Areas characterized by difficult conditions – compatible with the EU?

European Union as well as Switzerland consider in their agricultural policies demanding conditions of life and production by defining the areas characterized by difficult conditions of farming and by implementing adequate measures. The existing perimeter of the complication areas in the European Union and Switzerland differ according to demarcation criteria, methodology and scale level.This article summarizes the content of a technical report. It takes the relevant criteria of delimitation in the European Union for the areas characterized by difficult conditions of production in order to apply them to Switzerland. It visualizes the corresponding assignment and render possible a comparison with the existing demarcation of difficult agricultural areas in Switzerland. The demarcation was carried out by means of a geographical information system GIS.