Yearbook 2003
Liechtenstein. According to Countryaah.com, Liechtenstein Independence Day is August 15. Prince Hans Adam strengthened his power through a constitutional amendment which was approved by a good margin in a referendum in March. The head of state was thus entitled to dismiss the government and appoint acting ministers, and he was granted protection from the influence of the Constitutional Court. His Adam had threatened to move to Austria if he did not get his will through.
Liechtenstein threatened to stop the new EEA agreement negotiated between the EU and the EFTA countries Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland. The reason was that Liechtenstein did not have diplomatic relations with the future EU countries Czech Republic and Slovakia due to an old conflict. In the end, the Principality was allowed to sign and sign the agreement, which regulates economic cooperation with the Union.
Climate
The country’s climate is relatively mild despite the mountainous location. It is strongly influenced by the action of the foehn (warm, dry fall wind), which extends the vegetation period in spring and autumn and temperatures around 15 ° C are not uncommon in winter due to strong foehn.
The upstream Swiss and Vorarlberg mountain ranges protect against cold Atlantic and polar air, creating a typical inner-alpine protective layer. The principality has orchards with littered meadows and a long wine-growing tradition. The small spatial extent of Liechtenstein hardly plays a role in the climatic differences, whereas the vertical structure in different altitudes is of great importance, so that significant climatic differences arise.
In winter the temperature rarely drops below minus 15 degrees, while in summer the mean temperatures fluctuate between 20 and 28 degrees. The measurements of the annual precipitation amounts on average to around 900 to 1,200 millimeters, in the direct Alpine region, however, the precipitation is often up to 1,900 millimeters. The average duration of sunshine is around 1,600 hours a year.
