Club of Rome to move to Winterthur

The Club of Rome, an international organisation concerned with environmental policy, is to move its headquarters to Winterthur near Zurich.

The city’s mayor and representatives of the club announced on Monday that local property millionaire Robert Heuberger and his wife had promised financial backing for the institution for the next five years.

The move comes after voters in Zurich in February turned down a plan to put up SFr 1.8 million ($1.78 million) to bring the club to their city.

Representatives of the Club of Rome praised Winterthur for its good transport connections, including to Zurich airport, and its closeness to important Swiss university establishments, organisations and companies.

The city council of Winterthur welcomed the club’s decision and hoped the move would give a further boost to the durable development of the city’s environment.

The club was founded in Rome in 1968 and brings together academics, politicians and businesspeople from around the world. It currently has its headquarters in Hamburg.

Winterthur is Switzerland’s sixth-largest city and is part of the Greater Zurich Area.