“An excellent tool”: The Swiss Parliament now has its own gift collection

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Small gifts keep friendship alive. The parliamentarians in Bern know that too. The President of the National Council, Martin Candinas (42), and the President of the Council of States, Brigitte Häberli-Koller (64), often meet guests in their roles – exchanging both gifts and pleasantries.

They now have their own gift collection for this. They were designed by industrial design students at the Ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne. “The gifts offered by the Federal Assembly to its foreign interlocutors are an excellent way to publicize Swiss know-how,” Philipp Baeriswyl, head of the Protocol and Travel Unit, said in a press release.

Chocolate in the shape of a mountain

Members of Parliament can now choose from five new gifts: a scented candle including a candlestick, a notebook, a pencil sharpener, a document folder and chocolates.

The chocolate was created in collaboration with the Chocolaterie Blondel in Lausanne. The pralines represent nine well-known Swiss peaks, including the Matterhorn, the Dent Blanche, the Eiger, the Mönch and the Dufourspitze.

Not too big or heavy

Parliament had given the students guidelines. The gifts should not be too heavy or bulky, because they can be given all over the world, Philippe Schwab, secretary general of the Federal Assembly, tells “RTS”.

They also had to be designed to please both a woman and a man. A draw was therefore no longer an option. (she)

Source:Blick