Swiss diplomatic mission in Bangkok (Thailand)
As Nashagazeta.ch writes, the new federal law regulating the conditions of stay of Swiss nationals and the functioning of the country's institutions abroad was adopted on the basis of a parliamentary initiative by MP Filippo Lombardi, submitted to the Council of States in 2011. It concerns primarily the 754,500 Helvetians (almost 10% of the population) who left Switzerland and settled in other countries. At home, this group of compatriots, regardless of their new place of residence, is called the «Fifth Switzerland».
The tasks of the new law do not include a fundamental change in the rights and obligations of Swiss living abroad, but this document brings together the basic norms that they must follow. It should be recalled that members of this community not only represent their country abroad, but also actively participate in nationwide votes that are regularly held in the Confederation, determining its political course. It was to the «Fifth Switzerland» that the country's president Simonetta Sommaruga addressed this year in her traditional speech during the National Holiday on August 1.
An essential detail regulated by the new law and the regulations adopted simultaneously with it concerns the provision of state support to Confederation citizens taken hostage, reported the ATS news agency. It is about providing consular assistance to captives, which is subject to certain restrictions if a Swiss was kidnapped as a result of his own mistake.
According to the innovations, Swiss travelers taken hostage due to their own «negligence» will have to reimburse the state for all costs associated with their rescue. Individual bills, for example for transportation and medical care, will also have to be paid by citizens who took necessary precautions, or by employees of international organizations. Finally, civil servants whose kidnapping is related to their work are completely exempt from reimbursement of expenses.
Debates about whether careless citizens who went on a dangerous journey to Afghanistan, Pakistan or other countries that the Swiss Foreign Ministry does not recommend visiting should compensate state costs have been going on for a long time. This issue was brought back to the agenda after the release from 259-day captivity of Daniela Widmer and David Och from Solothurn, who set off in 2011 to India via Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. The Swiss government decided not to demand from them reimbursement of funds spent during negotiations with the kidnappers (according to the official version, no ransom had to be paid, as Widmer and Och managed to escape captivity on their own).
Meanwhile, half an hour of work at the Swiss consulate costs 75 francs during working hours, and at other times the rates can double, reports RTS radio and television company. According to the general rule, these costs must be reimbursed by the person whose situation required the intervention of the Swiss authorities, even if he did not personally contact the consulate. If the assistance provided was in his interest, then that citizen will have to pay the bill. At the same time, the provisions of the new law state that the Swiss representation must take measures to establish contact with the authorities of the state or territory where its citizen was kidnapped and held captive in order to find a way out of the situation.