To hear certain members of the AIJ, it is in a way also the method, the climate of openness, dialogue and respect for others which prevailed within the assembly that we wish to share by the population, with the aim of carrying out in-depth reflection that could lead to a total questioning of the current institutional landscape.
The great ambition: a new canton
The AIJ essentially proposes two options, the most ambitious of which is that of a canton with six municipalities for all of the six current districts of Jura and Bernese Jura, with Moutier as its capital. The headquarters of the judicial institutions would be placed in Porrentruy, the canton would have a Parliament of 50 members without substitutes. This canton would have a single electoral circle and would make it possible to develop the attractiveness of the region, with new perspectives in the Jura Arc.
This proposal was approved by 10 votes with two abstentions within the Bernese Jura delegation, by 11 votes and one abstention on the part of the Jura delegates, explained Serge Sierro. It would bring a financial benefit of 66 to 94 million francs to the overall canton-municipal budget.
The other track retained is called Status quo +. The proposals are essentially of an “organizational” nature, according to Serge Sierro’s expression. The Status Quo + thus recommends mergers of municipalities. The wish is for ten municipalities for each region initially, and six municipalities in total for the Bernese Jura and the Jura within twenty years. The analysis notes in particular that the canton of Berne provides services worth 69.3 million francs per year to the Bernese Jura, which receives more than it returns to Berne’s finances.
The interim report relating to this special status of the Bernese Jura was unanimously approved by the two delegations. “This report clearly demonstrates, if necessary, that this aspect of the mandate has indeed been studied,” commented Serge Sierro, while the minority believes the opposite.
A “political and emotional” nature
What then is the political solution to the Jura Question? “It would be conceited to produce an unequivocal conclusion,” declares Serge Sierro, emphasizing the “political and emotional” nature of the case and its “complexity.” In its conclusions, the AIJ underlines that the solution to the Jura conflict lies in the capacity of the two regions to respect their specificities, to continue the inter-Jura dialogue and to lead an open and calm democratic debate on the future of the inter-Jura community, notes Serge Sierra.
Hence the AlJ’s proposals aimed at organizing “interactive” information sessions and submitting a report on the progress of this information phase. The governments should then decide, under the aegis of the Confederation, how to follow up on the AIJ’s proposals. It is up to them in particular to assess “in due time the opportunity and modalities of a possible popular consultation”.
We must continue the dialogue
Continuing the dialogue is necessary so as not to endanger this “delicate” process, believes the AIJ. “Any unilateral approach could be fatal to the inter-Jura dialogue.” In this “spirit of listening, respect and consensus”, the AIJ proposes a Charter of inter-Jura dialogue. “The AIJ thus intends to show that this region must change the tone of the debate and imperatively move away from historical political antagonisms,” noted Serge Sierro.
The AIJ president referred to the minority group’s report that the assembly “agreed to hear and produce.” This group “recalls the results of the plebiscites of the 1970s and is opposed to any popular consultation imposed on the Bernese Jura which would not respect its own will. It considers that the AIJ has not fulfilled its mission concerning the effects of the status He is convinced that the future of the Bernese Jura lies within the canton of Berne. He wants the file to be transferred urgently to the Bernese Jura Council.
And the Jura Arc? A stated perspective
In his considerations, Serge Sierro noted in particular that the AIJ had not clearly studied the idea of a canton of the Jura Arc including the two Juras and Neuchâtel. It was not his mandate but this perspective was stated.
Both co-president of the AIJ and member of the minority, Claude Röthlisberger did not want to comment on the content of the final report or that of the minority. However, he believes that “the Bernese delegation to the Inter-Jura Assembly worked seriously and honestly on this institutional study”. And despite the “deep differences”, the sessions were “imbued with mutual respect” and always concluded with a “drink of friendship”.
For his part, Hubert Ackermann, co-president for the Jura side, underlined “that no outline of rapprochement would have been possible without listening and dialogue”. But the desire to build a common future “still comes up against stubborn prejudices. The community of interests is no longer contested but the same is not true for the community of destiny”, he said. Are the six communes utopian? “Mergers of municipalities are underway. This proposal could well emerge naturally, independently of the AIJ process,” notes Hubert Ackermann. He further notes that the proposed avenues do not go against other “extra-Jura” perspectives. Finally, change “must be part of a democratic process. The Jura residents will build a new common home together.”
