The spoken word is final

Good morning, Guete Morge, Bonjour, Bongiorno, Bun Di

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all here.

Switzerland is not only multilingual, it is also multifaceted. The innovative spirit of our companies is well known, also with regard to green technologies. Swiss companies provide everyday helpers that, for example, conjure up heat from shower water, they invent record-efficient solar panels and films, and they can even produce aviation fuel from air and sun. I am talking about companies like Joulia or Insolight or Synhelion, some of which are represented at this event.

The city of Bern was founded in 1191 by the dukes of Zähringen, and since 1848 it serves as the official seat of the federal Parliament and Government.

Since then, Swiss federal policy has repeatedly dealt with issues of economic development, technological advances, the impact of European and global conflicts, environmental protection, health care, or issues of education and research.

In retrospect, it can be said that the period since 1848, apart from the two world wars

brought long periods of peace, but was never entirely peaceful;
that prosperity increased, but by no means for everyone;
that harvests became more fertile and economic yields greater, but not everywhere;
and that technological progress improved many things, but not always where we urgently needed it.

One trend has stood out clearly in recent years: In our modern, globalized world, such issues can hardly be solved by the individual states alone in a satisfactory way. Today, we are too interconnected economically, and issues such as global climate change or an environmentally compatible and affordable energy supply, also call for joint solutions and efforts.

Small, national challenges can quickly accumulate and spread beyond borders. The tone of conversations in society is becoming more hostile, politicians are using this mood to manage problems instead of offering constructive solutions, and social media is ensuring that discontent spreads and facts and already available solutions are hardly noticed.

But that is precisely what it must be about: We need to highlight the solutions, we need to develop these solutions further so that they can be used in a tailored way by all countries - regardless of their economic strength, geography or social structures. We need such global solutions, especially in the area of energy supply, which is the key to putting the brakes on climate change.

To create such solutions, we need to talk to each other, show each other what we are working on, and take risks together. This is exactly the purpose of the Swiss-US Energy Innovation Days. When I see how many smart people are gathered here today, it makes me confident that we are once again taking a step forward.

At the beginning, I mentioned Switzerland's innovative spirit. Among our inventions, by the way, was the zipper - invented by Martin Winterhalter - based on ideas from an American. The Velcro fastener also originated in Switzerland. To convince the world of this, however, it took an organization like NASA. In 1969, astronauts used Velcro to fasten objects in the Apollo space capsule. You see, we like to invent things that ensure cohesion.

I thank you for this and wish you fruitful discussions, many interesting insights and new contacts during the next two days. May the historic city of Bern be an inspiration for you to find sustainable energy solutions for the next 830 years.

Swiss-US Energy Innovation Days 2022