Alain Berset’s election as Secretary General of the Council of Europe is a cause for joy in the Swiss Council of Europe delegation.
The fact that Alain Berset has been awarded one of the most prestigious international top positions is thanks to his campaign. But also to the commitment of the Foreign Ministry in Bern and, not least, the cross-party support of the Swiss Council of Europe delegation. There is great joy there over Berset’s election.
Alain Berset’s Social Democratic party colleague Pierre-Alain Fridez expresses his feelings most clearly: “Joy is just the first name,” says the National Councilor from the canton of Jura: “I am extremely satisfied.” Thanks to his personality, his vision, his charisma, Berset has prevailed.
Hope for a strengthened Council of Europe
The head of the Swiss parliamentary delegation to the Council of Europe, SVP National Councillor Alfred Heer, expressed himself more soberly, but no less positively: “Berset was a good candidate, it has to be said, he was the best.”
For Heer, Berset’s election is also linked to the expectation that he will succeed in strengthening the Council of Europe, particularly in relation to the EU. For Switzerland, with its direct democratic rights, the Strasbourg organisation is the right one to get involved with – and to contribute its convictions and experiences.
Berset as an asset for the Council of Europe
For Marianne Binder-Keller, a member of the Centre Council of States, the victory is a double one: “It is a personal election. But it is also an election for our country. People obviously trust Switzerland to effectively campaign for human rights.”
Legend:
Alain Berset, surrounded by the Swiss Council of Europe delegation.
Keystone/Anthony Anex
The liberal Damien Cottier sees the Council of Europe itself as the winner with Berset’s election: “I am simply happy for this organisation because I think he is really the right person for this position.” The Council of Europe has never been as important as it is now: “Europe needs this organisation that fights for human rights and democracy.”
Berset’s election was a team effort
EPP National Councillor Nik Gugger puts it similarly: “Alain Berset will definitely strengthen the Council of Europe. It will gain a lot of weight with him.” But it wasn’t just Berset himself who made the victory possible, says Gugger: “Berset himself did a great job. But so did Team Switzerland. All parties were committed to this.”
In fact, the Swiss MPs in Strasbourg, from the Greens to the SVP, pulled together and successfully lobbied for the Swiss candidate. What rarely happens at home has become possible abroad. And it has been crowned with success.