Switzerland is increasingly confronted with challenges that call for global solutions. The pandemic and climate change are only the most obvious examples. They also include security policy, international tensions, demographic developments, digitalization, and many more besides. What can a small country like ours do to help solve global problems of this sort?  

As a native of a country even smaller than Switzerland, I’m well aware of the special room for maneuver you have when things are on a manageable scale. Models that prove themselves in the experimental laboratory of a small nation radiate out to the international level. The world admires the success of Switzerland with its openness and aptitude for integration, its labor market, its federal structures, and its comparatively moderate fiscal burden. This country’s reliability, stability, and security don’t just earn it a good reputation; they are also the foundation of a successful economy with a global reach. 

For this reason it’s vitally important to work for the economic, social, and cultural wellbeing of our small country. This is why my love of Avenir Suisse also has a global component. The think tank’s role is to make sure that Switzerland becomes even more firmly established as a liberal point of reference whose influence continues to be felt abroad. Avenir Suisse does this in a dedicated, well-founded, and effective manner. The people at our think tank help ensure that Switzerland will remain a recognized best practice model beyond its modest borders in the future as well. 

In our capacity as Switzerland’s leading independent think tank, in times of crisis we at Avenir Suisse are particularly concerned to present the liberal, free-market and research-based ideas that are key to assuring this country’s prosperity now and, most importantly, in the future. 

 In 2020 each of us experienced first-hand how quickly a pandemic can put familiar ways of life and doing business under pressure, and how government rules and regulations motivated by health policy can radically curtail individual and economic freedoms. 

 This made it all the more important for us to contribute liberally motivated, economically sound models to the public and political debate in the year of coronavirus. 

 In a huge joint effort from our research team at the beginning of the first wave of the pandemic, we analyzed in short order the economic implications of a comprehensive shutdown and the risk of renationalization efforts in the name of economic policy.   

 At the same time we maintain our aspiration of being the opinion leader for liberal solutions in this country. This is what prompted us to present a coronavirus exit plan early on in the proceedings. 

 Opinion leadership also means that Avenir Suisse constantly reminds people of the value that Swiss business generates and the responsibility that companies assume in this country, underscoring all this with precise data and facts. 

 Corporate responsibility goes way beyond economic considerations. Companies also add cultural and social value. This is reason enough to point out the erosion of frameworks not just in time, but ahead of time, and make people aware in clear, concise language. 

 The billions spent on government financial aid to manage the pandemic have led to an explosion in the public spending ratio, and in some cases act like opiates. Withdrawal is urgently needed again, in the form of rapid debt reduction.  

 Here too we share our insights in analyses, debates, digital events, media interviews, blogs, and opinion pieces in the leading newspapers – adding new perspectives as part of the process of shaping opinion in our direct democracy.   

Who’s behind Avenir Suisse? The media often puts it as “business” or describes us as the “business-friendly think tank.” But there are other ways of putting it: Avenir Suisse represents around 160 donors who together employ hundreds of thousands of people. So Avenir Suisse earns its legitimacy not just with outstanding research, but also from its broad donor base. In 2020, a year marked by coronavirus, the think tank stepped up to the plate to make its voice heard as efforts to manage the pandemic forced measures that often stood in contradiction to our liberal solutions and ideals.  

The response to our analysis, where Avenir Suisse took stock of and evaluated the political and official measures, was all the greater. Our level-headed but resolute views got broad coverage in the media and a good response among members of the public, and particularly in the business community. This is reflected in the performance of the Support Foundation: in this year of crisis Avenir Suisse managed to buck the cycle. While many parts of the economy suffered financial loss, we were able to count on a loyal base of supporters. I would like to thank you warmly for not allowing your contribution to fall victim to cost-cutting even in these difficult times. It really motivates us to continue to justify your support by producing indispensable work.