I am specially honoured to welcome you all to the World Newspaper Congress and Editors Forum Conference.

Your goal, that of exchanging ideas on how to assert newspapers core values and how to cope with the challenge of the changing media environment, is important not only for your field of work, but for all of us who are somehow involved with the media. Challenges always are, not only in your field of activity, but even more so in politics, opportunities to find new ideas, to carry out new solutions.

Communication is one of those opportunities, but also one of the big responsibilities that affects all of you daily, in your research writing, printing or editing.

Freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, freedom of the press: these are three pillars of our democratic conception of the state. Precisely today, we must realise that at the end of the 20th century, these basic freedoms are being disregarded in many places of our world.

Therefore, encouragement of the press and defence of the liberty of the press are all the more important. For your association it necessary to be committed to the development and the defence of press freedom. The economic independence of newspapers must be a major aim of your association. Entering into a new era is a challenge and a new opportunity that you have to seize in your home countries. To you all, I wish you good luck in this respect.

Switzerland has anchored these values in its new constitution. Also in the field of development aid, it is a main concern of Swiss policy that the conditions of living of millions are improved, that people live in democratic structures and form their own opinion on the basis of a vast choice of newspapers and magazines. Single publications are instruments for dictatorship – this has been shown again in Belgrade – where your long-term efforts for diversity of information were brutally disrupted.

Comprehensive information and swift transmission are part of the economic life, of politics and of day-to-day living. Therefore standards to reach are high. Economic considerations, circulation figures and time factors are often in conflict with quality - quality of content, quality of language, quality of the own thinking - and basic values.

Precisely in politics, we need objectivity, we need clear distinction between facts and opinions.

My task today is easier. I will develop a few considerations that are a mixture of information and personal opinion. I leave it up to you to judge the quality.

Switzerland celebrated 150 years of its constitution last year. The people accepted a revised constitution in a recent vote. Switzerland has a long history of democratic rights. Initiatives and referendums are instruments frequently used to call for a popular vote. Nobody would endanger his or her reelection in trying to raise the fairly low figures of required signatures (now 100'000 for an initiative and 50'000 for a referendum out of 4 and a half million registered voters) even if a lot of people complain about the frequency of popular votes! (450 in 150 years!)

These instruments tend to make Swiss democracy a bit slower than the pace of the decisions taken in other countries - but may be certain mistakes were avoided, thanks to this. Of course, there are also disadvantages as you may have realised if you follow our foreign policy.

At the end of 1992, a narrow margin of the Swiss electorate and the majority of the Cantons rejected Switzerland’s accession to the European Economic Area. The Federal Council went on to place the emphasis on bilateral negotiations with the European Union in a various policy sectors. By defending its interests in this way and deepening its relation with the EU, Switzerland is moving progressively closer to Europe. The negotiations began at the end of 1994, in the areas of research, technical barriers to trade, public procurement, free movement of persons, agricultural trade, together with aviation and land based-transport. They were completed in December last year and the treaty is due to be signed on the 21st of June.

Complementary measures are now being discussed at the committee stage in our Parliament to avoid labour cost dumping and to help to put part of the truck traffic on the rail. The aim of the Parliament is to complete debates by the end of the present legislative period in October, two weeks before our general elections.

Accession to the EU is the long-term goal of the European policy pursued by the Swiss Government.

Our two-chamber system with equal competencies for the National Council and the Council of States requires time for decision making. Solutions, new laws eventually have to be accepted in a popular vote. May be these explanations help to understand that we need the necessary time for the information of the people. We need the media to communicate that the number of 40-ton lorries crossing our country and the tunnels through the Alps cannot rise continuously. For this purpose, we have to build two new tunnels through the Alps, we have to invest in the transfer of traffic from the road to the rail and all this will cost the taxpayer a lot of money. What would you do to convince your citizens to vote "yes»?

Switzerland could advocate at European level those principles, which are among its greatest strength in international policy: federalism and proximity to its citizens. Our country would also bring the benefit of its experience in the political co-existence of different languages, cultures and identities. It could advocate the democratisation of the structures of the Union, the need to protect minorities and the peaceful solution of conflicts and make an important contribution to a stable Europe.

In this context, a few words about our neutrality could be helpful. Neutrality is a concept in international law and in politics, which emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries. In short, it means that a state does not participate in wars between other states. This policy has enabled the Swiss Confederation to survive as an independent nation amidst the warring European superpowers. But neutrality was also a domestic policy imperative for a confederation of States with conflicting sympathies and confessions that was the case during World War I. The permanent neutrality was recognised in 1815 at Vienna and Paris.

Based on its long tradition of providing Good Offices and humanitarian relief, Switzerland will continue to direct its neutrality toward humanitarian and peaceful goals. We will increase its efforts to promote peace and international security. In shaping our neutrality, we will also take the needs of international solidarity into account in order to serve the community of nations. Switzerland is willing to co-operate and share international responsibilities beyond its borders.

Swiss participation in UN-imposed sanctions is not contrary to neutrality. As a peace-loving country, it is in Switzerland's interest to ensure the UN security system functions effectively. We will participate autonomously in non-military sanctions and particularly support UN economic sanctions.

Therefore, the Federal Council has decided to participate in the sanctions decreed by the EU against Serbia.

A last word to say that legally, accession to the EU would allow Switzerland to maintain its neutrality, as current EU law does not impose any military obligations on EU member states. That is why four EU countries are not NATO-members (Austria, Finland, Sweden and Ireland).

Switzerland and the Swiss people should not withdraw into their snail's shell in a smug and self-satisfied manner but make their social, political and economic contribution at both national and international levels. Problems today do not stop at the border of a country for they are too global, merely consider environment, migration, energy, food and traffic problems as evidence.

Being located in the centre of Europe and therefore involved in everything that's going on here - Switzerland and Zurich particularly are happy to be the host country and city of this important congress. As "First citizen" of Switzerland, I naturally hope that the organisation meets your high expectations of Switzerland as perfect host. I trust we fulfil our obligations as a country for tourism to your satisfaction.

I extend to you on behalf of the Swiss Parliament the very best wishes for a fruitful work and many interesting discussions, meetings and enough time to inform yourself - objectively of course - about Switzerland.