Learn more about the actors, policy and the instruments of the Swiss trade promotion in general.

Actors
Policy
Instruments

Also read on Swiss trade promotion in China.
Also read the publications on the Swiss foreign economy.

Learn more about the actors of the Swiss trade promotion in general.

Numerous Swiss government bodies, as well as State-controlled and private organizations, including SwissCham, are involved in the promotion and support of Swiss imports, exports, outbound and inbound investment.

On the governmental level, the implementation of the external trade policy is shared between the Federal Department (or ministry) of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and the State Secretariat to the Economy (seco).

seco (in lower case) is subordinated to the Federal Department (or ministry) of the Economic Affairs (FDEA).

FDFA focuses on political aspects, whereas seco puts an emphasis on economic issues.

FDFA and seco mainly rely on OSEC, a semi-private, State-controlled organization.

Also known as Business Network Switzerland, the Swiss Office of Commercial Expansion (OSEC) is a non-profit organization mandated by the Swiss government to support Swiss companies abroad. It coordinates a network of 16 representative offices or "hubs" worldwide which deliver basic information, consulting and marketing services. OSEC is subordinated to seco. However, the hubs hosted by an embassy or consulate are subordinated to FDFA.

The implementation of the external trade policy is shared between EDA, seco and OSEC. seco is primarily responsible to the Federal Council, but operationally it is OSEC which is in charge, under the monitoring of seco. EDA, through its embassies and consulates, supports OSEC's representations or "hubs" abroad.

OSEC's China Hub now reports to the new Asia Regional Hub located in Singapore.

Private organizations mainly include the bilateral Swiss chambers of commerce, including SwissCham China.

Back to Switzerland's Foreign Trade Promotion.
^Back to top^

Learn more about the policy of the Swiss trade promotion in general.

The Government redefines regularly its external economic policy in a yearly Report on Switzerland's External Policy which constitutes guidelines for improving access by Swiss companies to foreign markets.

In its 2004 Report, the Government revealed a new strategy and described the objectives of the Swiss external economic policy. It outlined globalization and the increasing importance of services, finance and intellectual property, as well as the ever closer inter-dependence between the internal and external markets. Switzerland’s involvement in multilateral organizations, as well as its support to developing and under-developed countries, were reaffirmed, as they contribute to a stable external economic development.

The activity and the interaction among these numerous actors has been, upon request of the Parliament, assessed in 2005 by the Federal Audit Office in a Report on the Federal Policy of External Trade.

On 28 February 2007, the Swiss government approved its latest Report on Switzerland's Foreign Trade Promotion Policy for 2008-2011. Taking into account among other things the Report of the Federal Audit Office mentioned above, the Report on Switzerland's Foreign Trade Promotion Policy for 2008-2011 aims at improving the coordination of the external trade promotion. It integrates the promotion of outbound and inbound trade and investment under one roof, the House of External Promotion, which the government entrusts to OSEC Business Network Switzerland.

As a result, since 2008, the Swiss Parliament has been entrusting OSEC with four new mandates: the promotion of imports, exports, investment and of the Swiss market place. See OSEC's communique [de] [fr] of 23 November 2007.

Back to Switzerland's Foreign Trade Promotion.
^Back to top^

Learn more about the instruments of the Swiss trade promotion in general.

It is not possible to list here the numerous instruments supporting the Swiss external promotion. However it is worth mentioning:

The State Guarantee Against Investment Risks (GRI) is operated by the Service Centre for Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Companies (Swissmem) whereas the Guarantee Against Export Risks (formerly GRE) is run as from 2006 by the new Swiss Insurance Against Export Risks (ASRE). ASRE was also entrusted to Swissmem until ASRE's take over.

The new Federal Act on Exports Promotion which entered into force in 2001 enables the government to sub-contract the promotion of Swiss external trade and was designed to support that strategy. Its implementation was assessed by the Federal Audit Office in the Report on the Federal Policy of External Trade mentioned above.

Back to Switzerland's Foreign Trade Promotion.
^Back to top^