These are the plans of Ignazio Cassis

In two weeks, the two-day construction conference for Ukraine will take place in Lugano. But which heads of state are coming to Lake Lugano on July 4th or 5th? That was the question that was secretly of most interest when Federal President Ignazio Cassis appeared before the media in Bellinzona yesterday.

In the end, however, Cassis was unable to make any binding statements. Only the personal presence of the Prime Ministers of Liechtenstein, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and a few other countries seems certain.

Cassis said of the Ukrainian President that Volodymyr Zelenskiy would be there – whether in person or virtually, that would only be clear a few hours before the start of the conference.

EU Commission President «apparently»

However, a comment from a media representative who asked why only about 2,000 military personnel and police officers were deployed in Lugano gave cause for concern. At the World Economic Forum in Davos there were 5,000. To take this as an indication that Selenski will only appear online is a matter of opinion.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, however, “apparently comes,” said Cassis. This probably also applies to the Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Schmihal. The Federal President is also hoping that as many members of the Federal Council as possible come to Lugano, such as Transport Minister Simonetta Sommaruga.

In any case, Cassis is expecting several heads of government in Lugano, as well as a respectable number of foreign ministers and high-ranking representatives of international institutions. We are talking about 40 participating countries and 20 organizations.

All in all, around 500 people are expected to take part in the Ukraine conference, almost half of them representatives of the business world. On the one hand, this applies to institutions such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

“Lugano Declaration”

On the other hand, the Swiss business associations will also be present in Lugano. Of course, the Ukraine is proving to be a large development market with many opportunities for private individuals as well. However, Cassis made it clear that the Lugano conference is not intended to provide capital or agree on orders. Rather, specific economic aspects of the reconstruction should be discussed and initial contacts should be made.

“We want to set the cornerstones for reconstruction in Ukraine,” emphasized the Federal President. First of all, the framework conditions and the basic procedure would have to be clarified and the leadership role of Ukraine would have to be determined. “And that’s a lot.”

Reconstruction should also go hand in hand with the reform of Ukrainian institutions. At the end of the conference, Cassis and Selenski want to adopt the negotiated concept for reconstruction as the “Lugano Declaration”.

But why make plans for reconstruction now when the Ukraine war is still in full swing? Cassis mentioned the Marshall Plan, which would revitalize Europe’s economy after World War II. Some elements of this plan would also have been ready before the end of the war to enable rapid and efficient construction. Similarly, Ukraine should now harbor the hope of returning to a certain degree of normality as quickly as possible.

The gift of the Federal President

However, not only Ukraine could benefit from the reconstruction conference. The city of Lugano and the canton of Ticino are also attracting international attention. As a Ticino and foreign minister, he could give his home canton this gift, Cassis noted.

Cassis’ gift is timely. Because the third summer in Ticino since the outbreak of the pandemic is probably the last that will guarantee many tourists after the lockdown. In 2023, when the post-Covid phase will presumably begin, they will increasingly head for distant destinations in the south again.

Therefore, thanks to the Ukraine conference, the city of Lugano has a new opportunity: it could boost its ailing meeting tourism properly if it proves itself as a venue in two weeks.

In this context, the Ticino justice and security director Norman Gobbi speaks of a veritable promotion of the location. In addition, the largest city in Ticino has a lot of experience with large conferences, which have so far been of a scientific nature.

At least almost always. Because the southern canton was the scene of important international meetings about a hundred years ago. This was the case in 1925, when the so-called Locarno Accords were negotiated, which dealt with the security order in post-war Europe. And in 1928 the League of Nations met in Lugano, which was a major event at the time.

So Ticino can definitely be a good stage for political negotiations.