du Pays de Gex (404.9 km²)
**** CC (formerly ') (225.8 km²)

Abbreviations:
* CA: ('agglomeration community')
* CC: ('community of communes')

Governance

The Grand Genève GLCT is governed by an assembly () made up of 24 members (12 Swiss members and 12 French members), appointed by the local Swiss and French councils making up the , and an executive board () made up of 8 members chosen among the 24 assembly members. The 8 members of the executive board each represent one of the 8 public entities which form the (4 Swiss entities: Canton of Geneva, City of Geneva, Canton of Vaud, Region of Nyon; 4 French entities: , departmental councils of Haute-Savoie and Ain, regional council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes).

One member of the executive board, since 2018 Antonio Hodgers, representative of the Canton of Geneva, is the president of the board and of the , while the 7 other board members are all vice-president of the board and .

The assembly of the GLCT meets three times a year, and is co-chaired by the Canton of Geneva, the Canton of Vaud and the . The executive board meets three to four times a year, and is in charge of overseeing the various initiatives of the GLCT and of preparing the assembly meetings.

Transportation

The territory of Grand Genève is served by various forms of public transport, including the network within the Canton of Geneva, the Léman Express commuter rail system, and the boat network.

The Léman Express, a cross-border metropolitan rail network which links the suburbs of Geneva in France and in the canton of Vaud via tunnels under the city of Geneva (see CEVA rail), entered service in 2019 after more than 7 years of work and is a symbol of transnational urban cooperation in the territory.

References

External links

*

Politique d'agglomération, site fédéral ARE (Switzerland)

Annemasse Agglomeration: the Greater Geneva

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Geneve
Geography of Geneva
Metropolitan areas of Switzerland
Transborder agglomerations
Metropolitan areas of France
Geography of Ain
Geography of Haute-Savoie
Geneva