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Ladies and gentlemen,

Young entrepreneurs,

Mr Noser,

Representatives of YES and JA Europe,

Parents and teachers,

Guests from the world of politics and business,

It is a great pleasure to be here today, and a great honour speak to you, young guests from 40 countries, right here in Switzerland. Thanks to Company Programmes organised by YES (Young Enterprise Switzerland) and JA Europe you have been able to gain your first entrepreneurial experiences. What is more, all of you have launched the best projects in your respective countries.

As minister for economic affairs, I find this particularly encouraging. You have already prove your capacity for innovation. You have developed sustainable products, tools that make everyday life easier, or even high-quality delicacies. All of you young entrepreneurs here today have every right to be proud of yourselves.

Your countries need people like you - people who are inquisitive and who show initiative. These qualities are vital to entrepreneurial success. Before I became a federal councillor, I was an entrepreneur myself. I was the head of the Ammann Group - a business with around 3,000 employees. But not to worry, I have no intention of giving a long-winded speech from the point of view of a seasoned entrepreneur, passing on his pearls of wisdom. I will not bore you with my advice. But what I do wish to share are the experiences that shaped me.

I started out small. I was around your age when I was given the opportunity to organise a one-week ski school trip. That may not sound like an impressive start into the great world of entrepreneurship. But it did teach me a lot. I had to book a hotel and ski instructors, invite and look after guests. As a young man, I was filled with a sense of pride when everything worked out well. I went on to become a member of the Swiss Alpine Club and began organising and teaching alpine classes. I enjoyed taking responsibility - and I enjoyed the recognition the teachers and grownups gave me. But what I learned most of all was that things go better when done together as a team. In fact, working with people was what motivated me to go into business in the first place. And later on, when I became the head of a large company, what I loved most were not the products that we produced. What I loved most were the people. I enjoyed working with them and motivating them.

I am sure that you have also gained an experience or two in the past year that will stay with you in your - possibly entrepreneurial - future. Someday, some of you will share with others the experiences that moulded you, just as I am sharing mine with you today. But this is only the beginning for you. Apart from talking about our own experiences, what else is there that we - the adults here today, the parents, teachers, politicians - can give you?

There are two main things:

1. a good education

and

2. a framework that gives you as much freedom as possible.

I will start with education.It is the foundation from which you take the plunge into the adult world. You need to have the certainty that what you are learning will indeed be useful to you later on. And you will need to fortify this education with your own ideas and beliefs. I am sure most of you are familiar with Harry Potter. At Hogwarts, he learned the spells, charms and potions that he needed to finally defeat the enemy. Harry Potter trusted his headmaster - Dumbledore - and went to him for guidance when he needed help. However, in the end, Harry defeated the evil Voldemort all on his own.

With his own ideas, his skills and knowledge. In the end, he had to face his adversary all by himself. His mentor had died prior to that. Real life is rarely quite so dramatic. And entrepre-neurs are not in the habit of going around waving magic wands through the air. Nevertheless, what was true for Harry Potter applies to you as well: you must emancipate yourselves from your mentors - your parents and teachers - and take control of your life. Take responsibility. Make decisions.

Parents and teachers: please pass on your knowledge and experiences to these young people - and make sure to give them as much freedom as you can. This takes me to my second point: creating a framework that offers as much freedom as possible. Only if there is a clearly defined framework in which you can move freely can you develop the qualities that are vital to entrepreneurial success.

This is where policy comes into play. On the one hand, policy ensures good schools, good universities - quite simply: a good education. On the other hand, its laws and regulations provide a framework in which businesses can operate. In Switzerland, we want to offer young businesses the opportunity to grow.

We want to encourage new ideas - encourage innovation. That is why it is important that policy does not define this framework too narrowly. Because an excess of laws and regulations will smother initiative. This is especially important in this day and age. We are at the brink of a new industrial revolution. Digitalisation is already here. New jobs are being created while old ones are disappearing. New skills are called for.

Skills that you, the younger members of the audience, possess - and that we older generations sometimes struggle with. For example, my two-year-old grandson already knows how to swipe on a phone or tablet better than I do.We old people don't know what new ideas you youngsters will come up with.

It would therefore be unwise of us to stifle your creative spark with rigid frameworks. And it would be especially unwise because your ideas will lead to new jobs. In the EU, almost one in five young people between (the ages of) 15 and 24 is unemployed. Young entrepreneurs who start their own businesses are the best remedy for youth unemployment.

I am convinced that the most important thing for a person - and this applies to young people especially - is to have a job and prospects for the future.I encourage you to continue on your path of entrepreneurship. If you do, you will not only create a job for yourself. You will create jobs and prospects for others as well.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am nearing the end of my speech. I would like to thank Young Enterprise Switzerland and JA Europe for their valuable programmes that introduce young people to entrepreneurship. I would like to thank the teachers, companies and parents involved for supporting these programmes. And in particular I would like to thank all of you young people - or should I say: young entrepreneurs - for your dedication, your enthusiasm and your entrepreneurial spirit.

Pursue your goals. Have an inquisitive spirit - and don't let go of it. And most of all: stay courageous!

Dare to take entrepreneurial risks; don't be discouraged by setbacks. Setbacks are learning opportunities. They make you stronger. Where there is no risk, there is no opportunity. I wish you all the best for what lies ahead.

The future is yours! Yes, you are our future!

The world needs inquisitive and entrepreneurial young people