What if the canton of Zurich no longer has a seat in the Bundesrat? It is more important that the economic centers are well represented in the state government, say two people who should know.
Coffee break with a ready-to-use mask on the ear: Zurich Finance Director Ernst Stocker (left) and Federal Councilor Ueli Maurer during the pandemic at the end of March 2021 in the media center of the canton of Zurich.
Schönenberg, which was an independent municipality until four years ago, is now part of Wädenswil. Ernst Stocker (SVP) was mayor here from 2006 to 2010. That’s why the Zurich finance director started the campaign for his re-election on Saturday in the idyllic village with a view of Lake Zurich.
In addition to his colleague from the SVP, Health Director Natalie Rickli, Ueli Maurer, who is resigning from the Federal Council at the end of the year, also came to Schönenberg. He already misses him today, said Stocker in the lounge of the “Rössli”; filling this gap will not be easy. Maurer is an extremely reliable finance minister. Half a day later, when he was invited by text message, his party colleague had already confirmed that he would take part in the election campaign.
Donor cantons in the Federal Council
Now the Zurich SVP has a candidate for Maurer’s successor in law professor Hans-Ueli Vogt. But according to all augurs, his chances of success are not particularly good, because Albert Rösti from Bern is the favourite. Until now, the economic canton of Zurich has been represented in the Federal Council almost without interruption. What does it mean if that were no longer the case?
The question prompted the party supporters to speak. The cantonal origin in the narrower sense is less important, said Maurer. However, the donor cantons that pay into the financial equalization should be represented in the Federal Council. Zurich is not out of the running yet, Stocker stated.
Both politicians agreed that the cooperation between the federal government and the cantons in economic Corona aid was extremely successful. Switzerland was widely envied for this, said Stocker. In the critical winter of 2020/21 with the long shutdown, when the federal government and cantons distributed billions to companies in need, he always knew quickly and very precisely what the federal government was planning.
However, it is a special constellation that Ueli Maurer and Ernst Stocker not only come from the same canton, but also belong to the same party, both are in charge of the finance department and come from agriculture. From their point of view, everyone was concerned with the same issues: in addition to overcoming the pandemic, corporate tax reform, the minimum tax according to the OECD or the rescue package for the Axpo energy company. Did the special relationship play a role?
Rescue parachute via SMS
Of course that’s a good thing and he’s benefited from it, Stocker tells the NZZ. But not only he and Zurich: It is important that you have good access to a Federal Councilor, and in the case of Maurer this also applies to others. “All finance directors in Switzerland really appreciate how easy it is to approach Maurer,” says Stocker
Switzerland benefits from its short distances. At Maurer they are ultra short, according to Stocker. He illustrates this with the Axpo case. The trigger for activating the rescue package at the beginning of September was actually a text message from Stocker to Mauer. It was about getting an appointment quickly.
Ueli Maurer sees it very pragmatically: In the situation at the time with skyrocketing electricity prices, it was clear that security had to be created quickly. The cantons could not have reacted quickly enough because of the finance referendum. Others would have first convened a commission and commissioned lawyers to investigate, says the Federal Council: “We solved the problem in 48 hours.”
Stocker adds that only the federal government can provide billions as security in such a short time. So far, no money has flowed, the banks have given Axpo credit again, and the situation has eased for the moment: “It worked 100 percent.”
Prevent Swiss-German minority
Did the Federal Minister of Finance also benefit from the connection to Zurich? Maurer replies that the cantons always have an additional opinion on what is important in the decision-making process. Those who have power want more power, that is no different in Bern than in Brussels. The cantons are decisive and closer to the action. “You have to keep strengthening federalism,” says Maurer.
In addition, the understanding of economic relationships decreases. In a canton that, like Zurich, is very close to economic activity, it is more likely to be there, says Maurer. Here you can see the effects of the decisions made better.
The head of the finance department even mentions a formula for the Federal Council election: Two of the three major economic areas in Switzerland – Zurich, Northwestern Switzerland with Basel and the Geneva – Lausanne area – should always be represented in the Federal Council. Zurich alone is not the measure of all things, it needs dialogue between the economic centers.
Stocker notes that he would not like four members of the Federal Council from Latin Switzerland. It almost sounded as if the two SVP men on the SP side preferred the former Basel finance director Eva Herzog. But of course they don’t make any public recommendations.
Maurer, meanwhile, hears the grass growing and says that it is by no means said that the Jura State Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider has no chance. Stocker believes that whether Maurer’s successor is a former liberal from St. Gallen or a new social democrat from Basel ultimately doesn’t play such a big role in the cantons.
On the bike through all of Italy
In any case, the two financial politicians from Zurich, like the whole of politically interested Switzerland, are eagerly awaiting who will win the race in the Federal Palace on Wednesday. And especially who will take over the federal finance department in the new year. After that, their paths diverge quite a bit.
At the age of 67, Ernst Stocker allowed himself to be persuaded to run for the Zurich government council again. In front of the party supporters, he was asked what the biggest challenges he was facing were. Those are actually the same as before, he replied. After the canton presented the 2021 bill with a plus of CHF 750 million in spring, it would be difficult to withstand the increasing number of claims. And this despite the fact that there is a lack of money from the National Bank and a recessionary trend is emerging.
Little will be heard from Ueli Maurer next year. In mid-February he travels to Sicily and in the Mediterranean spring he will cycle all the way through Italy until Easter. After the Sechseläuten he visits a son in Canada, in about a year another son who lives in Norway. Maurer wants to experience winter in the far north. Those are prospects.