All news (150)
Federal Councillor Burkhalter visits projects in Lithuania and Latvia

02.08.2013
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Article
EB
Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter travelled to Lithuania and Latvia from 29 July to 1 August for working meetings. Among other stops on his schedule, he visited two projects supported by Switzerland as part of its enlargement contribution.
Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter to visit the Baltic countries to deepen bilateral relations and discuss relations with the European Union
29.07.2013
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Press release
EDA
From 29 July to 1 August, Mr Burkhalter, the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), will pay an official working visit to Lithuania and then to Latvia. He will make the traditional 1 August speech to mark Switzerland's national day in Riga. The main aims of this official working visit are to deepen bilateral relations, to discuss the importance of relations between Switzerland and the European Union (EU) and to present Switzerland's priorities for its chairmanship of the OSCE in 2014. Mr Burkhalter will also visit a number of projects that are part of the Swiss enlargement contribution. This contribution is a key element in the bilateral relationships between Switzerland and each of these two countries.
Official working visit by the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karel Schwarzenberg
31.05.2013
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Press release
EDA
Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), received the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Karel Schwarzenberg, on 31 May 2013 for an official working visit to Bern. Their discussions focused on Switzerland's European policy, the Czech Republic's European Neighbourhood Policy, the Swiss contribution to the enlargement of the European Union, and economic relations between the two countries.
Switzerland
31.05.2013
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Press release
EDA
More than 200 projects are now being implemented as part of the enlargement contribution. At the annual conference of Swiss Cooperation with Eastern Europe on 31 May 2013 in Bern, government representatives and experts from Switzerland and abroad discussed the importance and the impact of these projects. About 750 people took part in the annual conference in the Hotel National, an exceptionally high turnout.
Information on the Swiss Enlargement Contribution (flyer)

20.05.2013
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Article
EB
May 2013
New flyer „The Swiss Enlargement Contribution - Switzerland’s contribution to reducing the social and economic disparities in the enlarged European Union”
Annual Report 2012 SECO/SDC on Switzerland's contribution to EU enlargement

17.05.2013
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Article
EB
Activities 2012
On 14 June 2012 the commitment period for Switzerland’s enlargement contribution for the EU-10 came to an end. During this time, Switzerland approved 210 projects with the partner countries. With that, Switzerland’s contribution of one billion francs to the EU-10 has been fully committed. As of the end of 2012, 11 projects had been completed. For Bulgaria and Romania, the commitment period ends in December 2014.
5.8 million Swiss francs for better air quality

29.04.2013
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Article
EB
During the annual meeting on 12 March 2013 to mark the Swiss enlargement contribution to Hungary, an environmental project that aims to improve the measurement of environmental quality in Hungary was launched in the presence of the Swiss Ambassador, Jean-François Paroz, and the Hungarian State Secretary for the Environment, Zoltán Illés. By 2015, regional laboratories and two mobile monitoring stations are to receive financing totalling CHF 5.8 million. The Hungarian government has also earmarked an additional CHF 1 million, bringing the total cost of the project to CHF 6.8 million.
Annual Conference of Swiss Cooperation with Eastern Europe 2013 on 31 May 2013

12.04.2013
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Article
EB
Switzerland's enlargement contribution to the EU- significance, impact, opportunities
Swiss Expertise solicited in Czech winter-sports resorts

25.03.2013
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Article
EB
Within the scope of a small project that unfolded in the frame of the Czech-Swiss Partnership Fund, the national branch-association Swiss Cableways (SBS) and the Czech Association for Transportation by Rope Asociace Ianové dopravy (ALDR), exchanged their know-how in the domains of training and marketing. The project, endowed with a budget of CHF 40,000, took place from January to December 2012.
Official visit by Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs
21.03.2013
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Press release
EDA
On 21st March 2013, Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), received his Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkēvičs for an official working visit. In addition to bilateral relations, the talks in Bern covered the European policy of both countries, aspects of multilateral cooperation, and current international issues.
First Solar Collectors in Operation at Polish regional Hospital

07.03.2013
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Article
EB
Since December 2012, the regional hospital of the Suski district has been receiving its hot water thanks to solar energy. In fact, 123 solar panels have been installed on the roof of the hospital. In addition, by summer 2013, an additional 2349 solar panels on the roofs of private buildings will be put into operation.
Switzerland pushes renewable energy in Poland

24.02.2013
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Article
EB