In the evening, in Bulle, Alain Berset speaks at an economiesuisse conference in the campaign against the initiative “Swiss law instead of foreign judges”. He opens with the stock market bestiary, from the Bulle bull to the Bernese bear. Then he takes the initiative apart: Switzerland decides in full sovereignty which treaties it concludes, and […]
Alain Berset leads the Federal Council delegation at the Von Wattenwyl talks with the party and parliamentary group leaders of the CVP, FDP, SP and SVP. Johann Schneider-Ammann, Ignazio Cassis and Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr also attend. Four topics: foreign economic policy in the face of protectionism, the framework agreement with the EU, Switzerland’s candidacy […]
At the invitation of Emmanuel Macron, Alain Berset attends the commemorations of the centenary of the 1918 Armistice, with more than sixty heads of state and government. Switzerland is invited in tribute to its humanitarian action during the First World War: its neutrality had allowed it to offer its good offices. On the afternoon of […]
On 12 November, Alain Berset is received in audience by Pope Francis, five months after the Pope’s visit to Geneva. They discuss peace, human rights and international humanitarian law, a hundred years after the end of the First World War. With the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, and Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, he discusses […]
From Rome, Alain Berset travels to Palermo for the international conference on Libya, at the invitation of the Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte. The aim: to help the UN Special Envoy, Ghassan Salamé, and the Libyan leaders stabilise the country. Switzerland supports this UN process. Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar comes to Palermo for a restricted […]
The fourth meeting of the year with Sebastian Kurz, who comes to Berne as Chancellor and as holder of the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. At the centre: the framework agreement between Switzerland and the EU, Brexit, the record of the Austrian presidency and the rapprochement of the Western Balkans. “Für die […]
Ahead of COP24, Alain Berset addresses by video the virtual summit of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, which brings together the countries most exposed to climate change. The summit is organised by the Marshall Islands. “The average temperature in Switzerland has risen by two degrees since 1850.” The Swiss glaciers are lost, he says, but there […]
At the start of the winter session, Alain Berset presents to the Council of States the Federal Council’s objectives for 2019, the last year of the 2015–2019 legislative period. They follow the three guidelines of the legislative period: prosperity, national cohesion, security. The programme contains 96 measures in 25 policy areas, spread across all the […]
At the Federal Palace, Alain Berset receives the credentials of the new ambassadors of Brazil, Evandro de Sampaio Didonet, of Estonia, Toomas Kukk (resident in Vienna), and of Jamaica, Cheryl Kay Spencer (resident in Geneva). Sources Federal Council, press release of 27.11.2018
Valais celebrates the election of Jean-René Fournier (CVP) as President of the Council of States, with 44 votes out of 45. A special train takes the guests from Berne to Visp, then to Sion for a procession. The day ends with a banquet in Conthey. Alain Berset speaks as President of the Swiss Confederation, alongside […]
At the PROGR cultural centre in Berne, the Federal Commission for Child and Youth Affairs (FCCY) celebrates its 40th anniversary with the actors of child and youth policy, around its President, Sami Kanaan. An exhibition traces its history, from the youth protests of 1980 to the digital age. Alain Berset speaks about young people and […]
On 29 November, in Port Louis, UNESCO inscribes avalanche risk management, a joint nomination by Switzerland and Austria, on the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The next day, Valais celebrates the inscription at the Arsenaux cultural centre in Sion, with Alain Berset and the President of the Council of State, Esther Waeber-Kalbermatten. […]
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