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Business Association Chemistry Pharma Biotech |
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Newsletter
April 6th, 2016
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To whom it may concern
scienceindustries, the Swiss Business Association Chemistry Pharma Biotech, keeps you informed about our industry's standpoints on current politico-economic and social topics. |
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Relations with the EU - Implementation of Art. 121a of the Swiss Federal Constitution - The Mass Immigration Initiative: Political players must come to a joint agreement on a solution for implementation soon
The Federal Council wants to use a protective clause to control the immigration of people who fall under the agreement concluded with the EU on the free movement of persons, and for this to be applied whenever possible in agreement with the EU. scienceindustries welcomes this decision and expects the political players to now jointly agree on a pragmatic solution for implementation that allows immigration to be controlled independently to a certain level, and that secures the bilateral agreements. It is important that cross-border commuters and short-term visitors who come here for up to twelve months should be considered separately, as should family members joining people employed in this country – and the proposal made by the Federal Council continues to be too inflexible in this respect. In the view of scienceindustries, these categories must be excluded from the control mechanisms because they do not form part of the permanent resident population. In this context, highly-qualified individuals from non-member states and their families must also be prevented from being marginalised. In addition, the measures introduced to make better use of Switzerland's own potential are accorded a crucial role. In this respect, scienceindustries supports the integration measures for refugees proposed by the Federal Council. The accompanying measures should aim at improving the implementation of existing measures rather than introducing ever more far-reaching regulations.
The Federal Council's declaration on Croatia sent an important message for Switzerland as a research location. The ratification process for the protocol on the extension of the free movement of people to Croatia must be pushed forward so that Swiss researchers can again fully participate in the Horizon 2020 research programme from 2017.
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Corporate Tax Reform III - important decisions in the National Council
In the 2016 spring session, the National Council unequivocally accepted the bill. It includes Patentbox, and voluntary supplementary input support on the cantonal level, which are crucial compensating elements for our industry. By doing this, the National Council aims to provide the Cantons with the opportunity to give research activities that are carried out in other countries but directed from Switzerland the same treatment for taxation purposes as if the activities were taking place in Switzerland. scienceindustries welcomes this resolution; after all it corresponds to the practice that is already followed in the EU and the OECD. The National Council has also declared a deduction of the interest payments on "surplus equity". This is important in order to ensure Switzerland's competitiveness in the key sector of business finance. The entire future tax relief system is correctly intended to be limited to a maximum of 80% of the taxable profit. The bill now goes back to the Council of States to resolve the differences. |
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Energy strategy 2050 with target-oriented, temporal limitations for the KEV
In its spring session, the National Council made important improvements at the difference resolution stage thanks to the interventions made by industry. In the case of the compensatory feed-in remuneration scheme (KEV), for example, the network supplement will continue to be limited to 2.3 Rp./KWh despite the subsidising of large-scale hydropower. It was also resolved that no more new projects will be accepted onto the support programme six years after the new energy law coming into force at the latest. In addition, the service life of nuclear power stations will not be limited and the demand for the establishment of a long-term operating concept has been dropped. The transaction was transferred to the Council of States committee for a further resolution of differences. scienceindustries will continue to campaign for the most economically viable arrangement possible.
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Stabilisation programme 2017-2019 – No disproportionate reduction for education, research and innovation compared with other federal expenditure
Even if the stabilisation programme is basically justified, scienceindustries believes that the priorities have been set incorrectly. In particular, the planned disproportionate reduction in the investments in education, research and innovation seems unjustified in comparison with other federal expenditure and is being rejected by scienceindustries. The planned closure of important customs posts will also be rebutted in order to prevent delays in customs clearance.
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Transportation of hazardous goods, e.g. chlorine, by rail to be kept within the acceptable safety range by applying speed reductions and using improved railway tank wagons
Hazardous goods are indispensable to our day-to-day routine, as are the products manufactured with their assistance – for example, they are used in our traffic systems (fuel), communications (lithium batteries) and clothing (dyes) or as a manufacturing resource for medical and plant protection products, hygiene articles and nutrition products.
Manufacturing industry is dependent upon the transportation of chlorine by rail, as the safest form of conveyance. Since the beginning of 2015, a project group consisting of representatives from the Federation, the Cantons, the SBB and scienceindustries has been working on measures to keep the risks associated with the transportation of hazardous goods (such as chlorine) within the socially acceptable safety range, even as the country becomes ever more densely populated into the future. The reduction in speed to 40 km/hr for transportation by rail on the mostly affected sections of track and the use of safety technology to further improve railway tank wagons will reduce the transportation risk considerably and will be supported by scienceindustries as targeted measures.
More far-reaching measures, such as the transfer of transports from rail to road or the economically non-viable on-site production of chlorine, are being rejected by scienceindustries because they would either increase the overall risk involved in transportation or the State would have to make a serious intervention in entrepreneurial freedom. A de facto prohibition on transportation by rail would, in these circumstances, lead to a long-term weakening of our industry in its Swiss location.
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Pharma Codes – Proven cooperation between pharma companies and healthcare providers becomes more transparent
In view of the international trend towards greater transparency in the interactions between pharma companies and service providers in the healthcare sector, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) has issued the «EFPIA Code on Disclosure of Transfers of Value from Pharmaceutical Companies to Healthcare Professionals and Healthcare Organisations» in 2013. The national associations are required to implement the contents of the EFPIA Code through a protocol and to monitor adherence. In Switzerland, scienceindustries is responsible for this duty. This form of disclosure will take place for the first time between the 20th and 30th June 2016.
In agreement with our partner associations, scienceindustries prepared the Pharma Cooperation Code (PCC), which came into force as of 1st January 2014. The PCC regulates the cooperation taking place between the pharma companies and specialist personnel in the healthcare sector, relevant organisations such as hospitals, research institutions, specialist associations and patient organisations, as well as the flow of money between each of these bodies. In practice, this means that pharma companies have to disclose associated payments in the context of prescription-only medications to the specified cooperation partner. This annual duty of disclosure of the payments made during the previous year applies to those companies that have undertaken to adhere to the PCC by signing the relevant declaration.
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Regulating the prices of medicinal products – no price reviews in 2016
On 14th December 2015, the Federal Supreme Court confirmed the precedent-setting judgement of the Federal Administrative Court dated 30th April 2015, according to which a price adjustment made as part of the three-yearly price review based only on a comparison with prices in other countries would not be permissible. In view of this judgement, the Federal Council will investigate the ordinances that came into effect on 1st June 2015 for their legitimacy. The Federal Council has decided to suspend the periodic price review of medicinal products due in 2016 until the adjusted provisions have come into effect, which should take place in 2017.
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New position paper on «Micro-contamination in bodies of water»
Under the scienceindustries «Responsible Care Programme» the member companies of scienceindustries consider the protection of humanity and the environment to be of paramount concern in their products, processes and systems. They do all that they can to protect bodies of water by minimising the ingress of their products and limiting the introduction of contaminants into the waste water. The new position paper (German/French) provides specific details of how this should be accomplished.
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«Corporate Social Responsibility CSR»: New position paper from scienceindustries
Society makes ever-increasing demands on multinational corporations with regard to the protection of human rights and of the environment. However, any potential expansion of third-party liability for multinational corporations based in Switzerland would considerably reduce the attractiveness of our country as a location. In view of this, the general public needs to be made more aware of the many voluntary initiatives and measures in the CSR area that have already been put in place by the industry. The new position paper on «Corporate Social Responsibility CSR» includes a description of a selection of CSR developments and activities from the perspective of the sectors that are represented by scienceindustries.
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Switzerland's position as a research location under pressure: Study of R&I in multinational corporations
The significant contribution made by multinational corporations to Switzerland's top spot in international innovation rankings is often forgotten. In view of the report of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) on the system for research and innovation in Switzerland, the industry associations economiesuisse, SwissHoldings and scienceindustries co-financed a University of St Gallen study from Prof. Oliver Gassmann on the R&I activities of multinational corporations in Switzerland (in German). This study was presented in Bern on 21st January 2016 and established, for example, that about 70% of the expenditure on research in the private economy was effected by multinational corporations. The same major commitment is also to be seen in activities connected with patents. The 20 most R&I intensive multinational companies alone generate about 4.7% of GDP and provide a total of over 80,000 workplaces in Switzerland.
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Peter A. Gehler and Christoph Goppelsroeder put forward as new board members of scienceindustries
The Board has put forward the names of the following eminent figures as new Members of the Board at scienceindustries: Peter A. Gehler, Board of Directors at Siegfried AG and Christoph Goppelsroeder, President & CEO, DSM Nutritional Products. The 134th General Meeting of scienceindustries will take place on Friday, 17th June 2016, at Roche Diagnostics International AG in Rotkreuz in the Canton of Zug.
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Would you like to know more about our standpoints, or ask any questions? If so, please follow us on Twitter or contact our subject specialists at scienceindustries.
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sig. Dr. Beat Moser
Director |
sig. Marcel Sennhauser
Head of Communications |
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