EU enlargement contribution: Successful lobbying

The development agencies consider it right and proper for Switzerland to provide CHF 1 billion to support reform in the new EU member countries. The fact is that Switzerland and its economy are benefiting from European integration. Nevertheless, they could not accept a CHF 1 billion cut in aid for the world's poorest so as to finance Switzerland Europe policy. Alliance Sud had set out to prevent this.

Public pressure

In the autumn of 2005, Alliance Sud published the appeal entitled «Should Africa pay for Switzerland's enlargement contribution? No to the curtailment of development aid!» signed by over 300 Swiss public figures. At the press conference Alliance Sud had argued that the billion for the enlargement contribution could easily be paid without straining the national budget, out of extra earnings and savings accruing to Switzerland as a result of its bilateral agreements with the EU. There was no need to cut back the budget for aid to the South and to Eastern Europe.

The positive resonance of these arguments with the public was instrumental in shaping a Parliamentary majority in favour of the concerns expressed by Alliance Sud. This proved successful in that during the first half of 2006, the Parliament referred a motion by the then Member of Parliament Doris Leuthard calling on the Federal Cabinet (government) for a new funding model that would not affect development aid. The Federal Cabinet backtracked and decided to offset funds against the Eastern Europe aid budget only. But that was only a partial fulfilment of the motion.

Alliance Sud then discussed the next moves with those political parties that wanted to see the enlargement contribution through the referendum of 26 November 2006 (CVP, FDP, SP, GPS, EVP). The parties agreed first that the Federal decision on the enlargement contribution should stipulate that it ought not be funded at the expense of official development aid, and second, that the four-year line of credit for aid to Eastern Europe should be increased and so annul the cuts decided by the Federal Cabinet. On the strength of these agreements, the development agencies were able to advocate the yes vote. The federal law on cooperation with Eastern Europe, which is the basis for the enlargement contribution, was passed by a narrow margin.

Final spurt in Parliament

At the 2007 spring session, the Senate distanced itself from the second agreement and rejected any increase in the credit line for aid to Eastern Europe. In a final spurt, Alliance Sud, together with MPs who wanted full implementation of the motion, managed to turn things around during the summer session. The House of Representatives approved the increase in credits for Eastern Europe by a clear majority of 109 to 63, whereupon the Senate endorsed it without objection.

Complex political backdrop

The debate on the funding of the enlargement contribution came against a complex political backdrop. The conservative wing of the bourgeois parties had emerged strengthened from the 2003 elections, and Federal Cabinet and Parliament adopted one savings package after another. In addition, criticism regarding development aid was growing louder.

The savings fever has now subsided somewhat, and the outlook for the federal budget has improved. Yet we should not expect too much generosity in the Federal house even in the future. A hard task of persuasion therefore lies ahead in pursuit of the next goal that Alliance Sud has set itself, that of increasing Switzerland’s development aid allocation to 0.7 per cent of gross national product (GNP). In so doing, Alliance Sud will be able to build on the successful cooperation with the political parties regarding the enlargement contribution.

Michèle Laubscher, Alliance Sud