interest and interest among other European States looking for new forms of communication
for States, such as Norway, the Netherlands, Croatia, and Switzerland.
The new vision for SIL and the communication work for the country of Liechtenstein
developed by SIL at a workshop on 16 November 2006 can be summarized as follows:
"The image of Liechtenstein in the designated targeted markets should be positive in principle.
Beyond this, however, the image should also be made clearer, i.e. the cliched views of
Liechtenstein should be replaced by concrete knowledge about our country." (Image
Liechtenstein Foundation 2006)
S2 Phase 1 "The reform process continues steadily" (1.1. - 13.2.2008)
5.2.1 Contents
In January and the beginning of February 2008, work continued to be intensively underway
on the reform process and implementation of planned legislative reforms concerning the
business location, as in the previous years: fine-tuning of the reform of foundation law, work
on the tax reform, negotiations on the Schengen/Dublin association agreement and the EU
Anti-Fraud Agreement, preparations for the public presentation of the FUTURO project on 14
February, implementation of the 3™ Money Laundering Directive, negotiations with the
United States on a Tax Information Exchange Agreement, final preparations for the opening
of the new Parliament Building on 15 February 2008, and much more.
In their New Year's interviews, all political decision-makers expressed their optimism for the
coming years. Visions and strategies for the Liechtenstein financial center, the integration of
foreign residents in Liechtenstein, and the disentanglement of church and State were the most
important topics addressed by Reigning Prince Hans-Adam II and Hereditary Prince Alois,
Prime Minister Otmar Hasler, and Deputy Prime Minister Klaus Tschütscher in their thoughts
for the New Year.
At the end of January, the Government introduced a "Barometer for the Future" study, which
illuminated the concerns of the Liechtenstein population. The three most important concerns
of the Liechtenstein population were transportation, integration of foreigners, and
unemployment. The authors of the study concluded that Liechtenstein, as a sovereign small
and landlocked State in the middle of EU territory, 1s confronted with similar problems as
Switzerland. Prime Minister Hasler made the following summary: "Small size 1s an advantage
in that we have fast decision-making processes, short official channels, and can react flexibly
to changes. It is a disadvantage when we want to assert our ideas on the international stage.
This is when it becomes apparent that large countries simply have more weight to throw
around in discussions." (Press conference on 30 January 2008 in Vaduz). How true that was,
was seen shortly thereafter.
5.2.2 Communication
In the first weeks of 2008, the existing communication measures were by and large continued.
The new Liechtenstein ambassador in Berlin since August 2007, Prince Stefan von und zu
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