NEWSARCHIV

As part of the consultation procedure on the total revision of the Archives Act of 1997, the Law and History Departments of the Liechtenstein Institute submitted a statement to the Ministry of Society and Culture. In this statement, the draft is welcomed in principle, but at the same time various amendments to the consultation report and the draft law are proposed.

On September 22, 2024, the Liechtenstein electorate will have to vote on Liechtenstein's accession to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). What is your position on this proposal?

In a miscellany in the August issue of the Swiss Journal of History, Lukas Ospelt looks at the declarations of friendship in the Liechtenstein-Swiss state treaties between 1920 and 2023 and embeds them in the history of official relations between Vaduz and Bern.

verfassung.li, the online commentary on the Liechtenstein Constitution published by the Liechtenstein Institute, has been supplemented by three further commentaries. Peter Bussjäger comments on Art. 32 LV, which is summarized as a fundamental right of privacy and secrecy, as very different aspects fall within its scope of protection. Cyrus Beck's commentary on Art. 41 LV concerns the right of association and assembly and thus also the permissibility of demonstrations. Patricia Schiess comments on Art. 44 LV, which regulates compulsory military service.

The compact monograph "Immissions Protection Law" by Cyrus Beck deals with a topic that has so far been neglected in the literature on Liechtenstein special administrative law.

In a current research project, a team led by Jörg Paetzold from the Liechtenstein Institute is investigating the extent to which free public transport can help to facilitate a switch from individual transport (e.g. cars) to public transport (e.g. bus or rail). The study was taken up by major outlets in Germany.

In the context of the uncertain global economic development and renewed fears of recession, Liechtenstein’s economy has weakened again after a gradual easing. The value of the KonSens business cycle index deteriorated noticeably again in the second quarter of 2024, from −0.2 to −1.2.

The average life satisfaction of Liechtenstein citizens has recovered, the country is in a good situation overall according to respondents and trust in Liechtenstein institutions such as the police, Princely House and courts remains high. These and other results are presented in the fourth edition of the Liechtenstein Barometer conducted by the Liechtenstein Institute in collaboration with the Liechtensteiner Vaterland.

In the run-up to the vote on joining the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in September, Andreas Brunhart and Martin Geiger were asked by the Liechtensteiner Vaterland about the potential economic impact on the country.

The newly published LI Facts 1/2024 builds on the analyses of LI Focus 2/2024 and places the structural change in Liechtenstein’s industry in a European comparison. Since the 2008/09 financial crisis, value added in Liechtenstein’s industry has grown significantly faster than goods exports. The structural shift of production abroad and simultaneous domestic expansion of headquarters functions are not specific to Liechtenstein. A similar trend can be seen in most Western European countries, while the opposite can be observed in Eastern Europe.

The Liechtenstein Institute's latest working paper deals with legal issues surrounding the possible privatization of Radio Liechtenstein. It examines whether it would be as easy as is sometimes claimed to support the radio station, which could be privatized after the repeal of the public broadcasting act, via the Media Promotion Act (Medienförderungsgesetz) and thus keep it on the air.

On June 16, 2024, the Liechtenstein electorate voted on the supplementary credit for the new construction of the national hospital. The proposal was approved by 54 percent of the Liechtenstein electorate. The Liechtenstein Institute conducted an online survey in collaboration with the Liechtensteiner Vaterland to find out the reasons for the approval or rejection.

Thomas Bruha passed away on July 14, 2024 at the age of 79. He worked as a research fellow at the Liechtenstein Institute from 1987 to 1993. During his time in Liechtenstein, Bruha, an expert in international law, also worked as an advisor to the Liechtenstein government.

On July 5, 2024, the last day of the 2023/24 school year, class 5W of the Liechtensteinisches Gymnasium (LG) visited the Liechtenstein Institute together with class teacher Christian Marti.

In cooperation with the Stiftung Lebenswertes Liechtenstein, the Liechtenstein Institute has conducted a survey on social cohesion in Liechtenstein. The initial results are now available.

The Liechtenstein Institute can look back on a productive year, which was characterized by continuity in research and other academic activities as well as personnel changes. In the first half of the year, basic state funding was secured for the years 2024 to 2027. In late fall, Thomas Meier took over as the new director of the institute. He succeeded Christian Frommelt, who moved to the University of Liechtenstein.

From 19 to 22 June 2024, the 8th Colloquium on Crime and Criminal Justice in the Early Modern and Modern Era took place at the University of Bern under the title «New Criminal History. Topics, Methods, Perspectives». Stephan Scheuzger presented a paper on the topic «The Global History of the Prison in the Long 19th Century: Concepts and Empiricism».

Three days after the voting Sunday, the first results of the voting survey are available. The analysis shows a high degree of consistency in voting behavior between the 2019 and 2024 national hospital referendums. The reason for this stability is the motives of the voters, which stem from strongly anchored basic attitudes. On the Yes side, it was the conviction that a sovereign country also needs a national hospital, and on the No side, criticism of the hospital strategy.

On June 16, 2024, the Liechtenstein electorate will have to decide on the referendum request on the financial resolution of March 7, 2024 on the approval of a supplementary credit for the implementation of the "Inspira II" project for the new building of the Liechtenstein National Hospital. What is your position on this proposal?

Patricia Schiess' comparative law e-book on the financing of public broadcasting in Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany and Switzerland was published at the beginning of April 2024.

The Liechtenstein Institute has been commissioned by the government's Commission for the Protection against Violence to monitor and document events, developments and incidents in the area of extremism in Liechtenstein. The 2023 monitoring report has now been published. The report represents a comprehensive review of the topic of extremism in Liechtenstein and is now available online.

The weak performance of Liechtenstein’s economy has eased slightly. The value of the KonSens business cycle index rose in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous quarter, from −0.9 to −0.2.

In a working paper, Lukas Ospelt examines the history of reception or «legal transplants» in the field of civil law in the Principality of Liechtenstein from the early modern period to the early 21st century. The unconventional question is also raised as to whether it would not have been more expedient for the Confederation of the Rhine in 1812 to adopt the French Civil Code of 1804 (in German translation) instead of the Austrian Civil Code of 1811.

May 26 marked the centenary of the legal introduction of the Swiss franc in Liechtenstein, which is why Swiss television’s Tagesschau broadcast a report on the adoption of the Swiss currency in Liechtenstein and conducted interviews at the Liechtenstein Institute.

From May 6 to 8, 2024, the annual conference of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft deutschsprachiger Portale zur Regionalgeschichte und Landeskunde took place at the Saxon State Library (SLUB) in Dresden. In the panel focusing on "Sensitive data" Cornelius Goop gave a presentation on the topic: “Sensitive data and social proximity in a small state: contemporary historical topics in the Historical Dictionary of the Principality of Liechtenstein”.

In a current research project at the Liechtenstein Institute and the University of Salzburg, Jörg Paetzold is investigating the extent to which free public transport can help to facilitate a switch from individual transport (e.g. cars) to public transport (e.g. bus or rail).

On 8 May 2024, Minister of Economic Affairs Sabine Monauni, Brigitte Haas (Liechtenstein Chamber of Commerce and Industry) and Ivan Schurte (Liechtenstein Chamber of Commerce) presented the report of the “Labor Shortage” working group on measures to increase labor force potential and labor force participation. The Liechtenstein Institute was also involved in its preparation.

A school class from the Liechtensteinisches Gymnasium visited the Liechtenstein Institute to consolidate their lessons on the subject of the economic cycle with insights into the relevant research.

Vom 11. bis 13. April 2024 fand an der Universität Graz der 15. Österreichische Zeitgeschichtetag statt. Zusammen mit Prof. Dr. Marcus Gräser (Universität Linz) organisierte Stephan Scheuzger ein Panel zum Thema: „Internationale Sozialpolitik im Nationalstaat – nationale Sozialpolitik im internationalen Zusammenhang. ‚Welfare state building“ in den Jahren nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg“. Er hielt in diesem Rahmen das Referat: „Liechtenstein und Costa Rica – Sozialpolitische Entwicklungen in zwei Kleinstaaten im Jahrzehnt nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg“.

On April 4–5, 2024, the second workshop in “Empirical Macroeconomics: The Transmission of Macroeconomic Shocks and Policy Challenges” took place at the University of Innsbruck in cooperation with the Liechtenstein Institute.