Is the federal government saving money at the expense of mountain regions and Swiss Lift Co's

In the spring session, thw Swiss Parliament concluded its deliberations on discharge package 27 (EP27). After the final differences were resolved, the bill was approved in the final votes. This clears the way for the agreed measures to be implemented and integrated into the federal government's financial planning from 2027.

Need for adjustment remains

However, this is by no means the end of the matter. Due to the financial gap in the federal budget, the Federal Council has put together a relief package of around CHF 3 billion. However, Parliament has only approved 60 percent of the relief volume. As a result, deficits remain that need to be eliminated. This is required by the debt brake. Following the assessment of the current situation in February, the Federal Council will therefore soon have to carry out a further assessment of the situation and decide how the remaining deficits are to be eliminated in concrete terms. Because corrections for the 2027 budget will already be necessary in the short term, expenditure that is not tied to legislation could once again come under pressure - this includes expenditure in education and research, international cooperation and agriculture.

The relief package (EP27) was originally intended to save around CHF 3 billion. Parliament, however, was less inclined to cut spending than the Finance Minister. Reductions were made almost everywhere. Tourism also suffered, but thanks to coordinated and strong lobbying, the impact was less severe than feared.

According to EP27, a total of around CHF 115 million per year was to be saved in the tourism sector. This would have meant cutting financial support for Switzerland Tourism by up to 20%, which would have had drastic consequences for staffing levels. Annual contributions for the Innotour projects were also slated for a 30% reduction. Furthermore, the New Regional Policy (NRP) was even intended to discontinue funding for the existing fund, effectively ending the regional policy altogether.

The NRP fund (with over CHF 1 billion) is crucial for financing mountain railway infrastructure. Not only does the federal government contribute to this fund, but the cantons also play a part in the capital-intensive financing of the mountain railways. Every franc invested by the federal government mobilizes five times that amount (x5) in investments in the regions. For this reason, maintaining the NRP and further increasing the fund is of paramount importance to Swiss Cableways (SBS).

The successful intervention of the Tourism Alliance in Parliament was therefore all the more gratifying. SBS is also relieved that Parliament refrained from disproportionate cuts to tourism funding instruments. Furthermore, SBS congratulates the Swiss Tourism Federation (STV), as well as Philippe Niederberger (Managing Director) and Reto Nause (President of the STV and Member of the National Council), on their skillful negotiating tactics, which averted the worst.

After the parliamentary debate comes the fundamental debate.

So, is there cause for celebration? Unfortunately, not at all. While the tourism sector successfully resisted massive austerity measures in Parliament, the responsible State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) launched a public consultation on its "Location Promotion Message" during the spring session. This message includes, among other things, a four-year program for tourism promotion. And in this, SECO followed the Federal Council's fiscal policy guidelines. This means that the "Location Promotion Message" uses the same financial savings targets as the EP27 budget. However, Parliament, which finalized the EP27 budget with great urgency, implemented significantly fewer savings in tourism than originally planned.

The tourism industry believes that SECO's approach on this point contradicts the will of Parliament and therefore lacks legitimacy. The industry is therefore demanding that the consultation process be terminated or that a clarifying discussion be held with the responsible Minister of Economic Affairs. A corresponding intervention in the form of a letter requesting a roundtable discussion has already been submitted to the Federal Council.