Europe at Present [Spring 2003]
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DistrictsEach canton consists of a number of Bezirke (districts) with the following authorities: people be voting and elections, legislative authority; Bezirksrat, executive authority and Bezirksgericht, judicial authority. The duties of the district include education and judicature. MunicipalitiesEach district consists of Gemeinden (singular Gemeinde, municipalities). There are a 2929 municipalities in Switzerland. A municipality with more than 10'000 citizens is considered a Stadt ("town"), smaller municipalities are called a Dorf ("village"). However, some smaller villages have the status of a town for historical reasons. Municipalities have the following authorities: Gemeindeversammlung, an assembly of all citizens, or people by voting and elections, legislative authority; Gemeinderat or Stadtrat, executive authority and Friedensrichter ("lay magistrate"), judicial authoritity. The duties of the municipalities include, local services (electricity, water, fire brigade, police etc.), transportation (Gemeindestrassen, "local roads"), schools and taxes. Who is responsible?
Source: www.switzerland-in-sight.ch/en/4_fod/4_fs.html The rule of subsidaritySubsidarität is the rule that has determined Swiss policy for ages. It reflects the idea that if the lowest level of authority is to govern successfully it should have the freedom of activities.261 Differences within SwitzerlandDifferences from canton to canton and from commune to commune are quite big. The tax and educational system is a typical example. Teachers, doctors or lawyers who move from one canton to another must obtain official recognition of their qualification in their new home, since schooling, justice and health are the responsibility of the cantons, not of central government. However, economic and political developments in recent years mean that many of these local variations are now felt as a hindrance. Workers are more mobile and companies are doing business over wider areas. For this reason, and in line with the regionalisation policy of the European Union - although Switzerland is not a member - the federal authorities in 1999 grouped the cantons into seven macro regions, each focussed on a specific urban center. The regions will be encouraged to harmonise their activities in such fields as government, the media, transport and communication, trade, culture and sport. Today more and more responsibilities are being transferred to the confederation. The problems and tasks of a modern society (environmental protection, traffic, social security) can no longer be dealt with in any other way. The cantons in western Switzerland are uneasy about this, since they are afraid of having to adapt even more to the Swiss-German majority. Voting patterns in referenda have revealed wide differences between attitudes of French speakers - and to some extent Italian speakers, who support joining the European Economic Area and European Union, provision of maternity benefits and lowering the retirement age - on the one hand, and German speakers on the other.262 CHAPTER III. Switzerland’s foreign policyThe origins of a sovereign state263 The independence of Switzerland was recognized at Peace of Basil in 1499. At the very beginning of the XVI century the territory of it spread significantly. At the beginning of the XVI century Switzerland spread in terms of its area. The Peace of Westphalia of 1648 reconfirmed the sovereignity and made it independent from Germany. In 1798 French army took contol over the country and the Republic of Helvetia was created. After the battle of Leipzig in 1813 Switzerland declared to be neutral. Today’s creation of Swiss foreign policy Constitutional background for Swiss foreign policy The Federal Constitution states that Swiss foreign policy shall "contribute to alleviate need and poverty in the world and to promote respect for human rights, democracy, the peaceful coexistence of nations and the preservation of natural resources264." The Swiss foreign policy includes development co-operation and foreign economic & trade policy, both bilateral and multilateral, with i.a. following actors: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||