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Centenary of the customs treaty between Switzerland and Liechtenstein
The customs union treaty was signed on 29 March 1923 by Giuseppe Motta and the Liechtenstein negotiator Emil Beck. A hundred years later to the day, the Government of Liechtenstein holds a ceremony in Schaan. Beforehand, at Vaduz Castle, Alain Berset holds talks with Hereditary Prince Alois: the war in Ukraine, the two countries’ commitment in international forums, Switzerland’s relations with the EU.
At the ceremony, he and the Hereditary Prince speak, along with government councillors from Liechtenstein, St. Gallen and Graubünden. He begins with the anthems: “Hymnentechnisch könnten wir glatt fusionieren.” Then the substance: the treaty was concluded against economic and denominational prejudice, on both sides of the Rhine. Today, more than 56% of people employed in Liechtenstein are cross-border commuters, two thirds of them live in Switzerland, and some hundred agreements bind the two countries.
His conclusion: “Der Zollvertrag war schon bei seinem Entstehen eine Absage an eng verstandene und kleinliche Interessen.”
Speeches on this site
- 100 Jahre Zollvertrag Liechtenstein-Schweiz (in German, French-language page)
Sources