Swiss abroad make their voices heard
The Council of the Swiss Abroad has appealed to the government to secure the existence of Swiss schools around the world.
The appeal was made in a resolution by the political arm of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad at a meeting on Saturday in the capital, Bern.
It called on the cabinet and parliament not to cut the schools’ budget – currently SFr20 million ($19.98 million) annually.
Members of the Council argued that the schools were important ambassadors for Switzerland.
On another issue, the Council president, Jacques-Simon Eggly, said it was not a top priority of the organisation to have members elected to parliament.
He said it was more important to simplify election procedures for Swiss expatriates, for example, by introducing electronic voting.
The organisation represents nearly 700,000 Swiss living abroad. Around 120,000 are registered to vote in elections and referendums.
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