Excluding agricultural policy, Swiss regional policy comprises ten other federal programmes, most but not all of which are aimed at providing economic support for rural areas. With the nature conservation and habitat protection legislation included, this represents total subsidies of approximately CHF 4,285 (in 1999), which corresponds to around 9% of total federal spending. These federal contributions are also complemented by cantonal finances and support from private sources. Furthermore, in recent years, the importance of fiscal equalization or shared revenue between the federation and cantons, and partial liberalisation in the areas of post, telecommunications and rail transport, has increased significantly in the context of regional development. The existing regional policy tools are highly heterogeneous, sectoral and in some cases contradictory : "traditional" infrastructure support continues to exist along with modern concepts (e.g. Regio-Plus), direct agricultural payments and support for landscape maintenance (e.g. Fonds Landschaft Schweiz, i.e. Swiss Landscape Foundation), and often clashes with the aims of nature conservation and landscape protection.
The analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of Swiss regional policy reveals serious problems with respect to policy coherence. This is due to the lack of both a real rural development policy and a sustainability assessment based on clear criteria/indicators.
Rural regions in Switzerland are no longer primarily affected by emigration. Their problems are more structural, economic and socio-cultural in nature and often affect the environment and landscape.
Thus, the regional policy of the future should not aim to eliminate the spatial qualities which distinguish rural areas from urban areas but to promote the cultural, ecological and economic diversity of the regions.