Swiss Review 2/2021

Swiss Review / April 2021 / No.2 29 tionality of the country in which they are living. In this case, the lo- cal authorities consider the person as one of their own nationals only. This makes it evenmore difficult for us to act. But there is nothing sur- prising about that; it’s the same in Switzerland. And what if members of the same family have different or multiple nationalities? We will never limit ourselves to just supporting one Swiss citizen. The family unit represents one of the paradigms of our work, as much when registering individuals with our representations as whenwe are acting on behalf of one of our citi- zens. Questions linked to multiple nationalities are not just specific to Switzerland, are they? No. And it is also important to high- light that these questions are some- times brought up with an ulterior motive. For example, when a person is arbitrarily incarcerated in order to put pressure on the authorities of their country of origin. This is akin to a hostage situation, and I find it unacceptable. I personally partici- pated in a virtual ministerial con- ference organised by Canada last February in order to launch an in- ternational initiative against the arbitrary detention of foreign citi- zens, notably those with multiple nationalities. Has the FDFA’s Travel Admin app played a key role in handling the coronavirus crisis? This application, launched in 2019, indeed proved to be very useful last spring, both for informing us of our citizens stranded abroad and for supporting and locating them. Sug- gestionsmade by users have enabled us to identify certain points for im- provement. These improvements have already been integrated in the new version of the app, for example the possibility of updating travel in- formation. On that subject, are you also working to modernise the channels of communication with the “Fifth Switzerland”? Travel Admin is also for the Swiss Abroad when they are travelling or on holiday. In this sense, we have al- ready taken an important step for them, too. Another success was the virtual celebrationof 1 August,which saw great popularity in a number of countries. That said, I share your view about the importance of ensur- ing a modern and efficient means of communication, both between and with the Swiss Abroad. I have man- dated the Consular Directorate to create a specificmobile interface, for example an app, in order to facilitate contact and information exchange. This application should become available in 2022. To close, do you have anything to add on the importance of the Swiss Abroad in Switzer- land’s bilateral relations? The defence of the interests of Swiss citizens, wherever they live, repre- sents one of the fundamental as- pects of the Confederation’s work. I can assure you that this dimension is taken into account during our in- ternational negotiations. A recent example is the “Mind the gap” pol- icy. This strategy enabled us to as- sure the continuity of our relation- ship with the United Kingdom, de- spite Brexit, in particular for the Swiss Abroad. (FDFA) Problems with postal deliveries have made it impossible for many in the “Fifth Switzerland” to vote. The use of dip- lomatic couriers will therefore be trialled in June, says Cassis. Photo: Marco Zanoni vote, where the use of diplomatic mail and representations abroad will be tested. Based on that, wewill establish whether further steps can be taken. Three quarters of Swiss Abroad also hold at least one other nationality. What is the message that you would like to send them? That a Swiss citizen remains a Swiss citizen, wherever they are in the world! And that is true regardless of the other nationality or nationali- ties that they may have. But there are still some problems? Yes. Particularly regarding consu- lar protection. Possibilities for in- tervention are sometimes limited, notably if the person holds the na-