The Franco-Swiss Jura Arc: From Cut-Off To Seam

Abstract

This article is concerned with the problems connected with the development of the Franco-Swiss Jura Arc in its cross-border context. For this region, the border has always been an obstacle to development. Now owing to the further development of the EU, the impact of the border is likely to change, opening up rich prospects for opportunities although they will not be free from stumbling blocks.

The empirically oriented approach we have adopted consists of three parts. The first characterizes the Franco-Swiss Jura Arc and stresses the similarities on either side of the border. The result is common development issues. The second part explains the border's influence on this region's ability to develop, particularly in view of the changes undergone by the Swiss and French watchmaking industries since the 1960s. The third part presents the major issues of a cross-border Jura policy aimed at diminishing the impact of the border. The object is to eliminate the cut-off effect caused by the border, to re-create bonds of solidarity and to re-organize energies in order to stimulate a dynamic common to the whole of this Franco-Swiss region.