In-Depth Exchanges and New Stakeholders

As we have entered a new year, I look back at 2021 with very mixed feelings. As in 2020, the COVID pandemic continued to affect our lives negatively, sometimes even with tragic effects. One year ago, my father passed away in Switzerland – not from COVID, but with COVID – and we were not able to gather with all family members and friends to pay tribute to his memory.

In foreign policy, the relations of Switzerland with the European Union have suffered a series of setback in 2021. Following the decision of the Swiss Federal Council in May not to pursue the negotiation of an institutional agreement with the EU, the EU Commission decided to adopt several measures aiming at punishing Switzerland, a policy which is both sad and ineffective between friends and mutually beneficial partners. Nonetheless, my country intends to contribute to the further reduction of economic and social disparities in Europe. I am pleased that the technical discussions between Swiss and Hungarian administrations on the bilateral program under the second Swiss contribution are the most advanced we have with our partners in Central and Eastern Europe.

Swiss-Hungarian ties during the pandemic
The bilateral relations between Switzerland and Hungary, both in terms of diplomacy and trade, developed very positively in 2021. After more than a decade without any such high-level visits, two Federal Councilors visited Budapest. Federal Councilor Ueli Maurer met with Hungarian Finance Minister Mihály Varga in June and Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis was invited by Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó as honorary guest to the Hungarian Ambassadors Conference, which took place by the end of August. Numerous companies have expanded their sites and made new investments, such as Metoxit, Nestlé, Sensirion, Sika, Swiss Krono and Roche. Swiss and Hungarian governments are pleased by these developments. Members of the Hungarian government made themselves very available to meet with our business community. By the end of 2021, and within a time spawn of merely four and a half months, representatives of our companies had the opportunity to meet with both the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary for in-depth exchanges on their experiences in the country. This is a rare and precious opportunity, which was accordingly appreciated.

For freedom and equality of rights in Switzerland
There were some positive surprises too. Last summer, I have spent quite a lot of time providing objective information on Hungarian Law No. T/16365 on “Stricter action against pedophile offenders and amendments to certain laws in order to protect children” and on the debates it opened in Hungary and in the EU and partner countries. On September 26, when the Swiss citizens adopted the law on same-sex marriage with a majority of 64% of the population and the acceptance of the law by all Cantons, I was both surprised and proud. Back in 2007, registered partnership had been introduced in Switzerland, but same-sex marriage had not been considered acceptable by a majority of the population. 14 years later, the sometimes conservative Swiss people have chosen to take an extra step in the direction of freedom and equality of rights for all.

Working with the Swiss community
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that we must always see ourselves as part of a society. We all share common risks and responsibilities and face the same constraints and challenges. With my team at the Swiss Embassy, we therefore strive to maintain direct contacts with the members of our community in Hungary. This is the main goal of our Facebook page (@SwissEmbassyBudapest), inaugurated in 2021. Thanks to progress in the fight against the pandemic, not least through vaccination campaigns, we were not affected as badly in 2021 as in 2020 by lockdowns or re-strictions in social interaction. Last summer, the Swiss Association of Hungary (Schweizer Verein Ungarn) was able again to organize a celebration on the occasion of the Swiss national day and I enjoyed meeting my compatriots and representatives of the parliamentary friendship groups of Switzerland and Hungary. The members of Swiss clubs all over the world have Swiss German as their main communication language, but in the Swiss Association of Hungary, the communication language is Hungarian. Most members are former refugees of 1956 who went to Switzerland as young children with their parents, later contributed to the prosperity of my country, became double nationals and enjoyed coming back to Hungary as pensioners. They have become a special link between the two countries. Last fall, presenting in Budapest his book « le Ciel bleu au fonds du puits » about his exile in 1956 and his experience and career in Switzerland, Bálint-Géza Basilides underlined the special position of this community. Asked whether he felt more Swiss or more Hungarian, he answered: « I feel Swiss in Hungary and Hungarian in Switzerland ».

New stakeholders
As the people-to-people contacts between the two countries intensify, new stakeholders emerge and contribute to stronger bilateral relations. A Swiss circle has been established at Lake Balaton, composed of Swiss citizens who have settled in this beautiful region after the end of their professional career. They do not have Hungarian roots but do now become new Hungarian residents with Swiss roots. The Embassy has also strengthened the relations with the Swiss Semmelweis Students Association, which brings together young Swiss people who have chosen Hungary to conduct their medical studies. In 2022, it will be a priority for my Embassy and for me personally to strengthen further the contacts with my fellow citizens and with all actors of the bilateral relations not only in Budapest but also in other cities and in the countryside. It is the main objective of the project « Switzerland in your city » that we will realize in partnership with Swiss companies, Swiss communities and local authorities, institutions and other partners between 2022 and 2024.