The current constitutional basis confines federal involvement in cultural policy to a small number of sectors, such as film (funding of film production and distribution, festivals, professional training), nature and heritage conservation, languages, and educational and cultural activities of national interest including foreign affairs. Cantons and municipalities are the major players in cultural promotion, and they set their own priorities and act mostly independently from one another.
The cultural policy of the Confederation is mainly based on the interaction of four institutions:
- Federal Office of Culture (FOC),
- Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia,
- Swiss National Library (NL) (organisationally assigned to FOC), and
- Swiss National Museum (SNM).[1]
As the leading cultural policy authority, the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) (according to Art. 29 para. 1 KFG) implements the cultural policy of the Confederation and coordinates the activities of the other federal agencies.[2] FOC acts under the responsibility of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA), which mainly deals with issues such as OASI (state pension) and the health service as well as statistics, gender equality, culture and meteorology. The FDHA has been headed by Alain Berset since the beginning of 2012.
Since 2012, Parliament (the Federal Assembly) has used the “Culture Dispatch” as a strategic and financial steering instrument to discuss the federal government’s cultural policy for a period of four years in principle (one legislative period).
On behalf of the Swiss Confederation, and fully financed by the federal government, Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia promotes artistic creation and cultural exchange in Switzerland on the one hand, and on the other, it works to promote Swiss culture abroad as a complement to the cultural promotion activities of the cantons and municipalities. Projects with a Swiss connection and of interest to the whole of Switzerland are supported on the basis of applications, via Pro Helvetia cultural centres and liaison offices abroad or as part of its own programme.
The FDHA (in particular: Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC), Swiss Arts Council (Pro Helvetia) and the FDFA (in particular: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Presence Suisse (PRS)) coordinate their activities within the framework of international cultural policy.
Other administrative units of the Confederation that deal with Culture as a cross-cutting issue are, for example, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) (cultural statistics), the Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (e.g. Art in Public Spaces (Kunst am Bau/Art intégré dans l’architecture) or the Swiss Federal Centre for Intellectual Property (e.g. intellectual property rights issues).[3]
As an administrative unit, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC) acts under the responsibility of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA). The FOC is the expert authority of the Swiss Confederation for Cultural policy, Cultural Promotion, and the Preservation of Culture. It supports the development and implementation of cultural policy on the federal level and prepares policy recommendations for the Swiss Parliament. It supports cultural creativity (especially in the area of film), music education and cultural organisations. It is responsible for the protection of cultural heritage and federal art collections, the preservation of historical monuments and is supporting Baukultur projects, as well as for the promotion of the various linguistic and cultural communities. The FOC includes the specialist units for looted art and cultural property transfer. It manages some museums and the art collections of the Confederation. The Swiss National Library, which includes the Swiss Literary Archives, the Swiss National Sound Archives in Lugano and the Centre Dürrenmatt in Neuchâtel, is an institution of the FOC.
The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia was established by the Federal Council in 1939 and was converted into a foundation under public law in 1949. In 1965, mandate and organisational form were laid down by law for the first time. In the recent years, Pro Helvetia[4] has been undergoing structural reform. Since the Culture Promotion Act of 2012, the financial means available to Pro Helvetia have been laid down by the Federal Council’s statement on the funding of cultural promotion by the Confederation (Culture Dispatch). According to Art. 34 para. 5a KFG, Pro Helvetia’s Board of Trustees ensures the implementation of the strategic objectives set by the Federal Council and reports to the Federal Council on their achievement.
Pro Helvetia is fully funded by the federal government (approx. 45 million CHF per year, 180.5 million CHF for the period 2021-2024) and acts autonomously in a wide range of cultural sectors. Article 32 of the Culture Promotion Act describes the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia’s tasks as follows: “The Swiss Arts Council fosters the diversity of artistic activities, raises awareness of Swiss arts and culture, and promotes folk culture as well as cultural exchange.”
Pro Helvetia’s legal mandate covers the following areas, as described in the Culture Dispatch 2021-2024 (p. 3145) and on Pro Helvetia’s website (wording ENG):
- Emerging Artists: Pro Helvetia’s promotion of emerging talent comprises three main aspects: Identification of talents, development of their potential and exchange with a critical public. Pro Helvetia facilitates the launch of a professional career in the arts at national or international level for artists and cultural practitioners who show the appropriate potential. In collaboration with selected partner institutions, it offers residency and coaching programmes, enables opportunities for performances or exhibitions, and grants financial support for networking.
- Artistic Creation: Pro Helvetia awards work grants, production funding and creation grants to cultural practitioners of cross-regional importance to support the creation of outstanding art creations, prototypes and productions across the arts and cultural practice. In particular, Pro Helvetia also funds projects that engage with new media and new technologies.
- Cultural exchange in Switzerland: Pro Helvetia supports artistic projects and events that contribute to the dissemination of works and understanding between the regions. Funding is provided for domestic tours, readings, concerts, exhibitions, translations and festivals.
- Cultural exchange, dissemination and promotion outside Switzerland: Pro Helvetia provides funding for events, projects and translations in order to promote Swiss art and culture outside Switzerland and to foster cultural exchange with other cultural areas. To raise awareness of Swiss artists abroad, Pro Helvetia implements measures for international promotion and funds Switzerland’s appearances as a guest country at international events. It further operates and finances six Liaison Offices worldwide: in Cairo, Johannesburg, Moscow (since 2017), New Delhi, Shanghai and South America (since 2021). The Liaison Offices maintain contact with local partners, act as intermediaries on the ground and in the respective regions, and offer residency and exchange programmes. Pro Helvetia also runs a cultural centre in Paris (Centre Culturel Suisse), contributes financially, and works in cooperation with larger partner institutions in Rome (Istituto Svizzero di Roma), San Francisco (swissnex San Francisco) and New York (Swiss Institute New York). (see chapter 1.4)
- Thematic initiatives (“Cultural stimulus”): Through specific promotion and research programmes, Pro Helvetia contributes to identifying major developments and challenges in the area of cultural promotion, develops appropriate measures and creates space and impulses that enable innovation.
- Outreach (art and culture mediation): Pro Helvetia promotes measures and innovative projects with model character that engage audiences in the process of reflecting on the arts and thus bring them closer to artistic works and performances. In particular, new forms of critical reflection on contemporary artistic and cultural creation are promoted.
With the exception of film, Pro Helvetia supports all artistic disciplines[5] as well as interdisciplinary and intercultural projects. It promotes primarily projects that it deems to be of cross-regional, national or international significance, prioritising projects of high artistic and professional quality and taking into account Switzerland’s linguistic and cultural diversity. It can also initiate its own projects on contemporary cultural matters. Around 1500 cultural projects from all regions of Switzerland are supported per year. In the five years prior to 2020 (and the “extraordinary circumstances” due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the number of applications increased from around 3 500 (2015) to over 5 000 (2017, 2018, 2019), while the share of approved applications fell from 52.3% (2015) to 48.4% (2019). According to the annual report 2020 (28.9 million; 66.6%), the annual report 2019 (25.8 million; 60.8%), the annual report of 2018 (24.7 million; 58.7%), and the annual report of 2017 (24.5 million; 61.6%), approx. 60% to 66% (24.5 to 28.9 million) of the annual budget is spent on projects resulting from applications. For its international role, see chapter 1.4.
Within the FDFA, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) supports culture through the SDC Cultural Percent with at least 1% of its operational budget allocated in its partner countries (categorised under 3 headings: small actions, programmes at country level over several years, and regional programmes). In the “Reflection Papers on Culture and Development” (FDFA/SDC, 2020), SDC’s approach to international cultural work is distinguished from that of The Swiss Artists Council Pro Helvetia: Therefore, SDC invests in the artists and cultures of partner countries, recognising them as intrinsic to a sustainable process of development: “Rather than exercise its own cultural power, Switzerland helps partner nations cultivate their own.” (Source, S. 37 /ENG p.36) Through the SDC, Switzerland intends to help partner nations to strengthen their own cultural resources. In this sense, the SDC supports the promotion of arts and culture in and of SDC partner countries, for example through capacity building programmes or by facilitating access to Swiss audiences, international art markets and cultural industry networks (p.e. through film festivals or the multidisciplinary festival CULTURESCAPES). The SDC finances the Fonds culturel Sud/SüdKulturFonds (administered by the Swiss office for cultural cooperation artlink since 2010) which provides funding (appr. 725 000 CHF per year) for productions and performances in Switzerland by artists from developing countries and countries undergoing transition to democracy.
Also within the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Presence Switzerland (PRS; subordinate to the General Secretariat since 2009) is responsible for maintaining Switzerland’s image abroad, and for implementing the Federal Council’s strategy on Switzerland’s communication abroad. In 2012, PRS was merged with the Competence Centre for Cultural Foreign Policy. For the period 2021–24, PRS’s communication abroad will be guided by five thematic priorities, building on Switzerland’s Foreign Policy Strategy 2020–23: innovation, the economy, Swiss-European relations, the Swiss financial centre and sustainability.
PRS supports the presence of Swiss culture abroad at events organised by the representation network and defines corresponding priorities. Cultural programmes also play a major role in the context of appearances at major international events (for example: world expos, Olympic Games, arts and design fairs). In this context, Presence Switzerland works closely with the FOC and The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.
The Swiss Federal Council’s Culture Dispatch
The federal Cultural Promotion act of 2012 defines the tasks of the Confederation and institutes the different main actors, funding and cultural policies. This law institutes the Swiss Federal Council’s Culture Dispatch (started for the 2012-2015 period) as well, which sets forth strategies, priorities and budgets regarding culture for a period of four years in principle (one legislative period). It specifically addresses the expenses of the Federal Office of Culture and the budgets for the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia as well as the Swiss National Museum.
It calls for federal legislation through cultural policies, as well as political and economic strategies. As with other important projects put forward by the Federal Council or by Parliament, the consultation procedure is accorded a great deal of significance (consociational democracy). For example, 304 comments were received and evaluated on the draft Culture Dispatch 2021-2024 (including from all cantons, from organisations active in the field of culture and education, or from national business associations).
One of the tools created and consulted is the National Dialogue on Culture (since 25th October 2011), which institutes a collective conversation and collaboration to determine and develop fields of action and content for these national cultural policies (see 1.2.6). Its work programme 2021-2024 provides for the following thematic priorities: “National Strategy on Cultural Heritage”, “Adequate compensation of cultural workers” and “Sustainability in cultural production”.
For the funding period 2021-2024, the Swiss Federal Council has built on the three main strategic axes of action, already formulated for the period 2016-2020:
- “Cultural Participation”
- “Social Cohesion”
- “Creation and Innovation”
The most important aims of the country’s efforts to promote culture include:
- to enhance the cultural participation of all population groups: to strengthen cultural and music education and intercultural skills; to enable equal access to culture for all population groups; to promote the cultural activities of laypersons and lay organisations; to foster art education and cultural education;
- to strengthen the social cohesion of a diverse population: to raise greater awareness among the Swiss population for the country’s various cultures; to stimulate exchange between cultural and linguistic communities; to safeguard multilingualism as a hallmark of Switzerland; to protect the linguistic and cultural rights of minorities; to ensure linguistic freedom, and to preserve and promote minority languages; to nurture individual and institutional multilingualism in Switzerland’s national languages;
- to contribute to Switzerland’s attractiveness as a location for business and education; to tap and utilise the creative, innovative, and economic potentials of culture; to improve and develop the conditions for the cultural industries; to convey the rich and varied cultural life of Switzerland to tourists and visitors (e.g., the diversity of museums and collections).
- to promote a rich and varied cultural life of high quality: to foster the free development of professional artistic and cultural production in all sectors; to create favourable conditions for cultural institutions and organisations; to nurture artistic talent; to promote exchange between public, civil society, and private cultural initiatives;
- to preserve Switzerland’s tangible and intangible cultural assets, that is, archaeological sites, monuments, historic townscapes, and moveable cultural assets; to gather, record, preserve, and disseminate (print, audio, video, and web) information about Switzerland; to safeguard and breathe life into Switzerland’s cultural heritage; to prevent the theft, pillaging, and illegal import and export of cultural assets; to lend specialised support to the professional documentation, archiving, and collection of cultural assets;
- to ensure cultural exchange with countries abroad: to cultivate lively and balanced cultural exchange with other countries; to make known Switzerland’s cultural production and cultural heritage abroad; to spread Switzerland’s cultural production through international markets; to preserve Switzerland’s interests, national communication, and image abroad.
Similar priorities can be found in various cantonal acts on culture.
[1] Federal Office of Culture: Botschaft zur Förderung der Kultur in den Jahren 2021–2024 (2020), S. 3142.
[2] see also: André Briel/Oliver Waespi/Daniel Zimmermann: Kulturrecht des Bundes, in: Ehrenzeller, Bernhard. Schweizerisches Bundesverwaltungsrecht, Bildungs-, Kultur-und Sprachenrecht. Vol. 9. Helbing Lichtenhahn Verlag, 2018, pp. 581ff. (Google Drive, Scan)
[3] see also: André Briel/Oliver Waespi/Daniel Zimmermann: Kulturrecht des Bundes, in: Ehrenzeller, Bernhard. Schweizerisches Bundesverwaltungsrecht, Bildungs-, Kultur-und Sprachenrecht. Vol. 9. Helbing Lichtenhahn Verlag, 2018, pp. 581ff. (Google Drive, Scan)
[4] The official term is “Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia”.
[5] Architecture, visual arts, comics, design, photography, interactive media, jazz, classical contemporary music, literature, music theatre, performance, pop, dance and theatre including contemporary circus and innovative folk culture.
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