"Switzerland should think visionary ahead."
The parliamentary debate on the strategy for international cooperation is taking place in the middle of the coronavirus crisis. Read Fritz Brugger's assessment of the situation in an article from swissinfo.ch
The coronavirus crisis has been shaping the mood in the parliamentary debate about the strategy for international cooperation. Some want to increase the funds for crisis-ridden countries. Others would rather use the money domestically in view of the crisis. In the summer session, The National Council (Nationalrat) has followed the Federal Council's plans to spend a maximum of 11.25 billion Swiss Francs on international cooperation over the next four years. The Council of States (Ständerat) will decide on the bill in the autumn session.
Fritz Brugger sees the timing of the debate as an opportunity: "The crisis has shown that a pandemic does not stop at borders, which means that we must work together." He hopes that this insight will strengthen multilateral cooperation and the understanding that sustainable development can only be tackled globally.
“In cooperation with like-minded countries, Switzerland should think visionary ahead and have an interest in playing an active role”, says the Co-Director of NADEL.
Read the full article (in French): external pageQuand c'est la crise partout, faut-il s'aider ou continuer à aider les autres?