Federalism and Trans-boundary Regions

For Europe, the 19th and early 20th centuries were a period of defining national identities. Nationalism was particularly virulent in the Balkans, called Europe's gunpowder barrel, leading on June 28, 1914, to the assassination of the heir to the Austrian throne in Sarajevo. This spark not only ignited the Balkans but also led to Europe's Urkatastrophe (seminal catastrophe).

Europe eventually learned the lesson after the Second World War. Alcide De Gasperi, Konrad Adenauer, and Robert Schuman were the architects of a European Community based on a common cultural and economic heritage. A good symbol is the Karlspreis, a medal named after Europe's founder, Charlemagne, and awarded in Aachen to individuals for their efforts in support of European unification. Over the years, the European Union has incorporated more and more countries, which are represented in the European Parliament. Today, the old borders still exist, but border checks are performed only at the so-called external frontiers with the European Union.

As European unification progresses, people nevertheless want to retain their identities. They love their village, their town, their region, and their local dialect. Take the case of Bavaria, a mature historical region* that is a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. Hamburg has a rich history and is proud to be a state in Germany too. Baden-Württemberg, by contrast, initially had some difficulty finding its identity.
*This is true if one only considers the time after the Westphalian Peace Treaty that resettled the territorial map of Europe. Catholic Old Bavaria acquired the two Protestant Palatinates, the upper part of which is also called Franconia. A movement would like to create a new federal state of the same name.

Germany is lucky to have a naturally evolved federal structure reflected in its state boundaries. Other European countries have historical regions, too, such as Scotland and Wales in the UK, Alsace and Brittany in France, Catalonia and the Basque region in Spain, but these countries have strong centralized governments. 

In the European Union, there is a tendency to build regions that sometimes cross old national borders, as in the case of the Basque people.

Following the Hundred Years' War, the French kings deprived the local dukes of their power and centralized governmental activities in Paris. The city remains the hub of all activity in France. The other day, Red Baron probed the train connection from Karlsruhe to Lille in case he had missed the bus at Karlsruhe station. The classical solution offered by the Deutsche Bahn Navigator was to take the Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV Est) from Karlsruhe to Paris and then the TGV Nord from Paris to Lille. When I forced the application to show the more direct connection, Karlsruhe - Luxembourg - Lille, I only saved money, not travel time.

France had begun decentralizing its administration as early as 1955, creating 22 regions on the mainland, but regional parliaments were not formed until 1982, with limited competence.

The "classical" 22 regions in France (©Plavius, Wikipedia)

However, it turned out that even with these 22 regions, administrative expenses were still too high. Recently, the National Assembly passed a law reducing the number of regions from 22 to 14. The fact that the culturally homogeneous Alsace was put together with Lorraine already met with strong resistance among the Alsatians. Still, in the latest proposal, the new region should incorporate Champagne as well. Will the beer and wine-drinking Alsace welcome Champagne?

In the meantime, the European Union patronizes transboundary cooperation based on historical structures. A typical example is the Trinational Metropolitan Region on the Upper Rhine.

The people on both sides of the river have never regarded the Rhine as a boundary but a waterway used conjointly. For centuries, speaking the same Alemannic dialect, they had been related by a common economic and cultural heritage until, starting in the 17th century, governments thought otherwise.

Matthaeus Merian's map of the upper Rhine region, dated 1658

Map of the Trinational Metropolitan Region on the Upper Rhine
turned by ninety degrees for easy comparison with the historical map above.

May the French eventually create their regional structure. At present, European ambitions are faster.

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