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Canton of Berne
Sustainable Development for
Canton of Berne
The State Council for Economy for
the Canton of Berne, along with
Switzerland’s federal government, is
making sure the canton is well able
to cope with the challenges of the
global financial crisis.
Andreas Rickenbacher, State Councillor
for Economy for the canton of
Berne, explains, “The federal government
has enacted a ‘Debt Break
Policy’ which essentially forces Switzerland
to save money during times
of booming industry, and then
re-invest this surplus during times
of recession. It has proven to be
very effective. Our government still
has not had to resort to corporate
bail-outs like many of our neighbours
and competitive markets,
including the U.S.”
The council’s role is to provide
guidance to member industries
in order to ensure sustainable
economic development for the
canton. The council oversees activities
in the forestry, fisheries, agriculture,
and tourism sectors, among
others, and works to promote
transfers of knowledge between
local educational and research
institutions and the local business
and industrial sectors.
‘Innovation Think Tank’
The ministry has launched a
number of very successful programmes,
including the ‘Innovation
Think Tank’, which focuses
on promoting intelligent innovation,
and a ‘cluster’ development
model targeting key sectors. “The
Canton of Berne was the first to use
such an innovative approach, and
now companies in the medical technology,
ICT, precision, energy, and
environmental engineering sectors
are growing at above-average rates,”
Andreas Rickenbacher says.
Andreas Rickenbacher concludes,
“The ministry believes in offering
guidance and positive incentives
for industry growth.” Thanks to the
ministry’s efforts, the Canton of
Berne has developed a stable, high
potential and innovative business
environment.
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