The Swiss Federal Department of Finance plans to reorganise, in co-operation with the cantonal directors of finance, the financial equilibration and division of tasks between the Federation and the cantons. A change in paradigm in governmental promotion of public tasks shall be introduced. The Federal Forestry Directory together with some cantons is testing completely new instruments in the field of subsidies as well as in the defence of natural hazards by means of the pilot programme effort2. As a substitute of projects, a programme of several years with quantified goals is introduced. Not the costs are settled by an over-all contribution, but the performance.
The sovereign administrative order is replaced by a partnership contract. Between 1999 and 2002 and for a lump-sum of 11 Mio. Swiss Francs, the Federation intends to buy an area of 385 ha of tended protection forest, 75 Mio. Swiss Francs of risk diminishment, 15 hazard maps, 4 observation stations and an enterprise of two warning services from the canton of Valais. New methods are applied for the determination of the performance (such as risk diminishment).