Switzerland shares the Alps with seven other countries, and although the 11.2 million people who live in them speak different languages and have different histories, they nevertheless face common problems. Decisions and policies made by one will have an impact on all.

That's why all eight Alpine states - Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia and Switzerland - plus the European Union as a whole have signed the Alpine Convention, which aims to harmonise policies and to promote sustainable development.

The challenge of the convention lies in finding a balance between economic viability and sustainability. The negotiations were not easy for the Swiss central government, which found itself opposed by most of the mountain cantons. They considered that responsibility for their own area was being taken out of their hands, and saw the Convention as laying so much stress on protection of the environment that their livelihoods would be threatened.

In Switzerland the cantons enjoy considerable autonomy and had the government ignored them, it could have faced a referendum over the issue. These cantons therefore had to be included in the negotiating progress to ensure a compromise in which their interests were taken into account.

The Swiss parliament ratified the basic convention in 1999, and has now been asked to ratify the back-up protocols.

Nevertheless, the implementation of the Convention may not be plain sailing. One problem is the lack of funding for promoting the environmental and economic policies agreed on. Another is that there are no sanctions that can be taken against any side which breaches the Convention.