News in English     | 24.06.2019. 20:11 |

Rauber Saxer: BiH can learn about working together from Switzerland

FENA Hana Imamović

SARAJEVO, June 24 (FENA) - Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland have a similar decentralized political system, but what BiH could use as an inspiration from Switzerland is the way the cantons work together, said Swiss Ambassador to BiH Andrea Rauber Saxer.
 
In an interview with FENA, the Ambassador recalled that the country has 26 cantons, some of them large, while some are extremely small, which is also similar to BiH. Similarity is also reflected in the fact that cantons in Switzerland do not want their authority to be taken away.
 
However, the cantons work closely together in various fields such as education and health, since not every canton has its own university or hospital. The ambassador notes that it is of the utmost importance that the cantons have constant communication.

In regard to education, which is under the jurisdiction of cantons, just like in the Federation of BiH, in Switzerland, all cantons have achieved consensus about what they should teach their children.

"When I went to school, the system was much more different because each canton was organized in its own way. So, for example, one elementary school had four years of academic learning, another had five or six. Then it was realized that such a system cannot function in a country so small. Citizens' mobility has increased, therefore, and school children's mobility increased as well. That is why they were forced to balance the education system. It was also influenced by the pressure of citizens," she added.

Consent was achieved voluntarily, without interference by the state, and this is just one example of successful cooperation, emphasizes Swiss ambassador to BiH Andrea Rauber Saxer. Similar things were done in other areas.

Also, one of the differences between BiH and Switzerland is the fact that direct taxes remain in the cantons and municipalities, and therefore have their own budget that is directed towards their policies and needs, which is also a great advantage.

Among the cantons, there is also a sort of competition in terms of the amount of taxes, some offer less taxation to citizens when they live there or to investors in order to make them more attractive.

In order to compensate, there is a system of equality in the sense of the height of taxation. Cantons which have weaker economies or lesser citizens or more expenses get more money from the joint account. Without that, the system wouldn't function as well as it does.

She believes that the system in Switzerland is quite complicated because everything is being constantly negotiated about and conversations are held about everything, which is a time-consuming process that is not always easy, while in centralized countries it is easier because the solution comes from a higher level.

However, the advantage of the system in Switzerland is that once everyone has agreed on something, then everyone sticks to that agreement.

BiH and Switzerland have excellent bilateral cooperation, says the ambassador, which has been in existence for 25 years and while Switzerland has accepted refugees from BiH during the war and helped in the reconstruction of the country, this cooperation now focuses on concrete development projects that concern citizens.

Special aid to BiH from Switzerland comes regarding the project of the health sector reforms, focusing on providing medical assistance to people who live in distant areas.

This country is also focused on supporting the economy and employment sector and one of the most important issues is how to employ young people. The Swiss Embassy believes this can be done by providing the necessary education to young people in order to learn the skills required in the labor market.

They also need to have adequate support from public employment services, but it is also crucial to include employers who need to clearly indicate to educational institutions what they are looking for.

Switzerland has one of the lowest youth unemployment rates in the world, and this is achieved thanks to its education system. Through projects for young people in BiH, this knowledge and experience from Switzerland can be transferred in order to enable students to acquire practical skills during their schooling years.

As an example, the ambassador pointed out the profession of chefs by saying that Switzerland's schoolchildren have practical training every day - cooking in restaurants. At the end of their education, they receive a diploma certifying their knowledge and practical skills.

But that's not all because if they want to progress later and become hotel or restaurant managers, they can easily be trained because the education system is connected and coherent.

The third sector which Switzerland actively supports in BiH is strengthening the work of local authorities, and projects in this sector work closely with local authorities, helping them to become more modern and more oriented towards the needs of citizens.

"One part of the project in this sector is aimed at encouraging citizens to become active in the work of their communities, including the level of local communities. And this, of course, is directly related to the political system and experience in Switzerland," explained the Swiss ambassador to BiH Andrea Rauber Saxer.

In this country, citizens are very much involved in making all decisions at municipal, cantonal and state levels and referenda on various issues are frequently organized.

The ambassador says that the citizens in some local community declare whether a school needs a new heating system or whether a new street should be built because citizens pay taxes and in turn want to know where that money is being distributed.

Speaking about economic cooperation, she noted that she would like to bring investors from Switzerland to BiH, but this is not so easy because in the Swiss media you can often find bad news about BiH, mostly when it comes to political repression or warmongering.

"In fact, the reputation of the country is much worse than the actual situation. This is very regrettable because BiH has great potential for investment, including the development of tourism," she said.

If she could choose the one thing that BiH needs, the Ambassador stressed that this would be the importance of reaching a compromise, as is the case in Switzerland.

She assessed that BiH is at a crossroads, a nationwide commitment to moving forward on its path to EU membership is present. Switzerland supports this, but progress depends only on BiH and its politicians.

"The responsibility of citizens is not negligible. They must be an active part of the society by demanding reforms. BiH has huge potentials that can be put to good use. I met many people who promote these values and this makes me very optimistic," concluded the Swiss ambassador to BiH Andrea Rauber Saxer in the interview for FENA.

 

(FENA) L. N.

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