The strong franc and Eastern Switzerland

12 April 2016.The strong appreciation of the Swiss franc in January 2015 put Swiss companies and their employees under enormous pressure. Eastern Switzerland was unable to escape this pressure, either. Rather, it was almost a heavier burden, owing to the region’s closeness to the neighbouring countries of Germany and Austria. One year after the appreciation, the public lecture series on "The strong franc and Eastern Switzerland’s economy" will home in on the possible impact it has on the regional economy. The focus will be on the level of employment, salaries and growth perspectives.

Analyses by academics…

Prof. Dr. Reto Föllmi will launch the series on 18 April. The Professor of International Economics will answer the question "Why is the franc so strong, and can we live with it?" A week later, on 25 April, Dr. Dario Fauceglia from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and Dr. Martin Wermelinger from the OECD will explain "How the Swiss are defending themselves against the strong franc".

… and Eastern Swiss entrepreneurs

On 2 May, a panel discussion will take place on the issue of "How have leading regional enterprises adapted to the strong exchange rate of the Swiss franc?" St.Galler Tagblatt editor Jürg Ackermann will examine the questions with Peter Flückiger (Swiss Textiles), Michael Neidow (Hilti AG), Andreas Schmidheini (Varioprint AG) and Markus Vettiger (Maestrani). The series will be concluded on 9 May by Prof. Dr. Johannes Binswanger. The Professor of Economics will deal with the question, "How is the Swiss economy dealing with the strong franc?"

The lectures will take place at the University of St.Gallen in Room HSG 09-012 on Mondays at 6.15 p.m. Dates: 18 April, 25 April, 2 May and 9 May 2016.