75 years of the Swiss Working Group for Mountain Regions

Alain Berset celebrates the 75th anniversary of the SAB, founded in 1943 and funded by donations. He jokes about his own invitation: as health minister, as minister of social insurance, as President of the Swiss Confederation, or simply as a “Landei” from Belfaux?

The substance is territorial cohesion. Does growth also benefit regions far from the centres? “Bruchlinien dürfen sich nicht zu Gräben ausweiten.” For him, fiscal equalisation and infrastructure across the whole country are investments, not costs. He sees digitalisation as an opportunity for living and working in the mountains, and names two concerns: the arrival of large foreign investors, and the balance between entertainment and tranquillity.

Speeches on this site

• 75 Jahre Schweizerische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für die Berggebiete (in German, French-language page)

Sources

• Federal Council, speech of 30.08.2018