Eidgenössisches Volkswirtschaftsdepartement EVD

Staatssekretariat für Wirtschaft SECO

AlpWeek Valposchiavo 2012

September 7th 2012

Session 26

Regional managers – architects of the regions

Rudolf Schiess, a.i. Head of the Directorate for

Promotional Activities SECO

Direktion für Standortförderung

The New Regional Policy (NRP)

in Switzerland

AlpWeek 2012 – New Regional Policy Switzerland

EVD/SECO/Directorate for Promotional Activities – Rudolf Schiess 2

Employment trend in Swiss regions 2001-2008 (Source: BFS, statistischer Atlas)

+

-

Inter-regional disparities: Example employment trend

AlpWeek 2012 – New Regional Policy Switzerland

EVD/SECO/Directorate for Promotional Activities – Rudolf Schiess 3

Previous Regional Policy New Regional Policy

Overall aim Reduction of inter-regional

disparities (balance between

regions)

Competitiveness of regions through

growth and innovation

Direction of

impact

• Promotion of infrastructure

• Individual business promotion

• Promotion of networks

• Promotion of innovation processes

(Value creation systems and clusters,

access to know-how, use of impulses

from centres)

• Intensified promotion of networks

• Coordination of sectoral policies

• Know-how-network regional

development

Territorial

qualification

criteria

• Mountain areas

• Structurally weak regions

• Small-scale regions spatially

limited

• Nationwide, whole of Switzerland and

border regions as reference frames for

the development of programmes and

projects

• Large-scale functional

interdependencies, variable geometry

Paradigm shift in Regional Policy since 2008

AlpWeek 2012 – New Regional Policy Switzerland

EVD/SECO/Directorate for Promotional Activities – Rudolf Schiess 4

Previous Regional Policy New Regional Policy

Starting points • Improvement of locational factor

infrastructure

• Creation of employment

(Diversification)

• Value creation + innovation

• Adherence to sustainable

development

Development

impulses

Top-down Bottom-up (entrepreneurs, innovators)

Function of the

Federal

Government

• Co-financing of regional

development concepts

• Co-financing of individual

projects

• Promotion of clusters and networks

• Support of pilot projects

• Support of self-organisation

• Setting up rules

• Monitoring and evaluation

Financing

instruments

• Project financing from funds

• Annual credits for specific

regional promotional

programmes

• General contributions to (large-scale-)

regions for innovative concepts

Paradigm shift in Regional Policy since 2008

AlpWeek 2012 – New Regional Policy Switzerland

EVD/SECO/Directorate for Promotional Activities – Rudolf Schiess 5

Improving Promoting Creating Reducing

Employment Inter-

regional disparities

Competitiveness

Entrepreneurship Innovation

Value creation

Federal law from October 6th 2006 on Regional Policy

The Regional Policy of the Federeal Government supports mountain

areas, other rural regions and border regions in implementing

programmes, initiatives and projects

New Regional Policy: Objectives and strategies

AlpWeek 2012 – New Regional Policy Switzerland

EVD/SECO/Directorate for Promotional Activities – Rudolf Schiess 6

1 Direct promotion of regions for the

strenghtening of innovation,

value creation and competitiveness

Stakeholders: Cantons and regions, Federal Government

2 Cooperation / synergies between regional policy and

sectoral policies (impact in target regions)

Stakeholder: Federal Government

3 Knowledge

system

regional

development

-----

Qualification

regional

management

-----

Controlling,

evaluation

Stakeholders:

Federal

Government/

Cantons

New Regional Policy: Objectives and strategies

Three focuses

AlpWeek 2012 – New Regional Policy Switzerland

EVD/SECO/Directorate for Promotional Activities – Rudolf Schiess 7

New Regional Policy: promotional approaches

Contents of regional development

Innovative programmes, projects and initiatives

…national and cross-border (Interreg)

Economically oriented infrastructure

Tax breaks

Synergies with sectoral policies

Governance of regional development

Regional organisations

Regional management

Federal

Government

Canton Region

AlpWeek 2012 – New Regional Policy Switzerland

EVD/SECO/Directorate for Promotional Activities – Rudolf Schiess

Distribution of promoted projects by Cantons (total 1200

projects, 2008-11)

8

New Regional Policy: Conclusions after 4 years and

outlook

AlpWeek 2012 – New Regional Policy Switzerland

EVD/SECO/Directorate for Promotional Activities – Rudolf Schiess

Federal funds by promotional priority (according to the Federal

Enactment for the specification of the Perennial Programme of the

Federal Government 2008-2015 for the implementation of the NRP),

2008-11

9

New Regional Policy: Conclusions after 4 years and

outlook

AlpWeek 2012 – New Regional Policy Switzerland

EVD/SECO/Directorate for Promotional Activities – Rudolf Schiess 10

New Regional Policy: Conclusions after 4 years and

outlook

Qualitative considerations

Positive

-Positive conclusions after 4 years of performance (impact assessment yet to come)

-Partners are implementing NRP-ideas consistently and nationwide

-Task sharing Federal Government – Cantons, mutual trust, management of programme

agreements on the right track, but …

Challenges

-Initiation of NRP-ideas and projects benefitting SME

-No going back to obsolete approaches

-Task sharing, handling of programme agreements

-Balancing act between trustful and flexible cooperation and regulatory-technocratic

approaches (guidelines, controls, etc.)

-Allocation of funds must be goal- and impact-oriented as well as according to the needs

AlpWeek 2012 – New Regional Policy Switzerland

EVD/SECO/Directorate for Promotional Activities – Rudolf Schiess 11

Target

achievement Performance Design of

processes

Overview of success

factors in the

implementation

process

Key projects

Overview of key

activities of the

SECO

Overview of key

performance

indicators

Overview of the

implementation in

the Cantons

New Regional Policy: Conclusions after 4 years and

outlook

We are on target,

let‘s go ahead with

conviction and

vigour!

AlpWeek 2012 – New Regional Policy Switzerland

EVD/SECO/Directorate for Promotional Activities – Rudolf Schiess 12

Thank you!