The army equipping its soldiers with new combat boots. Ordered this at an Italian company that produces in Romania. 80 000 combat boots for the beginning and henceforth, every year, 25’000 for more boots pairs. In the public tender procedure of the producers from Switzerland had no Chance. The costs were too high, and the Romanians were much cheaper because they produce wages Low. But also, because you only need to meet Romanian and not the local environmental regulations.

Now the Council of States and a majority of the national Council to prevent the public sector awards contracts to polluters. Silently and without breaking the Council of States last December, has written a sustainability article in the draft of the new law on public procurement (BöB). And the is sensitive. Summarized this means: As a supplier to the public sector orders is approved, anyone who meets the Swiss environmental standards, so the “regulations of the public environmental complies with the law”.

to achieve the Annual 40 billion on procurement

These standards are expected of many foreign suppliers but. The competent Finance Minister, Ueli Maurer, had in vain warned that it is difficult to want to Swiss law abroad prevail. And critics such as FDP national councillor Daniela Schneeberger warn of “consequences in terms of Costs for the public sector”, because in the case of a consistent implementation of cheap “foreign, pre-non-European suppliers could not be approved as a supplier”.

The warnings faded. Because civil Ständeräte such as the Freiburg CVP-man Beat Vonlanthen support the originally Green and SP representatives brought concerns. “The public sector can no longer afford to award contracts to the environment politically problematic supplier”, he says – conceal, however, that the environment has a recognized policy as a means to the principle of “Switzerland First” to enforce. “It needs a level playing field. We want domestic suppliers will have better chances in tenders of the public sector. Therefore, it is clear that foreign suppliers must meet our environmental standards,” said Vonlanthen. It should not would be, for example, that when Road construction local concrete plants went out empty, but instead of concrete elements for hundreds of kilometres through the whole of Europe, carted, which had only been produced under ecologically questionable conditions.

The potential is large. Annually, the Federal government, the cantons and the municipalities 40 billion Swiss francs for public procurement. And some of it will be awarded in environmentally questionable areas. The army got themselves uniforms in Macedonia, the legendary Gnägi-Roll-neck camisole has already been shopped around the world, for example in Thailand and India. In the Federal house window from the Czech Republic were used, and the Canton of Basel country imported edge stones from China.

Businesses rely on high environmental hurdles

Whether and how hard the sustainability article comes to the law, but is open. The dispute about now is launched anyway. In the meantime, it is criticized in the Federal administration, the article is contradictory formulated. Because it was not clear whether foreign companies would have to comply with in accordance with the new article actually Swiss environmental standards, to come into the business.

And in the economic Commission of the national Council liberal national try in advance councillors and councils, led by Daniela Schneeberger and FDP to swipe Boss Petra Gössi, the sustainability article from the law. For the time being, they were unsuccessful, because of the commercial representatives from the SVP and the BDP failed, the following. This BDP-chief Martin Landolt: “High environmental hurdles for public procurement promoting the development of our SMEs. The not have recognized some of the Artists, but not others, obviously.” In the spring, the business comes to the national Council. Then it will show whether the “green Switzerland First”.

(Sunday newspaper)

Created: 17.02.2019, 12:09 PM