Key facts
Renewing the financing of trade promotion structures for the period from 2004 to 2007 caused intense debate in Parliament. Finally it was decided to impose an expenditure ceiling of CHF 34 million solely for 2004 and 2005, and to wait for the results of the evaluation in order to take a decision on further financing. Replies are expected concerning seven aspects of trade promotion structures. The Federal Council entrusted the mandate to the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO). Parallel to this, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco) examined different variations relating to the future of the Swiss Office for Trade Promotion (OSEC) and explored different improvement measures.