Swiss working group for mountain areas
The Swiss Working Group for Mountain Regions (SAB) is an association based in Bern and is committed to improving the living conditions and development opportunities for the population in the mountain regions. The SAB works with the Swiss professional and business associations, is denominational and politically neutral and does not pursue any profit-making purpose. The President is National Councilor Christine Bulliard-Marbach .
history
It was founded in 1943. The Great Depression of the 1930s was the origin for emergency communities of mountain farmers and for aid measures by the farmers' association for the mountain population. Due to a lack of coordination, the results of these efforts have been modest. In 1939 a parliamentary group was founded to protect the interests of the mountain population and in the Bernese Oberland and central Switzerland it was intended to set up a Swiss working group of economic organizations of mountain farmers. This working group initially dealt with purely agricultural issues, which, however, soon mixed with issues of other organizations such as the Alpine Farming Association. In order to unbundle this situation, the commission for social work in mountain areas was founded in 1942 , which later became the Swiss mountain aid . The SAB was founded under the name Arbeitsgemeinschaft für die Bergbauern ( Working Group for Mountain Farmers) with a central office to protect the interests of the mountain population . In 1964/65, the SAB added the promotion of organized tourism to the agricultural issues. In 1988 the SAB was given its current name when it merged with the Association for the Protection of Mountain Areas .
Members and organs
The association has 23 cantons, around 700 mountain communities, 30 tourist regions, 100 agricultural and commercial organizations and over 500 individual members as collective members. In addition to the usual organs of the association, there is a mountain area council that can make recommendations to the board of directors.
Club goals
According to Article 2 of its statutes, the SAB aims to improve the living conditions and development opportunities of the population in the mountain area, in particular through:
- Safeguarding the economic, political and cultural interests of the mountain population vis-à-vis the federal government and the cantons as well as vis-à-vis those responsible for spatial planning, economic, cultural and social policy;
- Coordination of the various local, regional, cantonal, national and sectoral efforts to promote the mountain area as well as cooperation with international organizations of mountain area politics;
- Informing political decision-makers and the Swiss public about the concerns of the mountain areas;
- Promotion of education and research in the mountain area as well as study and processing of the economic and social problems of Switzerland and the mountain areas from the point of view of the mountain population.
activity
The SAB strengthens the mountain and rural areas in Switzerland by representing political interests, providing services for these regions and informing the public about their concerns. Political successes in recent years have been:
- Substantial corrections in the new regional policy
- Adoption of the NFA without postponements in favor of the agglomerations
- Strengthening the position of mountain agriculture in agricultural policy (AP2007 / 2011)
- Inclusion of broadband communication in the basic service mandate in the telecommunications sector as the 1st country in Europe
- CHF 1.6 billion in addition for main roads in the mountain area and CHF 200 million in addition for private railways
- Elaboration of a proposal for a federal law on tourism
- Extension of the special rate for accommodation services for VAT
The SAB is a founding member of Euromontana , a permanent observer at the Alpine Convention , participates in the establishment of mountain area organizations in the Caucasus , in Southeastern Europe and in various projects of cross-border cooperation in Europe.
financing
The SAB is financed through contributions from collective and individual members, the federal government, from third parties and sponsors, through bequests and gifts, through the offsetting of services and through investment income.
magazine
SAB's Montagna magazine contains articles on current issues and an analysis of developments in the mountain areas. It is published in three languages (German, French, Italian) ten times a year.
SAB price
Since 1995, the SAB has awarded the SAB Prize annually for activities or projects that aim to create jobs and added value, to network local actors, but also to preserve cultural identity and to use our own resources (wood, building land, water) with care etc.) in the mountain area. The two side prizes honored cultural and media professionals on the one hand, and special products on the other. In 2011 the SAB Prize was replaced by the Prix Montagne.
Grand Prize
- In 2000, the model region Göschenen - A future for people and mountains, the Internationale Wollen-Atelier, Longo maï , Undervelier and the Vaudois Jura products "Les Saveurs du Jura", Le Sentier shared the main prize
- 2001 Impulse program Safiental GR
- 2002 Albula valley waterway : “ansaina” mental hydropower plant
- 2003 Istituto Alpino di Fitofarmacologia Olivone : Health through mountain herbs
- 2004 Ecomuseum Simplon
- 2005 Pro Brontallo : a small village with great potential
- 2006 Karlen Törbel saddlery : a success story
- 2007 La Cavagne Troistorrents - a project by entrepreneurial farmers
- 2008 Center Da Capricorns : A platform for sustainable development in the mountain regions
- In 2009 the Reka holiday village Urnäsch (AR) and the protected designation of origin Juraholz (AOC Bois du Jura) shared the main prize. The two side prizes went to the alpine fish farm Lumare in Lugnez (Surselva GR) and the newspaper Frutigländer , which appears in the district of Frutigen (BE).
- 2010 Project for the economic promotion of the Ticino Walser village Bosco Gurin
Prix Montagne
Since 2011, the SAB and Swiss Mountain Aid have organized a competition with a price of CHF 40,000. This honors projects from the Swiss mountain region that have made an exemplary contribution to value creation and employment in the mountain region. Only projects that have been profitable for at least three years are permitted.
Prize winners
- 2011 Malting barley cultivation by the Graubünden producers' cooperative Gran Alpin since 2003 at over 1000 m.
- 2012 Muotathal Adventure World provides gentle and natural tourism with its sled dogs.
- 2013 Festival Musikdorf Ernen for 40 years meeting place for artists and music lovers from all over the world.
- 2014 La Cavagne cooperative of producers in Val d'Illiez successful in the joint marketing of their regional products.
- 2015 Household service for the Uri farmers: takes on household chores, looks after children and the elderly and offers catering.
- 2016 Gomina : The Upper Valais company manufactures surgical saws for the international market in Niederwald .
- 2017 Wyssen Avalanche Control AG from Reichenbach im Kandertal for high-tech avalanche detonation
- 2018 “La Conditoria” from Sedrun creates a lot of added value in a remote mountain region
- In 2019, the high-tech company "Geosatis" from Le Noirmont shows how a peripheral region can become a technology location .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.sab.ch/ueber-uns/vorstand.html
- ↑ Montagna magazine ( Memento of the original from September 9, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Website of household service Uri
- ^ Website of Gomina AG
- ↑ Berghilfe: high-tech for avalanche blasting
- ↑ SAB: Winner_Prix_Montagne_2018
- ↑ Farmer's newspaper from September 4, 2019: Prix Montagne for electronic ankle cuffs
