1. Cultural policy system
Switzerland
Last update: July, 2021
Objectives
The Federal Act on the Promotion of Culture (Culture Promotion Act/Kulturförderungsgesetz KFG), in force since 2012, outlines the main objectives of cultural policy in Switzerland (Art. 3 KFG and Art. 8 KFG):
- strengthening the cohesion and cultural (and linguistic) diversity in Switzerland
- promoting a richly diverse and qualitatively outstanding range of cultural activities and offerings
- establishing favourable conditions for cultural workers and cultural institutions
- providing and facilitating access to culture
- making Swiss cultural work known abroad
Linked to these goals are the preservation and mediation of Switzerland's cultural heritage, the protection of the architectural heritage or the protection of minorities.
With cultural matters being a "cantonal responsibility" (Art 69 para. 1 BV), Cantons and municipalities develop their own cultural strategies with local and regional priorities, goals and funding instruments (nearly 90% of public cultural expenditure in 2018).
Subsidiary to the cantons, the Confederation supports cultural endeavours of nationwide interest and has parallel competences, for example, in the promotion of filmmaking and film culture as a primary task of the Confederation, as well as in music education.
The Confederation's cultural policy is set out in the Culture Dispatch ("Kulturbotschaft", since 2012). The policy for 2021-2024 builds on the three central axes of action from the period 2016-2020: "Cultural Participation", "Social Cohesion" and "Creation and Innovation", with a special focus on the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation (from 2021). In order to define the scope of cultural promotion at the federal level, a distinction is made between a broader sociological and a narrower "practical concept of culture": through the relevant federal legislation and through the cultural policy priorities set in the Culture Dispatch.[1]
Main Features
Switzerland’s cultural policy system is characterised by four principles, as described by Rico Valär:[2]
- Federalism as an organisational principle for the autonomy of the cantons and municipalities
- Subsidiarity as a distribution principle for the primary cultural policy responsibility of the lower levels of government
- Cultural diversity and multilingualism as identity principles
- Pluralism of funding bodies and instruments as funding principles
Cultural policy in Switzerland, 8.68 million inhabitants (2021), unfolds through the exploration of national identity and cohesion between and across linguistic regions (4 official national languages, including 3 official languages) and through active citizenship participation, anchored in Switzerland’s political system with its various direct democratic instruments. The cultural topography is further shaped by the geographical location with the bordering countries of France, Germany, Italy and Austria. Even if Federalism is not exclusive to Switzerland, the 26 Swiss cantons are worth mentioning as relatively small units with their own well-developed political and legal systems: for example, the canton of Uri with just under 37 000 inhabitants and an area of 1 077 km2. The canton with the largest population is Zurich with around 1.5 million inhabitants and an area of 1 729 km2.[3] The private sector plays a significant role in the Swiss cultural sector when compared to other European countries. In general, the principle of double subsidiarity is applied: The public sector only provides support if the resources of the private sector are inadequate.
Federalism and Subsidiarity
Switzerland is a federal republic and most competences are assigned to the cantons by the general clause of Article 3 of the Constitutional Law (1848). With the "total revision" of the Swiss Federal Constitution in 1999, the promotion of art and culture became an explicit task of the federal government (Art. 69 BV). With purely declaratory value, it refers to the autonomy of the cantons: "Cultural matters are a cantonal responsibility" (Art 69 para. 1 BV).
Switzerland’s policy-making system counts among its ranks three primary political strata: the federal, cantonal, and municipal levels. The Federal Constitution determines each political level of power, their responsibilities, and the scope of their available actions.
Besides these different levels, Switzerland gives direct democratic tools to its citizens, including referendums, people’s assemblies (Landsgemeinde) and people´s initiatives, leading the political system to be quite intricate and active. Examples in the field of culture are the popular votes on the first cultural laws in various cantons in the 1960s or the Cantonal popular initiative "Strengthening active Basel youth culture: tip initiative" in the Canton of Basel-Stadt, which was adopted in 2020 and resulted in an increase of the share for youth culture to 5% of the cantonal cultural budget.
Federalism, in terms of cultural policy-making, means that measures are decided upon and implemented at a local and regional level, by public authorities closest to the people.
Subsidiarity presupposes that the lowest, smallest or least centralised authority takes responsibility if possible, allowing for a range of autonomy. The higher levels of government, for example, cantons, or the federal government, lend primarily financial subsidiary support. It means that public resources for culture are provided from the bottom up: first by the communes, and then subsequently by the cantons and the federal government. This is also reflected in the data for public cultural expenditure: in 2018, the biggest share of 48.9% was spent by the municipalities, 40.3% by the cantons and 10.8% by the federal government (0.5 % of total federal expenditure).
Following a principle of dual subsidiarity, private funding is often a prerequisite for receiving a public grant. In general, the public sector only provides support if the resources of the private sector are inadequate. In practice, as Rolf Keller notes, there is often a reversal of the understanding of subsidiarity, for example when the private sector builds on state-maintained institutions or when cantons help federal initiatives to achieve a breakthrough.[4]
Switzerland's cultural tapestry is therefore more a patchwork of twenty-six cantonal approaches than a single, national design.
Because of the flexibility of the Swiss model, difficulties are present, such as the duplication or overlapping of efforts. Concentrating cultural policy measures on a common goal is difficult and the elaboration of mid and long-term perspectives is a complicated task. Discussions in policymaking at the national level can take years and at times, result in expensive compromises.
The cultural policy of the Confederation is mainly based on the interaction of four institutions: the Federal Office of Culture (FOC), the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, the Swiss National Library (NL) (organisationally assigned to FOC), and the Swiss National Museum (SNM).[5]
As the leading cultural policy authority, the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) (according to Art. 29 para. 1 KFG) implements the cultural policy of the Confederation and coordinates the activities of the other federal agencies (Zimmermann, S. 591). The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia is the institution that supports and disseminates Swiss culture and arts between regions as well as abroad. These two instances collaborate with the federal department of foreign affairs (FDFA) to oversee the international scope of Swiss cultural affairs.
The Culture Dispatch, published for every legislative period, has been the main strategic and financial steering instrument for federal cultural policy since 2012.
Cultural diversity and multilingualism
The nation has four official languages (German (62% in 2019[6]), French (22.8%), Italian (8%) and Romansh (0.5%)), which correspond to different linguistic regions (with three Cantons being bilingual, Graubünden is trilingual) and divided into 26 cantons (each having their constitution, acts, parliament, government and courts), as well as around 2 250 communes (the smallest political entity). According to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), 68% regularly use more than one language (2019) and English is the most widely used non-national language. The survey also shows the myriad cultural backgrounds of Swiss residents: Among the youngest generation (under 15), in addition to the national languages and English, Albanian (6.7%), Portuguese (4.9%), Spanish (4.9%), Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (3.8%) and Turkish (2.8%) are spoken at home, as well as over 70 other languages. Foreign nationals make up more than 25% of the Swiss population (data from 2019).
Background
Support for culture in Switzerland has developed primarily as a phenomenon of civil society and has developed very slowly and decentrally.[7] At the same time, the public sector was active in promoting culture at the municipal level from an early stage (e.g. the Basel Art Museum, which is considered one of the first public art collections in the world (around 1661)). The federal involvement in culture came later and gradually. It was not until the end of the 1950s that the first provisions on culture, limited to certain subject areas, found their way into the Federal Constitution: in 1958, for example, an article on film (currently Art. 71 of the Federal Constitution) or in 1962, an article on nature and cultural heritage protection (currently Art. 78 of the Federal Constitution).[8]
Before that, an unwritten cultural competence of the Confederation, tacitly derived from the Constitution, was the basis of the Confederation's cultural activities. Federal support was minimal, apart from the funds provided for the construction of the Swiss Federal Archives (1848), support for the Swiss Archaeological and Historical Monuments Department (1886) or the Swiss National Library (1894). The first national museum in Switzerland was founded by a Federal Parliamentary Act of 1890 (Swiss National Museum in Zurich). The first legal basis in the field of support for artistic creation was the Federal Decree on the Promotion and Improvement of Swiss Art of 1887 (Bundesbeschluss betreffend die Förderung und Hebung der Schweizerischen Kunst 1887).[9] On the basis of this federal decree, the Federal Art Commission (EKK) was founded in 1888.
Another important funding measure was the establishment of the federally funded Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia as a national cultural foundation in 1939, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. It was initially established as a working group (from 1949 on as a foundation under public law) to preserve the intellectual independence of culture in Switzerland in the face of the threat posed by National Socialist Germany and its fascist propaganda: an example of exceptional circumstances where the involvement of the Confederation was prompted.
From the 1950s, there were signs that the quality of life in Switzerland was improving. General rates of participation in cultural life increased parallel to rising levels of education, the widespread use of the mass media and a reduction in the number of hours devoted to working life. At the same time, traditional structures, including the family, were breaking down and the sprawl of urbanisation expanded. The arts tried to address these societal developments on various levels, which led to a broader mandate for a definition of culture.
Up until the end of the 1960s and early 1970s, culture was primarily considered a private matter in Switzerland. Exceptions are the federal promotion of the film industry, which was already incorporated in the Federal Constitution in 1958 (Article 27 of 1958, now Article 71), in 1962 the enactment of Article 24 (now Article 78), which encourages the Confederation to protect the environment and the cultural heritage of Switzerland, and in 1959 Article 22 (now Article 61) as the first statutory basis for cultural heritage protection. In the late 1960s, discussion on cultural policy intensified and resulted in the establishment of a legal basis (Pro Helvetia Act of 1965) and the definition of a public mission for Pro Helvetia; the creation of a temporary Federal Commission of Experts for Swiss Cultural Matters (the Clottu Commission, 1969) as a first rapport on an ambitious federal cultural policy; the Conference of Swiss Cities on Cultural Matters (CSCC 1970) and the establishment of the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) in 1975.
In the 1960s, the first cultural laws were drafted and voted on in various cantons. In the canton of Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland's first cantonal culture promotion law was passed on 26 May 1963 in a popular vote with 69 per cent in favour (followed by Graubünden (1965), Solothurn (1967), Aargau (1968)).[10]
While early Swiss cultural policy focused on self-assurance and the preservation of cultural heritage, the demand for a "culture for all" as a guiding idea also found its way into Switzerland at the end of the 1960s with corresponding debates in the Federal Republic of Germany. A basic cultural democratic approach along the "broad" cultural concept of UNESCO manifested itself in the so-called Clottu Report of 1975 (Eléments pour une politique culturelle suisse), which was commissioned by the Department of Home Affairs.
While the concept of culture "broadened", culture began to be seen as an important dimension of many other policy sectors. National cohesion, identity, diversity, as well as the growing gaps between urban and rural areas became more important issues in this context.
In 1980, the "Federal Cultural Initiative" reinvigorated the debate on cultural policy in Switzerland. According to the initiative, one per cent of the federal budget should be spent on culture. Both the "Cultural Percentage Initiative" and the moderate counterproposal of the Federal Council of 1986 were rejected narrowly by the Swiss electorate. The Confederation introduced a further cultural initiative in 1991, through which the Federal Council sought to emphasise especially the identity-establishing function of culture both within and beyond Switzerland, on a local, regional, and national level. The initiative of 1991 highlighted culture and its promotion as an element conducive to unifying Switzerland, a country formed of four language groups and several cultural communities. In 1994, this initiative was rejected by a narrow margin.
During the 1980s, there was a growing interest on the part of the cantons and cities to increase their support for cultural and socio-cultural activities. This interest manifested itself in action and the realisation that a more comprehensive structure for cultural policy at the local level was required. Toward the end of the 1980s, the need to evaluate cultural policies appeared on political agendas. One example in this respect was the establishment of the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Culture (CCDC).
During public budget cuts in the early 1990s, responsibilities between the different levels of government concerning culture needed to be more clearly defined in areas such as the support granted to institutions of national interest, equality between different language regions of the country, and foreign policy. These developments were also influenced by the failed ballot initiative of 1992 on Switzerland's accession to the European Economic Area (EEA), which put the country's political cohesion to a serious test, as the French-speaking part of the country voted in favour of accession. However, they were outvoted by the German-speaking majority, who voted against it. The Languages Act (2007) can be considered one of the consequences of this period.
There was also renewed interest in pursuing scientific debates about culture and cultural policy as well as continuing public discussions on the establishment of a constitutional basis for cultural competencies. The promotion of culture in Switzerland was not placed on a firm constitutional basis until the revision of the Federal Constitution in 1999. Essentially, responsibility for culture continued to reside with the cantons (Art. 69 para. I BV). The new Constitution confirmed the previous responsibilities of the Confederation for the film industry (Article 71), for national heritage protection and conservation (Article 78), for language and understanding between linguistic communities (Article 70), and foreign affairs (Article 54). According to this constitutional revision, the federal government now had a legal base for the promotion of cultural endeavours of national interest and lending support to the arts, especially in the areas of film and education (Article 69 para. 2).
The legal basis of the revised constitution was passed by the Swiss Parliament as the Federal Act on the Promotion of Culture (Culture Promotion Act) at the end of 2009. This Act cements and implements Article 69 of the Federal Constitution. On this basis, strategic aims were defined for the first time for the most important actors of the Confederation between 2012 and 2015 (a periodic strategy formulated on the federal level; Culture Dispatch).
The Culture Promotion Act places great emphasis on precisely delimiting federal powers in comparison with those of the cantons, communes, and cities, which are primarily responsible for the promotion of culture. Under the Act, the financial steering of the federal government's promotion of culture is affected by means of a four-year payment framework (the Dispatch on Culture) and stands as a declaration of the cultural policy guidelines of the federal government. The law also defines cooperation between cultural policy-makers and institutions.
[1] Federal Office of Culture: Botschaft zur Förderung der Kultur in den Jahren 2021–2024, pp. 3141.
[2] vgl. Valär, Rico Franc, Georg Kreis. "Wie viel Kulturpolitik braucht die Schweiz?", 2019, pp. 123-136.
[3] vgl. Keller, Rolf. Kulturpolitik der Schweiz. In: Kompendium Kulturmanagement. Verlag Franz Vahlen, 2011, pp. 125-152.
[4] Keller, Rolf. "Kulturpolitik der Schweiz." Kompendium Kulturmanagement. Verlag Franz Vahlen, 2011, pp. 125-152.
[5] Federal Office of Culture: Botschaft zur Förderung der Kultur in den Jahren 2021–2024 (2020), pp. 3142.
[6] Federal Statistical Office: Language, religion and culture survey (2019); main language(s) (up to three per person) indicated by respondents; more on the methodological basis here.
[7] vgl. Zembylas, Tasos. Öffentliche Kulturförderung und Kulturfinanzierung, 2012.
[8] vgl. André Briel/Oliver Waespi/Daniel Zimmermann: Kulturrecht des Bundes, in: Ehrenzeller, Bernhard. Schweizerisches Bundesverwaltungsrecht, Bildungs-, Kultur-und Sprachenrecht. Vol. 9. Helbing Lichtenhahn Verlag, 2018, pp. 581ff.
[9] ibid.
[10] Source: Valär, Rico Franc, Kreis, Georg. "Wie viel Kulturpolitik braucht die Schweiz?", 2019, pp. 123-136.
Last update: July, 2021
Although its official name is the Swiss Confederation (for historical reasons), Switzerland has, in fact, been a federal state since 1848. Power is shared between the Confederation (the central state based in the capital city of Bern), the cantons (constituent states) and the communes (from which a fifth have their own parliament). All three political levels have a legislative (law-making) and an executive (law-enforcing) body. Only the Confederation and the cantons have judicial powers (courts). They are framed by a direct democracy system, which allows society to participate in and actively formulate changes through ballot initiatives.
This organigram illustrates the essential players on the federal level. The various structures for cultural support provided on the municipal and cantonal levels are numerous and quite heterogeneous and cannot be reduced to one basic model. They range from operationally separate cultural administrations with specialised staff for the different sectors of the arts and culture in most of the larger cantons and cities (e.g., Zurich, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Basel) to (ad hoc) committees in smaller cities responsible for culture, education, and sport at the same time.
Last update: July, 2021
The current constitutional basis confines federal involvement in cultural policy to a small number of sectors, such as film (funding of film production and distribution, festivals, professional training), nature and heritage conservation, languages, and educational and cultural activities of national interest including foreign affairs. Cantons and municipalities are the major players in cultural promotion, and they set their own priorities and act mostly independently from one another.
The cultural policy of the Confederation is mainly based on the interaction of four institutions:
- Federal Office of Culture (FOC),
- Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia,
- Swiss National Library (NL) (organisationally assigned to FOC), and
- Swiss National Museum (SNM).[1]
As the leading cultural policy authority, the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) (according to Art. 29 para. 1 KFG) implements the cultural policy of the Confederation and coordinates the activities of the other federal agencies.[2] FOC acts under the responsibility of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA), which mainly deals with issues such as OASI (state pension) and the health service as well as statistics, gender equality, culture and meteorology. The FDHA has been headed by Alain Berset since the beginning of 2012.
Since 2012, Parliament (the Federal Assembly) has used the "Culture Dispatch" as a strategic and financial steering instrument to discuss the federal government's cultural policy for a period of four years in principle (one legislative period).
On behalf of the Swiss Confederation, and fully financed by the federal government, Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia promotes artistic creation and cultural exchange in Switzerland on the one hand, and on the other, it works to promote Swiss culture abroad as a complement to the cultural promotion activities of the cantons and municipalities. Projects with a Swiss connection and of interest to the whole of Switzerland are supported on the basis of applications, via Pro Helvetia cultural centres and liaison offices abroad or as part of its own programme.
The FDHA (in particular: Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC), Swiss Arts Council (Pro Helvetia) and the FDFA (in particular: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Presence Suisse (PRS)) coordinate their activities within the framework of international cultural policy.
Other administrative units of the Confederation that deal with Culture as a cross-cutting issue are, for example, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) (cultural statistics), the Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (e.g. Art in Public Spaces (Kunst am Bau/Art intégré dans l’architecture) or the Swiss Federal Centre for Intellectual Property (e.g. intellectual property rights issues).[3]
As an administrative unit, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC) acts under the responsibility of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA). The FOC is the expert authority of the Swiss Confederation for Cultural policy, Cultural Promotion, and the Preservation of Culture. It supports the development and implementation of cultural policy on the federal level and prepares policy recommendations for the Swiss Parliament. It supports cultural creativity (especially in the area of film), music education and cultural organisations. It is responsible for the protection of cultural heritage and federal art collections, the preservation of historical monuments and is supporting Baukultur projects, as well as for the promotion of the various linguistic and cultural communities. The FOC includes the specialist units for looted art and cultural property transfer. It manages some museums and the art collections of the Confederation. The Swiss National Library, which includes the Swiss Literary Archives, the Swiss National Sound Archives in Lugano and the Centre Dürrenmatt in Neuchâtel, is an institution of the FOC.
The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia was established by the Federal Council in 1939 and was converted into a foundation under public law in 1949. In 1965, mandate and organisational form were laid down by law for the first time. In the recent years, Pro Helvetia[4] has been undergoing structural reform. Since the Culture Promotion Act of 2012, the financial means available to Pro Helvetia have been laid down by the Federal Council’s statement on the funding of cultural promotion by the Confederation (Culture Dispatch). According to Art. 34 para. 5a KFG, Pro Helvetia's Board of Trustees ensures the implementation of the strategic objectives set by the Federal Council and reports to the Federal Council on their achievement.
Pro Helvetia is fully funded by the federal government (approx. 45 million CHF per year, 180.5 million CHF for the period 2021-2024) and acts autonomously in a wide range of cultural sectors. Article 32 of the Culture Promotion Act describes the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia's tasks as follows: "The Swiss Arts Council fosters the diversity of artistic activities, raises awareness of Swiss arts and culture, and promotes folk culture as well as cultural exchange."
Pro Helvetia's legal mandate covers the following areas, as described in the Culture Dispatch 2021-2024 (p. 3145) and on Pro Helvetia's website (wording ENG):
- Emerging Artists: Pro Helvetia's promotion of emerging talent comprises three main aspects: Identification of talents, development of their potential and exchange with a critical public. Pro Helvetia facilitates the launch of a professional career in the arts at national or international level for artists and cultural practitioners who show the appropriate potential. In collaboration with selected partner institutions, it offers residency and coaching programmes, enables opportunities for performances or exhibitions, and grants financial support for networking.
- Artistic Creation: Pro Helvetia awards work grants, production funding and creation grants to cultural practitioners of cross-regional importance to support the creation of outstanding art creations, prototypes and productions across the arts and cultural practice. In particular, Pro Helvetia also funds projects that engage with new media and new technologies.
- Cultural exchange in Switzerland: Pro Helvetia supports artistic projects and events that contribute to the dissemination of works and understanding between the regions. Funding is provided for domestic tours, readings, concerts, exhibitions, translations and festivals.
- Cultural exchange, dissemination and promotion outside Switzerland: Pro Helvetia provides funding for events, projects and translations in order to promote Swiss art and culture outside Switzerland and to foster cultural exchange with other cultural areas. To raise awareness of Swiss artists abroad, Pro Helvetia implements measures for international promotion and funds Switzerland’s appearances as a guest country at international events. It further operates and finances six Liaison Offices worldwide: in Cairo, Johannesburg, Moscow (since 2017), New Delhi, Shanghai and South America (since 2021). The Liaison Offices maintain contact with local partners, act as intermediaries on the ground and in the respective regions, and offer residency and exchange programmes. Pro Helvetia also runs a cultural centre in Paris (Centre Culturel Suisse), contributes financially, and works in cooperation with larger partner institutions in Rome (Istituto Svizzero di Roma), San Francisco (swissnex San Francisco) and New York (Swiss Institute New York). (see chapter 1.4)
- Thematic initiatives ("Cultural stimulus"): Through specific promotion and research programmes, Pro Helvetia contributes to identifying major developments and challenges in the area of cultural promotion, develops appropriate measures and creates space and impulses that enable innovation.
- Outreach (art and culture mediation): Pro Helvetia promotes measures and innovative projects with model character that engage audiences in the process of reflecting on the arts and thus bring them closer to artistic works and performances. In particular, new forms of critical reflection on contemporary artistic and cultural creation are promoted.
With the exception of film, Pro Helvetia supports all artistic disciplines[5] as well as interdisciplinary and intercultural projects. It promotes primarily projects that it deems to be of cross-regional, national or international significance, prioritising projects of high artistic and professional quality and taking into account Switzerland’s linguistic and cultural diversity. It can also initiate its own projects on contemporary cultural matters. Around 1500 cultural projects from all regions of Switzerland are supported per year. In the five years prior to 2020 (and the "extraordinary circumstances" due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the number of applications increased from around 3 500 (2015) to over 5 000 (2017, 2018, 2019), while the share of approved applications fell from 52.3% (2015) to 48.4% (2019). According to the annual report 2020 (28.9 million; 66.6%), the annual report 2019 (25.8 million; 60.8%), the annual report of 2018 (24.7 million; 58.7%), and the annual report of 2017 (24.5 million; 61.6%), approx. 60% to 66% (24.5 to 28.9 million) of the annual budget is spent on projects resulting from applications. For its international role, see chapter 1.4.
Within the FDFA, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) supports culture through the SDC Cultural Percent with at least 1% of its operational budget allocated in its partner countries (categorised under 3 headings: small actions, programmes at country level over several years, and regional programmes). In the "Reflection Papers on Culture and Development" (FDFA/SDC, 2020), SDC’s approach to international cultural work is distinguished from that of The Swiss Artists Council Pro Helvetia: Therefore, SDC invests in the artists and cultures of partner countries, recognising them as intrinsic to a sustainable process of development: "Rather than exercise its own cultural power, Switzerland helps partner nations cultivate their own." (Source, S. 37 /ENG p.36) Through the SDC, Switzerland intends to help partner nations to strengthen their own cultural resources. In this sense, the SDC supports the promotion of arts and culture in and of SDC partner countries, for example through capacity building programmes or by facilitating access to Swiss audiences, international art markets and cultural industry networks (p.e. through film festivals or the multidisciplinary festival CULTURESCAPES). The SDC finances the Fonds culturel Sud/SüdKulturFonds (administered by the Swiss office for cultural cooperation artlink since 2010) which provides funding (appr. 725 000 CHF per year) for productions and performances in Switzerland by artists from developing countries and countries undergoing transition to democracy.
Also within the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Presence Switzerland (PRS; subordinate to the General Secretariat since 2009) is responsible for maintaining Switzerland’s image abroad, and for implementing the Federal Council’s strategy on Switzerland’s communication abroad. In 2012, PRS was merged with the Competence Centre for Cultural Foreign Policy. For the period 2021–24, PRS’s communication abroad will be guided by five thematic priorities, building on Switzerland's Foreign Policy Strategy 2020–23: innovation, the economy, Swiss-European relations, the Swiss financial centre and sustainability.
PRS supports the presence of Swiss culture abroad at events organised by the representation network and defines corresponding priorities. Cultural programmes also play a major role in the context of appearances at major international events (for example: world expos, Olympic Games, arts and design fairs). In this context, Presence Switzerland works closely with the FOC and The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.
The Swiss Federal Council's Culture Dispatch
The federal Cultural Promotion act of 2012 defines the tasks of the Confederation and institutes the different main actors, funding and cultural policies. This law institutes the Swiss Federal Council’s Culture Dispatch (started for the 2012-2015 period) as well, which sets forth strategies, priorities and budgets regarding culture for a period of four years in principle (one legislative period). It specifically addresses the expenses of the Federal Office of Culture and the budgets for the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia as well as the Swiss National Museum.
It calls for federal legislation through cultural policies, as well as political and economic strategies. As with other important projects put forward by the Federal Council or by Parliament, the consultation procedure is accorded a great deal of significance (consociational democracy). For example, 304 comments were received and evaluated on the draft Culture Dispatch 2021-2024 (including from all cantons, from organisations active in the field of culture and education, or from national business associations).
One of the tools created and consulted is the National Dialogue on Culture (since 25th October 2011), which institutes a collective conversation and collaboration to determine and develop fields of action and content for these national cultural policies (see 1.2.6). Its work programme 2021-2024 provides for the following thematic priorities: "National Strategy on Cultural Heritage", "Adequate compensation of cultural workers" and "Sustainability in cultural production".
For the funding period 2021-2024, the Swiss Federal Council has built on the three main strategic axes of action, already formulated for the period 2016-2020:
- "Cultural Participation"
- "Social Cohesion"
- "Creation and Innovation"
The most important aims of the country's efforts to promote culture include:
- to enhance the cultural participation of all population groups: to strengthen cultural and music education and intercultural skills; to enable equal access to culture for all population groups; to promote the cultural activities of laypersons and lay organisations; to foster art education and cultural education;
- to strengthen the social cohesion of a diverse population: to raise greater awareness among the Swiss population for the country's various cultures; to stimulate exchange between cultural and linguistic communities; to safeguard multilingualism as a hallmark of Switzerland; to protect the linguistic and cultural rights of minorities; to ensure linguistic freedom, and to preserve and promote minority languages; to nurture individual and institutional multilingualism in Switzerland's national languages;
- to contribute to Switzerland's attractiveness as a location for business and education; to tap and utilise the creative, innovative, and economic potentials of culture; to improve and develop the conditions for the cultural industries; to convey the rich and varied cultural life of Switzerland to tourists and visitors (e.g., the diversity of museums and collections).
- to promote a rich and varied cultural life of high quality: to foster the free development of professional artistic and cultural production in all sectors; to create favourable conditions for cultural institutions and organisations; to nurture artistic talent; to promote exchange between public, civil society, and private cultural initiatives;
- to preserve Switzerland's tangible and intangible cultural assets, that is, archaeological sites, monuments, historic townscapes, and moveable cultural assets; to gather, record, preserve, and disseminate (print, audio, video, and web) information about Switzerland; to safeguard and breathe life into Switzerland's cultural heritage; to prevent the theft, pillaging, and illegal import and export of cultural assets; to lend specialised support to the professional documentation, archiving, and collection of cultural assets;
- to ensure cultural exchange with countries abroad: to cultivate lively and balanced cultural exchange with other countries; to make known Switzerland's cultural production and cultural heritage abroad; to spread Switzerland's cultural production through international markets; to preserve Switzerland's interests, national communication, and image abroad.
Similar priorities can be found in various cantonal acts on culture.
[1] Federal Office of Culture: Botschaft zur Förderung der Kultur in den Jahren 2021–2024 (2020), S. 3142.
[2] see also: André Briel/Oliver Waespi/Daniel Zimmermann: Kulturrecht des Bundes, in: Ehrenzeller, Bernhard. Schweizerisches Bundesverwaltungsrecht, Bildungs-, Kultur-und Sprachenrecht. Vol. 9. Helbing Lichtenhahn Verlag, 2018, pp. 581ff. (Google Drive, Scan)
[3] see also: André Briel/Oliver Waespi/Daniel Zimmermann: Kulturrecht des Bundes, in: Ehrenzeller, Bernhard. Schweizerisches Bundesverwaltungsrecht, Bildungs-, Kultur-und Sprachenrecht. Vol. 9. Helbing Lichtenhahn Verlag, 2018, pp. 581ff. (Google Drive, Scan)
[4] The official term is "Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia".
[5] Architecture, visual arts, comics, design, photography, interactive media, jazz, classical contemporary music, literature, music theatre, performance, pop, dance and theatre including contemporary circus and innovative folk culture.
Last update: July, 2021
The 26 Cantons are responsible for cultural policy initiatives and their funding. Alongside the municipalities, they are significant players in cultural promotion within Switzerland, holding power to set their own priorities and act mostly independent of one another. In the 1960s, the first cultural laws were drafted and voted on in various cantons. There is also regional intercantonal cooperation in the context of cultural promotion: in 2017, for example, the Conference of Cultural Representatives of the Cantons of Eastern Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein (KBK Ost) launched the four-year pilot funding programme "Buch und Literatur Ost+" (framework credit of 400 000 CHF) to strengthen books and the literature network through cross-disciplinary research and collaboration.
The five major cities (Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern and Lausanne) play a particularly important role in driving public debate and discourse on culture. Altogether, they provide over 80% of cultural funding at city-level. They also act as members of the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Culture (CCDC).
The great heterogeneity between the cantons, cities and municipalities only allows us to give an outline of the diverse activities here. Their action is subject to the financial situation, the number of inhabitants, cultural traditions, and several other factors. Some of their competences are to:
- define cultural policy programmes;
- support institutions, organisations, programmes, and individuals;
- operate their own programmes and institutions;
- award prizes and honours.
Last update: July, 2021
The communes and cities (over 2 500) play an essential role in the policy-making level. The biggest cities count as well with their own cantonal parliament, making them autonomous articulations in the complex Swiss political structure.
On the municipal level, cultural affairs usually fall under the responsibility of a Head of Culture Department, implementing the cultural policy of the corresponding government council. Cultural administrations on the city level usually consist of very small teams with a broad portfolio of tasks, whereas the cultural offices of larger cities distribute responsibilities and areas of expertise among several employees. Tasks include:
- Support of cultural institutions that receive recurring contributions on the basis of temporary or permanent legal foundations;
- Promotion of groups and individual projects with production and deficit coverage contributions, as well as support of cultural workers via work contributions, scholarships, prizes and honorary gifts (often awarded based on recommendations from cultural commissions), with the provision of studios at home and abroad and the purchase of works of art;
- Development of cultural strategies, general cultural tasks and communication; organising cultural events.
One crucial committee is the Municipalities’ culture conference (Städtekonferenz Kultur, SKK, since 2010 (formerly: Conference of Swiss Cities for Cultural Affairs (KSK; 1984-2009)).Within the SKK, the cultural policy delegates of the member cities usually meet twice a year to determine strategies for Swiss cultural policy, pass resolutions, or issue statements. Cultural policy and the promotion of culture in Switzerland is undertaken jointly by the Swiss Confederation, the cantons, and the communes. The SKK, therefore, cooperates with the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC), the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, and the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Culture (CCDC).
The current 32 members of the Municipalities’ culture conference are bigger and smaller cities - in relation to the total population: around half of the member cities have less than 35 000 inhabitants, and in addition to the largest Swiss city, Zurich (over 420 000 inhabitants), all five larger cities with over 100'000 inhabitants are members. Eligible for membership are all Swiss municipalities with a resident population of more than 10 000 people that perform a "central function" and promote culture at a professional level. SKK is the lobbying body of the cities to the cantons and Confederation in terms of cultural policy-making. On the international level, the Conference manages artists’ ateliers in countries such as Egypt, Italy, Argentina and Serbia (since 2020).
Last update: July, 2021
Private players such as foundations and sponsors play a significant role in the Swiss cultural sector when compared to other European countries. According to Swiss Foundations, there are six times more foundations per capita in Switzerland than in the USA or Germany, more than 13 000 charitable foundations, with total assets of just under CHF 100 billion.[1] Around a quarter of all Swiss foundations support cultural projects, with up to half a billion CHF per annum directed towards cultural purposes. Swiss foundations also play a role in the international field of art. For example, the Roswitha Haftmann Foundation Prize, worth 150 000 CHF, is the highest endowed European art prize.[2]
As mentioned in the Culture Dispatch 2021-2024, in addition to the charitable foundations, private companies support culture to the sum of about 370 million CHF annually, with sponsoring accounting for about 50 per cent of the total amount.[3] One of the country's most important private promoters of culture is Migros, Switzerland's largest retail company, which - to put it simply - dedicates one per cent of its turnover to cultural purposes (Migros Culture Percentage). In 2020, 142 million CHF were spent on projects in the areas of culture, society, education, leisure and business.
The importance of the private sector's commitment to the Swiss cultural landscape is also evident in the museum sector, with the anchoring in private and local structures giving museums added legitimacy. According to the Federal Office of Culture[4], the main funding bodies of Swiss museums (almost 1 100 museums in 2018) are evenly distributed between public and private actors, with cities and municipalities on the one hand and associations on the other being the most important funding bodies.
The data on the quantitative share of the private sector in the total volume of cultural promotion is insufficient: according to estimates, approximately every sixth to seventh CHF for cultural promotion comes from the private sector. Keller, Rolf. Kulturpolitik der Schweiz. In: Kompendium Kulturmanagement. Verlag Franz Vahlen, 2011. p. 130). A study (sample survey) on cultural policy in the cantons of Zurich, Glarus, Schaffhausen, both Appenzells, St. Gallen, Thurgau and the Principality of Liechtenstein, in the period from 2008 to 2018, showed only minor shifts over time in the financing structure of institutions and projects: the share of public funding for supported cultural institutions was between 40 and 47 per cent, and between 33 and 40 per cent for projects. (Schwenkel, Christof; Ritz, Manuel; Stamm, Mélanie; La Mantia, Alexandra (2020): Entwicklungen in der Kulturförderung in der Ostschweiz und im Fürstentum Liechtenstein seit 2008, Interface Politikstudien Forschung Beratung, Luzern.)
Many other associations, professional organisations of cultural players and foundations, influence cultural matters. In all cultural sectors, there are organisations that represent professional cultural workers and advocate for their interests. These organisations can be supported by the Confederation with structural contributions on the basis of a call for proposals. Realigned in the 2016-2020 funding period, support has since focused on organisations of national importance (e.g. representation of language communities) that work to improve the working conditions of their members. With the newly considered discipline "Interactive Media", 12 organisations are currently supported in the funding period 2021-2024:
Support for professional cultural organisations (March 2021)
(total annual amount CHF 2 451 000)
- A*dS Authors of Switzerland
- ARF/FDS Swiss Association of Film Directors and Screenwriters
- DS Danse Suisse Professional Association of Swiss Dance Professionals
- GSFA Swiss Animated Film Group
- SBV Swiss Stage Association
- SDA Swiss Design Association
- SGDA Swiss Game Developers Association (annual contribution of CHF 11'900.-)
- SMV Swiss Musicians' Association
- SONART Musicians Switzerland
- SSFV Swiss Syndicate Film and Video
- t. Theatre Professionals Switzerland
- Visarte Professional Association of Visual Arts Switzerland (CHF 383 100.-, highest annual contribution )
With operating contributions to third-party networks, the Confederation promotes nationally oriented, nationally and internationally networked Competence Centres, which have been defined as follows since 2018: A network provides nationally and internationally recognised expertise services for the benefit of other cultural institutions in the areas of cataloguing, preservation or communication of cultural heritage. (Culture Dispatch 2021-2024, p. 3210)
The networks supported by the Confederation on this basis in the period 2021-2024 include:
- Thematic networks
- Association of Museums in Switzerland (supported since 2014)
- the Swiss Museum Pass (supported since 2014)
- the Alpine Museum of Switzerland (supported as a network since 2019).
- Audiovisual heritage networks
- the Swiss Foundation for Photography (Fotostiftung Schweiz) (photo foundation, supported by the Confederation since its foundation in 1971)
- the Association for the Preservation of the Swiss Audiovisual Heritage - Memoriav (supported since 2010)
- SAPA - Swiss Performing Arts Archive (supported by the FOC since the merger in 2017, although the predecessor institutions - the Swiss Dance Archive and the Swiss Theatre Archive - were already supported by the Confederation).
- New is the support of the association "Bibliosuisse" from 2021 in the area of librarianship
[1]https://www.swissfoundations.ch/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Stiftungsreport-2020_D_Web.pdf
[2] Federal Office of Culture: Culture in Switzerland - Pocket Statistics (2020).
[3]Federal Statistical Office: Kulturfinanzierung durch die Unternehmen, Neuchâtel 2003, p. 32ff.
[4] Federal Office of Culture: Culture in Switzerland - Pocket Statistics (2020).
Last update: July, 2021
National Dialogue on Culture
Considering the specificity of the Swiss system in matters of cultural policy-making, on the 25 October 2011, the federal government, cantons, cities, and communes signed a Convention for a National Dialogue on Culture. It has both a political and operational level, both meeting twice per year. It reunites the representatives of different political authorities – Cantons, Cities, Communes and the Confederation. The Convention marks a first step toward the implementation of the Culture Dispatch and is aimed at establishing closer cooperation between the various levels of the state in the future.
The National Cultural Dialogue is the common platform for discussion and cooperation. As an example, the Culture Dispatch 2016–2020 points out "Cultural Participation" as an essential topic and strategy, to which the National Dialogue on Culture gathered different partners and published the first strategic manual to reinforce cultural participation. This document reflects on strategies and challenges regarding cultural participation from different perspectives.
The National Dialogue on Culture also creates the working plan for the period to come corresponding to the Culture Dispatch and has proven to not only produce recommendations, but also to be a transversal voice to raise both solutions and challenges to come. The stirring partners of this Dialogue are the chief of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA), the representatives of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education, the Union of Swiss Cities, and the Association of Swiss Communes. With the 2021-2024 work programme the topics "National Strategy on Cultural Heritage", "Adequate Compensation for Cultural Producers" and "Sustainability in cultural production" will be addressed.
Inter-ministerial or intergovernmental cooperation
The Conference of Cantonal Directors of Culture (CCDC) and the Municipalities’ culture conference (SKK) were established more as discussion forums than horizontal coordination bodies. Both meet biannually and invite representatives of the Swiss Federal Office of Culture and the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia to attend as observers. There is little cooperation between the two conferences.
The FOC, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, PRS and the SADC meet regularly to exchange information, and coordinate and cooperate on projects, programmes, mandates and international collaborative ventures.
Last update: July, 2021
Cultural matters in Switzerland pivot on the cooperation of the Federal Office of Culture, The Swiss National Library (the organisational unit of the FOC), the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and The Swiss National Museum.
There are only a few national cultural institutions in Switzerland. These include the Swiss National Library, the Swiss Literary Archive, the Cinémathèque Suisse, and the Swiss National Sound Archives. The Swiss Literary Archive and the National Sound Archives accomplish, in close cooperation with the Swiss National Library, a principle set of tasks set out in the National Library Act, which are collecting, cataloguing, and making content that is connected in one way or another with Switzerland's history and culture available to the public. The Swiss National Museum in Zurich, together with the Château de Prangins, the Forum Schweizer Geschichte Schwyz - and the associated collection centre in Affoltern am Albis, form the SNM museum group, an institution under public law as a decentralised unit attached to the FDHA. According to Articles 4 and 7 of the Museums and Collections Act of 12 June 2009 (MSG), its mandate includes presenting the history of Switzerland and dealing with Switzerland's diverse identity.
Switzerland has one of the highest concentrations of museums in the world. Since 1950, the number of museums in Switzerland has tripled, and as an example of their extraordinary use, 13.3 million admissions were recorded to more than 1 100 museums in 2018.[1]
Since the early 1990s, private collections of contemporary art have shown a new tendency to establish their own museums or collections - often designed and built by internationally renowned architects.
In Switzerland, there are about 6 000 libraries. Most of the 10 largest libraries (which are home to more than 55 million media units) are university libraries and, at the same time, cantonal and city libraries. Since 2020, the holdings of over 470 libraries have been accessible on the research platform Swisscovery.
The Swiss National Library
Founded in 1895, the Swiss National Library is an Institution of the Swiss Federal Office of Culture. It collects, lists, conserves and makes accessible all the printed or digital information linked to Switzerland. The law of the 18th December 1992 on the Swiss National Library constitutes its legal basis. It mentions: "The National Library oversees that all the Swiss publications are accessible to researchers, Swiss or Foreign, and that Swiss publications are preserved in a long-lasting and secure way, contributing to the preservation of the Swiss memory in collaboration with other Institutions. It collaborates closely with the cantonal and university libraries in Switzerland and abroad, in particular, the National European Libraries".
[1] Federal Office of Culture: Culture in Switzerland - Pocket Statistics (2020), p.60.
Last update: July, 2021
Table 1: Cultural institutions, by sector and domain
| Domain | Cultural institutions (subdomains) | Public sector | Private sector | |
| Total | Number (year) | Number (year) | ||
| Cultural heritage | UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage | 12**** | 9 cultural and 3 natural sites (2019)**** | |
| Archaeological sites | 38 804**** | 38 804 (2016)**** | ||
| Monuments | 271 527**** | 271 527 (2016)**** | ||
| Protected monuments classified as of national importance | 752**** | 752 (4%) (2016)**** | ||
| Museums | Museum institutions | 1 129 (2019)* (2015: 1 131) | 29.5% (2018)**** | 70.5% (2018)**** |
| Museum institutions: main funding body | 50.6% (2018)**** | 46.1% (2018)**** | ||
| Art Museums | 170******** | 170 (2019) (171 in 2015) ******** | ||
| Archives/ Libraries | Archive institutions, Libraries | (public and private sector) 673 workplaces (2018); 224 businesses (2018)***/W | (public and private sector) +19.8% (workplaces); +19.1% (businesses) (2011-2018)***/W | |
| Performing arts | Theatre houses (professional theatre) | around 78 SBV | around 78 (est.; 2020) SBV | |
| Professional Dance companies | around 300****** | around 300 (2020)****** | ||
| Theatres with its own dance ensemble | 6****** | 6 (2020)****** | ||
| Professional Ballet ensembles | 4 ******* | |||
| Orchestras (full-time; classical music) | 13**** | 13 (2020)**** | ||
| Orchestras | around 200***** | around 200 (40 youth orchestras) (2020) ***** | ||
| Audiovisual | Cinemas | 601 Auditoriums | 263 venues (2020; 2016: 278) ** / 601 Auditoriums (2020)** | |
| Multiplex-Cinemas | from 2.3% (1995) to 27.8% (2019) (cinemas with only one auditorium: from 61.3 % (1995) to 27.8% (2019))** |
Source(s):
* Federal Office of Culture: Museen: Struktur und Finanzierung (2021)
** Federal Statistical Office:Kinoinfrastruktur nach Kinotypen (2021)
*** Federal Statistical Office: Kulturbetriebe: Unternehmen, Arbeitsstätten, Beschäftigte und Vollzeitäquivalente nach Kulturbereich 2011-2018 (2020)
**** Federal Office of Culture: Culture in Switzerland - Pocket Statistics (2020)
***** The exact number of orchestras is unknown. Estimate based on number of member orchestras of Swiss Federal Association of Orchestras, EOV
****** estimate based on Reso - Dance Network Switzerland
******* with classical and neo-classical repertoire: the Zurich Ballet, the Ballet Basel, the Ballet Béjart in Lausanne and the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève.
******** Federal Statistical Office: Museen: Struktur und Finanzierung 2015-2019 (2021)
SBV: Estimate based on number of members of Schweizerische Bühnenverband SBV (Union of Swiss Theatres UST).
W Definiton "Workplaces" (Arbeitstätten): "A workplace corresponds to an enterprise (sole proprietorship) or part of an enterprise (workshop, factory, etc.) located in a specific place. This place can be determined topographically. One or more persons carry out activities there for the same enterprise." Source: Federal Statistical Office: Statistik der Unternehmensstruktur (STATENT)
Last update: July, 2021
The Federal Council defined three central axes of action for federal cultural policy for the first time in its Culture Dispatch 2016-2020. Largely based on continuity in terms of content, these axes of action for the period 2021-2024 are maintained: cultural participation, social cohesion, creation and innovation.
Digitisation and the public cultural sector
The Culture Dispatch 2021-2024 places special emphasis on the ongoing process of digitisation shaping all areas of society. Planned measures related to public cultural institutions include:
- As in the past, Pro Helvetia will regularly review the impact of digitisation on funding instruments in all disciplines and adapt them where necessary, for example opening up funding instruments for artistic works that are not tied to physical carrier media. The "Culture and Business" programme, which has been established since 2016 with a funding focus on design and interactive media, will be integrated into the regular funding activities in order to, among other things, help realise the potential of young developers.
- The SNM, the museums of the FOC and the NL will increasingly address original digital cultural assets ("digitally born") and further develop their 4D object and image database. The SNM will also complete the digital transformation in the areas of marketing and communication.
- In addition to the ongoing digitisation of significant works from its museums and collections, the FOC will examine whether it will award project grants for digitisation projects of museums and collections in the future.
More support for Museums of national importance
In 2017, the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) issued its first public call for proposals for operating grants to museums (decision by a jury of six experts). 35 museums submitted a funding application. From 2018, the FOC will support 13 museums (previously seven) with an annual operating grant totalling around CHF 5.9 million per year (one million more than in 2017). The selection of institutions was previously determined in the Culture Dispatch by the Federal Council and Parliament.
To be eligible for support, the museums must (1) be of national importance and quality, (2) have a unique collection of high cultural value that is significant for Switzerland's cultural heritage, and (3) carry out innovative and broad-based outreach work. These 13 institutions will be supported with an operating grant for the years 2018 to 2022:
- Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau (AG)
- Alpine Museum of Switzerland, Bern (BE)
- Ballenberg, Open-Air Museum of Switzerland, Hofstetten b. Brienz (BE)
- HeK (House of Electronic Arts Basel), Münchenstein (BL)
- Laténium, Hauterive (NE)
- Musée Ariana (Musée suisse de la céramique et du verre), Genève (GE)
- Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne (VD)
- Museo d'arte della Svizzera italiana, Lugano (TI)
- Roman city of Augusta Raurica, Augst (BL)
- Stiftsbibliothek - Abbey Library of St. Gallen (SG)
- Technorama, Winterthur (ZH)
- Swiss Museum of Transport, Lucerne (LU)
- Vitromusée, Romont (FR)
Public-private-partnerships
Since its establishment, Switzerland has had a very strong tradition of federalism and subsidiarity. The recent discussion in Europe on civil society, the third sector, and the corresponding transfer of public responsibilities to private institutions has therefore not affected the country's cultural landscape in any strong way. Decentralisation, the re-allocation of public responsibilities, and public-private-partnerships are thus well embodied.
Re-allocations in the public sector
Re-allocation of public responsibilities can be observed within the public sector. For example, following a local referendum, the responsibility for the Zurich Opera House was transferred from the City to the Canton of Zurich in 1994. Voluntary agreements were made with neighbouring cantons to provide resources for the upkeep of the Opera House. The transfer of financial support can occur in the form of a percentage of the fiscal income of the previous year or as a lump sum. Such inter-cantonal cultural expenditure agreements exist between cantons serving as cultural centres (opera houses, museums with a national outreach, such as the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne) and neighbouring cantons. Under these agreements, cantons operating cultural facilities of supra-regional importance receive compensation. Such agreements are subject to direct negotiations between the respective cantons on the basis of the principles of national revenue sharing and financial compensation. Payments to be made by the Canton of Aargau, for instance, are calculated from the percentage of its visitors to the Schauspielhaus Zürich (Zurich Playhouse), the Zurich Opera House and Tonhalle, the Lucerne Theatre, the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, and the Culture and the Lucerne Convention Centre. Large parts of the Swiss cultural landscape are marked by cooperation between public and private players. Re-allocation can mainly be observed between the public context and the intermediary sector. One example is the establishing of a National Centre of Competency for Photography by a private patron and the Federal Office of Culture in 2003.
Last update: July, 2021
The cultural aims of the Confederation within its diplomatic mission is articulated by three main points: institutional collaboration and networking, the promotion and dissemination of Swiss culture and artists abroad and investing in the artists and cultures of partner countries, recognising them as intrinsic to a sustainable process of development.
Overview
The FDHA (in particular: Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC), Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia) and the FDFA (in particular: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Presence Suisse (PRS)) coordinate their activities within the framework of international cultural policy. The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, and the Swissnex network complete the activities and collaborate with one another to coordinate their actions and resources. By cultivating relations with regional authorities, cities and institutions outside Switzerland, the cantons and cities play an important role in facilitating partnerships on different levels.
The Federal Office of Culture’s (FOC) international engagement focuses on political exchanges, the establishment of relevant framework conditions and the representation of Switzerland in various multilateral platforms. It oversees implementing and monitoring institutional cooperation regarding bilateral film coproduction, transfer of cultural goods, as well as for various Cultural Conventions of UNESCO and the Council of Europe. It cooperates with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) for most of these topics.
Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia's work focuses on cultural and artistic exchanges (except for the film sector, which is the responsibility of the FOC). It provides funding for events, projects and translations in order to promote Swiss art and culture outside Switzerland and to foster cultural exchange with other cultural areas. To raise awareness of Swiss artists abroad, Pro Helvetia implements measures for international promotion and funds Switzerland’s appearances as a guest country at international events. It further operates and finances six Liaison Offices worldwide: in Cairo, Johannesburg, Moscow (since 2017), New Delhi, Shanghai and South America (since 2021). The Liaison Offices maintain contact with local partners, act as intermediaries on the ground and in the respective regions, and offer residency and exchange programmes. Pro Helvetia also runs a cultural centre in Paris (Centre Culturel Suisse), contributes financially, and works in cooperation with larger partner institutions in Rome (Istituto Svizzero di Roma), San Francisco (swissnex San Francisco) and New York (Swiss Institute New York). (see chapter 1.4)
According to the Culture Dispatch 2021-2024, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia makes a significant contribution to the presentation of around 5000 Swiss cultural events each year in over 120 countries. According to the annual report 2020, besides its domestic activities (43.2% of all projects), Pro Helvetia supported over 2400 Swiss art and cultural projects in 105 countries (over 70% of projects in Europe) in 2020, compared to 4500 projects in 120 countries in 2019 (around 70% of projects in Europe).
The main priorities for the 2021-2024 period are keeping this bridge-building of international dialogue, promoting cooperation, disseminating, promoting Swiss culture and arts, nourishing Swiss participation abroad, and creating new international exchanges and networks in yet untapped regions and markets.
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) offers its network of external representations and different promotional platforms to the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) to assist in the fulfilment of its cultural policy projects outside Switzerland. The FDFA is also responsible for maintaining contacts with the relevant organisations in the multilateral field. As the FDHA is responsible for the projects’ content, the coordination mechanisms and regular information exchange ensure healthy collaboration between the two departments.
Within the FDFA, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) supports culture through the SDC Cultural Percent with at least 1% of its operational budget in its partner countries (categorised under 3 headings: small actions, programmes at country level over several years, and regional programmes). In the "Reflection Papers on Culture and Development" (FDFA/SDC, 2020), SDC’s approach to international cultural work is distinguished from that of The Swiss Artists Council Pro Helvetia: Therefore, SDC invests in the artists and cultures of partner countries, recognising them as intrinsic to a sustainable process of development: "Rather than exercise its own cultural power, Switzerland helps partner nations cultivate their own." (Source, S. 37 /ENG p.36) Through the SDC, Switzerland intends to help partner nations to strengthen their own cultural resources. In this sense, the SDC supports the promotion of arts and culture in and of SDC partner countries, for example through capacity building programmes or by facilitating access to Swiss audiences, international art markets and cultural industry networks (e.g. through film festivals or the multidisciplinary festival CULTURESCAPES). The SDC finances the Fonds culturel Sud/SüdKulturFonds (administered by the Swiss office for cultural cooperation artlink since 2010) which provides funding (appr. 725 000 CHF per year) for productions and performances in Switzerland by artists from developing countries and countries undergoing transition to democracy. According to Switzerland's International Cooperation Strategy 2021–24, development cooperation concentrates on the following four priority regions: North Africa and the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia (Central, South and South-East Asia) and Eastern Europe.
Also within the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Presence Switzerland (PRS; subordinate to the General Secretariat since 2009) is responsible for maintaining Switzerland’s image abroad, and for implementing the Federal Council’s strategy on Switzerland’s communication abroad. In 2012, PRS was merged with the Competence Centre for Cultural Foreign Policy. For the period 2021–24, PRS’s communication abroad will be guided by five thematic priorities, building on Switzerland's Foreign Policy Strategy 2020–23: innovation, the economy, Swiss-European relations, the Swiss financial centre and sustainability.
PRS supports the presence of Swiss culture abroad at events organised by the representation network and defines corresponding priorities. Cultural programmes also play a major role in the context of appearances at major international events (for example: world expos, Olympic Games, arts and design fairs). In this context, Presence Switzerland works closely with the FOC and The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.
Other
The constitution grants the cantons subsidiary competence in foreign affairs, particularly as regards the conclusion of treaties on matters that lie within their own jurisdiction and when dealing directly with lower ranking foreign authorities (Art. 56). The cantons have acted accordingly on a cultural level by cultivating relations with regional authorities, cities and institutions outside Switzerland. The cantons and cities play an important role in facilitating partnerships on different levels, which is demonstrated by the artists-in-residence opportunities offered by the Swiss Confederation, cantons, and cities (http://www.artists-in-residence.ch).
Last update: July, 2021
The FDFA is in charge of institutional contacts at international organisations, whereas the FDHA is responsible for the content of cultural dossiers discussed within these institutions. The FDHA and FDFA thus cooperate closely on multilateral cultural issues. As a non-member state of the EU, Switzerland has limited access to European programmes. Swiss participation in the Creative Europe programme is currently pending.
While the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) oversees cooperation at a macro-level (New Regional Policy- NRP, Interreg B), the cantons are principally responsible for the implementation of cross-border cooperation within the framework of the Interreg-programmes of the EU (Interreg A).
The status of the country within the EU is unique as it is not a member of the EU, yet is a member of the EEA and closely bound to the EU, both economically and culturally, being that it is surrounded by member states of the EU. Many questions currently remain unanswered about the relationship between Switzerland and the EU: after seven years of negotiations, the Federal Council informed the EU in May 2021 that it would not sign the Framework Agreement because substantial differences still existed in key areas of the agreement.
Regarding the different strategies, programmes and actors, the Culture Dispatch for the period 2021-2024 identifies a Bilateral and a Multilateral plan.
Bilateral level: Bilateral cooperation is executed both within and without Europe. During the 2016-2020 period, the Confederation expanded its network of cultural cooperation agreements. A general cultural cooperation agreement was signed with China, whereas sectoral technical agreements were signed with Peru and Mexico for the transfer of cultural assets, and with Mexico for Swiss schools abroad. Moreover, cinematographic coproduction agreements have been revised with the French community in Belgium and Canada.
Also in the 2016-2020 funding period, the federation launched the "International Panorama" project in order to attain an overview of cultural cooperation between Switzerland and other countries at the cantonal, municipal and intercity level.
The constitution grants the cantons subsidiary competence in foreign affairs, particularly as regards the conclusion of treaties on matters that lie within their own jurisdiction and when dealing directly with lower ranking foreign authorities (Art. 56). The cantons have acted accordingly on a cultural level by cultivating relations with regional authorities, cities and institutions outside Switzerland. There are rich and extremely varied international cultural cooperative ventures led by Swiss municipal authorities. However, to date there has been no uniform approach to documenting this cooperation. The collation of this data from the cantons, municipalities and cities will enable an overview or "Panorama" of this cultural activity.
Cities and cantons often manage their own or share artists' studios abroad. For example, the cantons of Schwyz and Zug, together with the central Swiss cantons of Uri, Nidwalden and Obwalden, maintain a residential studio in New York. Cantons and cities initiate cooperation and projects with foreign cities, regions, or foundations. This cooperation generally receives no support from governmental institutions at the federal level. This kind of direct contact enables spontaneous collaborations to form and keeps bureaucratic red tape to a minimum. Grants and stipends allow cultural producers to spend time abroad. A few studios, on the other hand, are provided by the federal government, especially by the Federal Office of Culture (two studios each in London and New York) and by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, which supports residencies in various countries and cities around the world. Intercultural networks and cooperation develop from these dynamics.
Switzerland's cultural diversity, primarily drawn from its significant foreign population, and its location "in the heart" of Europe, has led to a steady increase in national and transnational intercultural exchange programmes. Switzerland is a typical immigration and emigration country, aware that it owes its current standard of living not least to the economic and cultural exchange provided by its immigrants and emigrants. The Federal Office for Migration, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Federal Office of Culture, all maintain constant relations with key international organisations, such as the Council of Europe.
The scientific studies, evaluations, and practice-oriented pilot projects of the not-for-profit Swiss Academy for Development (SAD), for instance, contribute to the constructive shaping of collective life in pluralistic societies within and beyond their national borders. Their programmes include health, education and employment both within and outside Switzerland and are aimed at the most disadvantaged groups of the population. SAD works closely with the Swiss Network for Education and International Cooperation and belongs to the Permanent Consultative Council (PCC) of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS).
As is also often the case in Swiss foreign cultural and educational policy, aims vary among those involved in intercultural dialogues. The participants themselves also accordingly fund transnational exchange programmes or language stays. Student exchange programmes, like Education First or the AFS intercultural exchanges, are popular among young people; with neither programme receiving public funding.
For the period 2021-2024, the Culture Dispatch intends to reinforce the relations with the neighbouring countries of Germany, Austria, France and Italy.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation targets its support at developing countries. Within Switzerland's enlargement contribution, 57 countries from all continents are active partners. The SADC established in April 2019 a list of priority countries and focused regions with whom bilateral development cooperation, contribution or humanitarian aid takes place.
Multilateral level: For the Confederation, the main cultural multilateral platforms are the European Union, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the International Organisation of the Francophonie.
In Europe, the European Union (EU) is the main cultural actor, with programmes such as "Creative Europe" (MEDIA and Culture). The Federal Council hoped to conclude an agreement with the EU to participate in the EU’s 2014-2020 programmes, yet this objective was not achieved. The Confederation has implemented a number of compensatory support measures to offset the knock-on effects for the Swiss professional sector. According to the FDFA, "Participation is under consideration for the upcoming 2021–27 programme." (06/2021).
The EU Promotion Programme "Youth in Action" is also part of Switzerland's portfolio. Up until 2013, the EU has granted a total of 886 million EUR towards the promotion of youth groups, youth charities, and youth facilities in 33 countries. Through these various means, the EU intends to strengthen the civic spirit, solidarity, and democratic commitment among young people, and to enhance their mobility and cooperation in Europe.
Switzerland is also actively involved in the EU Programme for Lifelong Learning. The European Commission has merged its various initiatives in the areas of general and occupational training (Comenius, Leonardo da Vinci, and Grundtvig) into a single programme, the so-called Programme for Lifelong Learning. Switzerland has been an associate member of this Programme since 1 January 2011.
Switzerland was elected in November 2019 to the Executive Board of UNESCO for the period 2019-2023. UNESCO currently faces financial difficulties following the retreat of some of its members, which entails a refocusing of the organisation’s activities on its priorities. The Confederation has ratified all UNESCO’s cultural conventions, such as world heritage, transfer of cultural goods, and intangible cultural heritage. Concerning cultural heritage, Switzerland currently hosts nine protected cultural sites and three natural world heritage sites. La Fête des Vignerons de Vevey, the Basel Carnival, the knowledge of avalanche management and the art and construction in dry stone are some of the Swiss elements entered on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The European Council has also currently been committing to austerity measures due to broader intra-European political considerations. The Confederation, therefore, has declared its engagement in protecting the place of culture within the organisation. The Confederation actively implements the cultural conventions of the Council of Europe that it has ratified. It has also engaged in the steering committee for culture, heritage and landscape, in the cultural routes programme as well as in the Eurimages programme – of great importance for the cinematographic landscape.
The International Organisation of the Francophonie is also an essential partner in current Swiss multilateral cultural policy. The Confederation participates in ministerial cultural conferences and accompanies the implementation of the organisation’s cultural policies.
Last update: July, 2021
Switzerland, through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), considers the importance of supporting local and regional, cultural and artistic projects in partner countries in the belief that culture, art, and artists, have an essential role in society. Through this, cultural identity preservation, freedom of speech, economic and social development are important factors in development. The work of the SDC is complementary to the work engaged by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia. However, there are overlaps and cooperation in the area of cultural exchange and cultural dialogue with developing and transition countries. For example, based on an SDC mandate, Pro Helvetia supports and promotes the local professional art scene and regional exchange in southern Africa.
Projects are initiated and run with its liaison offices in order to facilitate direct exchange between professional cultural producers in Switzerland and the corresponding countries in various regions of the world (Arab region, southern Africa, southern Asia, China and Russia).
Swiss institutions are also responsible for inviting guests from particular countries, initiating joint projects, or awarding contracts. Professional cooperation occurs both by way of public cultural promotion and through private activities. Increasingly popular are the temporary guest residencies in studios provided by cantons, cities, or cultural associations to foreign cultural producers, enabling an exchange between the local professional scene and countries abroad.