Responsible Liechtenstein policy acts in the knowledge that smallness can never be an argument for not engaging regionally and internationally. Our thinking about the future must take into account that nation states and especially small states are increasingly losing regulatory autonomy. International developments have an increasingly strong influence on policy-making in Liechtenstein. The structural scarcity of the small State promotes and demands external networking and cooperation. The resulting dependencies can be compared to a balancing act, in which voluntarily ceded autonomy must be properly dosed to compensate for size disadvantages.

In recent years, Liechtenstein’s increased international orientation has given additional impetus to opposing tendencies – of preservation on the one hand and adaptation to externally imposed standards on the other. In summary, it can be said that as european integration has progressed, the pressure on the Liechtenstein political system to adapt has increased. Such a process cannot be limited to the superficial economic and political issues, but must also deal with values and with Liechtenstein identity.