The recent working meeting between the Graubünden government and the government of the Lombardy region was called “historic”. It is undoubtedly remarkable when the government of a region with almost 10 million inhabitants travels to a neighboring mountain canton and not only exchanges pleasantries there, but also has real conversations. This creates great opportunities for the Graubünden economy.
I and all other participants in the meeting immediately noticed that the Lombards were serious about the conversation. The file they had brought with them was over 200 pages long, and our neighbors had prepared themselves well. The talks were therefore pleasantly concrete: improvements in public transport, Expo 2015, the new competence center for wood in Poschlav, interregional projects in tourism and cooperation in the health sector were on the table, among other things.
Lombardy, one of Europe's four economic engines along with Baden-Württemberg, Catalonia and Rhône-Alpes, therefore seriously wants to cooperate with Grisons. The Graubünden government is also willing to intensify cooperation with Lombardy, as I was able to see during the follow-up talks. This is a great opportunity for political Grisons: Grisons could position itself as a new bridge between Bern and Milan, because, as is well known, the relations between Lombardy and Tessin have not been so idyllic for quite some time.
That's the political side, but what's next “in real life”? How can we ensure that the political commitment does not turn into a paper tiger gathering dust in an archive? If politicians decide to work together at the macro level but the private sector does not participate as a micro level, the talks that have been started are of little use. The Lombards reach out, we must move now.
It probably starts with reducing prejudices: Our relationship with the Italians is characterized by a great deal of skepticism. Admittedly, it is not always unfounded. Mentality and business habits are different in Italy, but there are also good and reliable people everywhere. On the other hand, we Swiss are sometimes a bit snooty.
“We don't have much to lose”
If you want to do business successfully with Lombards, you need tenacity and flexibility at the same time, as I can tell from decades of experience. We cannot expect others to act like us and that their bureaucracy functions like ours. There are certain things you have to accept and respect. But we should also openly emphasize the ideas and business principles that are valuable to our side and persistently defend them when necessary.
The proximity to Lombardy is a great opportunity for Grisons. We don't have much to lose: Lombard products and services are already very popular in Grisons. If we work more closely with Lombardy, it is not just a potential procurement market that competes with our own industry: it is above all a huge sales market for “Made in Grisons” products and services.
This market needs to be better developed. We must and can manage to improve the trade balance in our favour. As I said earlier, this requires flexibility and tenacity, but also a certain amount of perseverance. Because anyone who gives up when faced with the first difficulties will never gain a foothold in Italy. Politics can open doors for us and remove obstacles. But anyone who waits for politicians to solve their business problems will perish as a result. That is exactly the same in Grisons as in Lombardy.
Alessandro Della Vedova
is Vice President of CVP Grisons, Grand Council of the Poschiavo District and Podestà of the Municipality of Poschiavo. He is an Italian-Swiss dual citizen and worked in Milan for many years.
This column was published in Bündner Tagblatt from October 21, 2014.