In the picture (from left to right): Swiss President Ignazio Cassis, Swissvillages President Kevin Quattropani, Swisscommunity President Filippo Lombardi.
The Congress of the Swiss Abroad (Swisscommunity) was held in Lugano August 19-21. Among the event’s partners was the Association of the most beautiful Villages in Switzerland (Swissvillages). The association, which is part of the federation of the most beautiful Villages in the World, was present with a stand to highlight and promote the beauty of the 45 Swiss villages that are part of its network to the Swiss living abroad. Both Swiss President Ignazio Cassis and Swisscommunity President Filippo Lombardi showed great interest in the association’s activities and talked with Swissvillages President Kevin Quattropani. On this occasion, the new book published by the association, and written by its historian Francesco Cerea, on the village of Ernen in Valais and the figure of its illustrious citizen Cardinal Schiner (on the 500th anniversary of his death) was presented.
Direct contact, personal encounter, joint search for solutions: After the long pause caused by the pandemic, the 98th Congress of the Swiss Abroad brought together, for the first time, representatives of the of the Fifth Switzerland for a direct exchange on the future of democracy. “Today we have experienced in real time the meaning of democracy: exchanging opinions and discussing beyond all differences and regardless of whether one lives in Switzerland or abroad, whether one is a Swiss citizen or not”. With these words, Director Ariane Rustichelli of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad thanked those present at the end of the meeting. The day before, the Council of the Swiss Abroad had set a first political goal with its resolution addressed to the Federal Council on the free movement of persons in the light of the interrupted dialogue with the EU. interrupted dialogue with the EU. In her concluding remarks she referred in particular to the voting age at 16, on the opportunities and risks of which two representatives of the Youth Parliament Swiss Abroad (YPSA), had spoken earlier in the day. Young people tend to think that lowering the voting age promotes “their participation and interest in politics,” said Ariane Rustichelli. On the contrary, “politicians often say that this has little or no impact,” continued the Director of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad in Lugano. Abroad in Lugano: “Instead, we should trust the young people and let them organise themselves”. “For our democracy, the active engagement of young people from the Fifth Switzerland is essential,” Filippo Lombardi, the President of Swisscommunity, drew a similar conclusion: “For me, as President of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, the Congress is an important moment. In his opening speech, Swiss President Ignazio Cassis described Swiss democracy as unique: “We don’t just have a democracy for the people, but a democracy that starts with the people, and this at all federal levels. Dialogue and the ability to find workable compromises are the lifeblood of Swiss democracy. These are strengths that we must work on, day after day”. Although covering a broad spectrum, the political representatives showed great unity. On the way to e-democracy, it is imperative to focus on ‘trust-based solutions’. E-ID, for example, which failed at the ballot box at the first attempt, showed that a completely desirable innovation can fail if there is a lack of trust in the concrete solution proposed, said Roland Fischer, a Green Liberal. Besides trust, Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter called for more political will: “Too many issues are discussed instead of being resolved; in the end it is the Swiss abroad who suffer. The long-standing debate on electronic voting is an example of this.
The next Congress of the Swiss Abroad will be held in St. Gallen from 18 to 20 August 2023 and will focus on Swiss culture.
