Notes from the Federal Palace Marc-Antoine Pellis, originally from Romainmôtier, was appointed Switzerland’s first-ever consul in 1798. Picture source: Atelier de numérisation Ville de Lausanne, Margot Roth Urs Badertscher, the last Swiss consul general in Bordeaux (2005–2008), gives a speech to mark the closure of the consulate on Cours Xavier Arnozan. Photo: Jean-Michel Begey consul – assigning him to Bordeaux, where Switzerland’s first-ever consulate was subsequently established. Marc-Antoine Pellis, the first Swiss consul Marc-Antoine Pellis (1753–1809) from Vaud was a senator and politician during the Helvetic Republic. After spending time in other parts of Europe, Pellis returned to Switzerland as the ideas of the French Revolution were taking hold. In Vaud, which was still governed by Berne at the time, he took part in open-air political ‘banquets’ in support of revolution and against Bernese rule. When Berne put a stop to these banquets in June 1791, arresting the ringleaders and putting Vaud under military occupation, he was forced to flee. Pellis settled in the French city of Bordeaux on the Garonne River in 1793, establishing himself as a merchant. The Helvetic ropean seaports were home to the first five consulates, as economic interests were the main reason behind the Swiss consulates. At a time when steamers, railways and telegraphs had not yet revolutionised international trade, direct relationships at the point of sale were of crucial importance. These port cities served as international trading hubs and as the starting points of routes connecting Europe with destinations overseas including colonies in Africa and Asia. Economic interests were the primary reason for setting up the first consulates, Republic, a centralised state modelled on the French Revolution, appointed him as consul in 1798. Three years later in 1801, he stepped down as consul and returned to Switzerland, where he became a member of the legislative assembly and the senate. Pellis went on to play a political role in both Vaud and the Helvetic Republic. For business and community Following Bordeaux, consulates were also established in Marseille, Genoa, Nantes and Trieste. It is no coincidence that major EuSwitzerland’s consular network assists Swiss nationals with a wide range of administrative formalities and offers subsidiary support, subject to the principle of individual responsibility and certain other requirements. but not the only reason. Diplomatic missions were necessary to cater for notable numbers of Swiss who had settled in the aforementioned cities – expat communities consisting of merchants and traders. To a certain extent, these cities also served as reception points for people wishing to emigrate overseas. Switzerland had been a country of emigrants since the mid-16th century, with poverty, underemployment, and population pressure forcing young Swiss to leave the country. Mercenaries, teachers, artisans, scientists and academics also began to settle in numerous European cities in addition to the merchants and traders, before venturing further overseas from the 19th century onwards. Due to demand, the first Swiss overseas consulate was established in 1819 in the Brazilian coastal city of Rio de Janeiro. A consulate in New York was then established a few years later in 1822. For the most part, the honorary consuls who worked at these representations were Swiss nationals already living locally. It took a long time before their remit was clearly defined – consuls had to ascertain their duties by correspondence or through formal briefings. Responsibilities included sorting out passports, reporting back to the Helvetic Republic on how its citizens were conducting themselves abroad, and monitoring adherence to bilateral treaties. Or, as the Swiss consul in Marseille, Vincent Perdonnet, wrote in a letter to the then foreign minister, Louis François Bégoz, in 1799, “extending a fraternal hand to those in unfortunate or unfair hardship as well as protecting others from the disastrous and appalling consequences of hate and deceit”. Serving the “Fifth Switzerland” for over 225 years Switzerland’s consular network has been a fixture since Marc-Antoine Pellis’s appointment in Bordeaux as the first-ever consul all those years ago. The network has continually expanded, and today there is a clear delineation of diplomatic, consular and economic responsibilities. It is also a network that continues to evolve and keep with the times. But the core function of consulates remains the same: to be the first point of contact for Swiss nationals around the world. LUCA PANARESE, FDFA 29 Swiss Review / October 2024 / No.5
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