National Council wants more federal aid for mountain huts
Published: Thursday, Jun 13th 2024, 17:50
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The National Council wants to help the owners of mountain huts that are experiencing difficulties due to climate change. The Federal Council is to draw up a catalog of incentives or financial aid for the benefit of their owners so that these huts can be secured.
On Thursday, the National Council adopted a motion by Benjamin Roduit (center/VS) with this demand by 120 votes to 63 with eight abstentions. This will now go to the Council of States. Roduit has a particular focus on the huts of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC).
The Valais representative believes that huts such as those run by the SAC are an essential part of Switzerland's cultural heritage. They are becoming increasingly popular, but are struggling with melting permafrost, more avalanches and water shortages due to climate change.
There is a central fund to support construction work on SAC huts. However, hardly a third of future renovation projects can be financed with these funds, says Roduit.
Federal Council sees no need for further action
The Federal Council requested that the motion be rejected. It pointed out that the federal government supports investments in the accommodation industry with low-interest loans. This is done via the Swiss Society for Hotel Credit (SGH). This had co-financed four conversions of SAC huts since 2005.
Furthermore, seven loans have been granted to SAC huts since 2008 thanks to the New Regional Policy (NRP) instrument. There are also organizations such as Swiss Mountain Aid, which support investments in mountain huts. There are therefore plenty of opportunities to support mountain huts in Switzerland.
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