Outwardly open, inwardly closed
01.01.2025, Thomas Bürgisser
The degree to which Swiss domestic and foreign policy are intertwined has seldom become so apparent as in 1994. That year, the electorate repeatedly opposed the Federal Council’s pursuit of international openness.
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The story of the Universal Postal Union
8.10.2024, Madeleine Herren
On 9 October 1874, the Universal Postal Union was established in Bern, laying the foundation for modern communication. To this day, it allows the global exchange of letters and parcels and is a cornerstone of global postal traffic.
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The Carnation Revolution
25.04.2024, Mattia Mahon
In April 1974, one of Europe’s oldest dictatorships collapsed in Portugal. In Switzerland, people were worried about the future of Portugal. Not least because of the fragile political balance in southern Europe.
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Ogi’s European charm offensive
01.01.2024, Thomas Bürgisser
In 1993, the Federal Council launched a charm offensive, fronted by Switzerland’s president Ogi, to pave the way for bilateral negotiations with the EU following the historic outcome of the EEA referendum of 6 December 1992.
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Switzerland’s high hopes at the 1992 Earth Summit
01.12.2023, Dominik Matter
Federal Councillor Flavio Cotti travelled to the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio with high hopes, but he failed to return with much in terms of tangible results.
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Parting company the neutral way
03.10.2023, Thomas Bürgisser
At the end of the Cold War, the concept of neutrality lost something of its relevance. This in turn led, at the beginning of the 1990s, to the breakup of the grouping that had brought together Europe’s four neutral nations: Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and Finland.
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The Dalai Lama’s long journey to Bern
19.08.2022, Thomas Bürgisser
For 60 years, Switzerland has been home to the largest Tibetan community in Europe. But it wasn’t until 1991 that the Dalai Lama was received by the Federal Council for the first time.
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Between openness and withdrawal
17.11.2021, Annina Clavadetscher
On 17 November 1991, Switzerland looked back on an eventful year. The «final bouquet» of the 700th anniversary celebrations of the Swiss Confederation in Basel was characterised by the openness towards Europe – just like the entire anniversary year, which gave pride of place to the international dimension of Switzerland.
Blog (FRA | DEU)
The First should be the Last
8.9.2021, Thomas Bürgisser
For decades, the communist regime in East Germany made great efforts to establish closer relations with Switzerland. Three weeks after a GDR prime minister visited Bern for the first time, the East German state ceased to exist.
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Poet-President in a snowstorm
22.11.2020, Thomas Bürgisser
When Václav Havel made a state visit to Switzerland in 1990, it was a minor sensation. Diplomatic documents shed light on the event from a variety of perspectives.
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