State Secretary concerned about planned development aid cuts
Published: Saturday, Jul 6th 2024, 12:40
Volver a Live Feed
The cuts in development aid planned by the Council of States are a cause for concern for the State Secretary for Economic Affairs. Cuts could have a negative impact on Switzerland, warned Helene Budliger Artieda on Radio SRF's "Samstagsrundschau".
"Development cooperation gives us a good reputation and helps us in other areas," said Budliger. "It would be a shame to put this at risk without any political discussion."
The Council of States wants to cut CHF 500 million a year from development aid and use it for the army instead. It made this decision in June. "Then we need to have a real discussion about the state of Swiss solidarity worldwide," said Budliger.
"Not a country of extremes"
However, the State Secretary trusts that a middle way will be found in the parliamentary deliberations. "Switzerland is generally not a country of extremes," she said.
The Council of States justified its decision in June by arguing, among other things, that some aid projects were not very effective. In addition, development aid has continuously received more money in recent years. The National Council is expected to make its decision in September.
©Keystone/SDA
Spanish 
English 
German 
French 
Arabic