Ticino fights its corner with Bern “ambassador”

De Bernardi says he has helped convince the government not to close the St Gotthard tunnel during future renovations swissinfo.ch

Relations between Switzerland’s Italian-speaking canton of Ticino and the federal government have entered a new phase.

In order to have its voice heard, the Ticino authorities appointed a delegate to represent the canton’s interests in the capital Bern earlier this year.

The appointment of Jörg De Bernardi, whose function is similar to that of an ambassador to a foreign state, is a sign of how competition among the cantons within the confederation has increased.

But according to De Bernardi, who took up his post in March, this new situation is also an opportunity.

“Every canton has a contact person who acts as a coordinator for external affairs. Their role is very much dependent on the responsibilities assigned to them to deal with the federal government or to work within their own cantonal administration,” De Bernardi told swissinfo.ch.

The Ticino delegate to Bern has already been quite active, according to political insiders. He’s been seen often in the corridors of power – the parliament buildings – and he is always present at meetings between the authorities of canton Ticino and federal government. It’s not surprising that these get-togethers have increased over the past few months.

Commuter

The delegate spends much of his time commuting between Bern and the Ticino capital, Bellinzona. “I live in the train,” he jokes.

With De Bernardi’s arrival in Bern last March, Ticino became the second canton to open an office in the federal capital. Geneva was the first in 2008 when it extended its presence beyond its politicians elected to parliament. Basel could soon follow suit. Is this a consequence of a more competitive environment that increases pressure on peripheral cantons like Ticino, which only accounts for only 4.2 per cent of the Swiss population?

“First, it should be noted that this is not unbridled competition. There is a strong sense of federalism,” De Bernardi said. On the other hand, he argues increased competition will encourage cantons to become more creative and to take the initiative.

These new rules of the game allow peripheral cantons to raise their profiles. Due to its geographical location – on the border with Italy – Ticino has an excellent card to play, the delegate insists, since Italy is Switzerland’s most important trading partner after Germany.

“Ticino has expert knowledge of Lombardy – Italy’s most important region economically and politically,” he said.

On the other hand, he said, Ticino must find solutions in Bern so that it can “work more closely with Italy’s neighboring regions and provinces, and take advantage of what they have to offer”, since accords and treaties with foreign states are the responsibility of the federal government.

“Even in cross-border issues which fall under canton Ticino’s jurisdiction, Bern plays an important role, such as the job market, transport, finances and culture.”

Timing

The challenge for the canton is to “successfully act in advance” on all fronts. “Timing is crucial if you want to influence decisions or if you want to set the agenda,” said De Bernardi.

Although all major federal laws undergo a consultation process involving all cantons before they are presented to parliament for approval, De Bernardi thinks cantonal authorities should get involved before a bill reaches this phase, if a canton has specific interests in it.

De Bernardi’s experience as a high-ranking functionary within the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) puts him in an ideal position to understand the inner workings of the confederation. “Many bills are shaped in the early phase when they are still at the technical level.”

Successfully intervening at the stage “when they are still malleable and removed from wide political debate also has the advantage of not requiring a great expenditure of energy and having to campaign”.

Obviously following such a timetable is not enough to guarantee that all demands from a canton are met. To count in Bern, it’s necessary “to have well prepared dossiers and to act with intelligence and cleverness, and to show determination and create alliances”.

Tunnel dispute

It’s a strategy that De Bernardi has already implemented with success: Ticino’s successful fight to convince the government not to close the St Gotthard road tunnel for 900 days to carry out large-scale renovations between 2020 and 2025.

The tunnel is Ticino’s main link with the rest of Switzerland, and Switzerland’s gateway to Italy. Even though a final decision on how the renovation work will go ahead is still imminent, the delegate is confident that Ticino can gain the support of other cantons.

“One mustn’t forget that Basel is the canton which receives the most imports from Italy, followed by Vaud. Ticino is only in third place. The closure will also impact cantons around the Gotthard pass. It’s necessary to make them aware of what a long closure of a tunnel of national and international importance will mean for them.”

Ticino delegate

The cantonal delegate to Bern has three main tasks:

First, he must represent the interests of Ticino. In order to do this, he must develop relations with the federal government and other cantons.

Second, he must lobby to increase the number of people from Ticino working in the federal administration.

Third, his task is to increase the visibility of Ticino, for example by organising and participating in events.

The delegate also has close contacts with Ticino parliamentarians in Bern but receives his orders directly from the cantonal government in Bellinzona.

(Adapted from Italian by Dale Bechtel)