Biel’s Francophone affairs council marks 20 years

Seven bilingual panels bring the council’s work into public view. Biel/Bienne’s Council for Francophone Affairs is marking its 20th anniversary with an exhibition at the city library, open until November 26. The display introduces a political body created by the Canton of Bern to represent French-speaking residents in the Biel/Bienne district and promote bilingualism. The council is the only political body of its kind in multilingual Switzerland. Its president, Renaud Lieberherr, said the exhibition is intended to raise the profile of the council’s activities. The anniversary places the council’s role in the city’s public conversation: it acts as a partner for French-speaking residents in dealings with the canton and works across several areas of daily life. The exhibition’s seven themed panels offer visitors a concise account of that role.

The council brings together representatives from across the bilingual district. Its 18 members include representatives from Biel and Evilard, as well as representatives from the district’s 17 German-speaking municipalities. The body gives French-speaking residents a political voice across a region where German and French meet in public life. The Canton of Bern established the council to represent the interests of the French-speaking population, and it appoints representatives from the bilingual region to councils, commissions and committees at cantonal, regional and local levels. That reach gives the body a role beyond its anniversary display: it connects local concerns with decision-making forums throughout the region. By presenting the council’s work in both languages, the city library exhibition also reflects the bilingual setting in which its members operate and the community they represent.

Language policy will be a priority in the council’s next four-year legislative term. Lieberherr said the body plans to put forward proposals for Bern’s law on languages and bilingualism. The law is among the issues affecting the council as it continues its work representing French-speaking residents. Lieberherr has also raised concerns about changes in Biel’s media landscape and opposed the late introduction of French-language teaching. Those issues place language access at the centre of debates about how French speakers participate in the region’s public life. The council’s anniversary exhibition gives residents a chance to learn about the body as it prepares to engage with these questions. Its role as a partner in dealings with the Canton of Bern gives the council a channel to bring regional concerns into cantonal discussions.

The council’s work reaches into culture, education and healthcare. It advises on cantonal cultural grants and works to ensure apprenticeship places are available for French speakers. In healthcare, Lieberherr says the council is committed to helping French-speaking residents access services in their own language. These responsibilities link bilingualism to practical questions of public services, training and cultural participation. The council also appoints representatives to committees and other bodies at local, regional and cantonal levels, where issues affecting the bilingual region are discussed. As the council marks 20 years, its next legislative term will include proposals on Bern’s language and bilingualism law. The anniversary display at the city library runs until November 26, giving residents an opportunity to see how the council represents the French-speaking community across these areas of civic life.