Switzerland Today

Hello from Bern,

Where it’s December 29, but it doesn’t feel like it. The post-Christmas vacuum is here, but the temperatures are already heading for Easter. In Basel this weekend, it could be 18°C. What does this mean for tourism in the Alps? That’s the question for today’s newsletter. First the news.

© Keystone / Urs Flueeler

In the news: Novartis pay out, a shakeup of the charts, and Swiss stock-market clout.

• Swiss pharma company Novartis has reached a “tentative” out-of-court agreement to settle a class-action suit in the US. The litigation, brought by various plaintiffs including big pharmacy chains, hinged on the accusation that Novartis colluded with a partner to delay the launch of cheaper generic versions of its hyper-tension drug. The settlement includes a payment of $245 million (CHF227 million).
• As of next week, YouTube streams will be included in Switzerland’s official weekly music charts. The Swiss “Hitparade” already looks at paid streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music; the inclusion of ad-financed platforms will mean 97% of all music consumed in the country will be covered. In the most recent charts on December 25, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” was number one.
• Three Swiss-based companies feature in the top 100 most valuable stock-market listed firms, consultants EY said today. Nestlé (with a capitalisation of $321.2 billion) is 23rd biggest, while Roche and Novartis rank 32nd and 45th respectively. Switzerland is the fifth-most important hub worldwide for top 100 companies; the US, with 61, is by far the biggest. Europe as a whole is losing out. At $2.1 trillion, Apple is the world’s most valuable company.

© Keystone / Anthony Anex

Mercury Rising: Alpine resorts face lack of snow, but tourists are still booking.

It’s warm in Switzerland, and set to get warmer. This Saturday, Meteosuisse predicts temperatures will be well into the teens, and could reach 18°C – capping what has been the warmest and sunniest year since records began. Good for keeping down energy bills, but not great for winter tourism. With temperatures also climbing in the mountains – in Zermatt (1,638 metres above sea level) it will be 9°C on Saturday – the snow situation looks gloopy in places.

The snow line only starts between 1,300 and 1,800 metres depending on region, and many small or medium ski stations are still closed, the AWP news agency reports today. Even for bigger stations, which can stretch as high as 3,000 metres, not all slopes are open. This means artificial snow and snow cannons could be in high demand, where available; in Switzerland, 54% of ski slopes already include artificial snow, compared to 39% in France, 70% in Austria, and 90% in Italy.

But AWP also writes that on the tourism side of things, high-altitude stations are confident. Resorts including St Moritz, Engelberg-Titlis, and Samnaun (at the Austrian border), say hotel bookings are higher than in previous seasons, including before the pandemic; this tallies with predictions of a good winter season made a few months ago. SRF public radio meanwhile reportsExternal link that smaller stations, at lower altitudes, are adapting by re-opening summer facilities like mountain bike trails which would usually be unusable in December.

And in Adelboden, canton Bern, where a World Cup ski race is to be held next weekend, organisers are also trying to stay optimistic, despite the abundance of green (see photo). According to the Tages-AnzeigerExternal link, snow experts at the resort are considering a range of tricks to ensure the race goes ahead, including injecting water at high-pressure into the slope to freeze up the snow base, or using salt to remove excess moisture. But they are also in need of some cold nights, if not fresh snow. The decision about whether or not to go ahead with the race will be taken tomorrow.

Keystone / Martin Ruetschi

Energy, Europe, elections: the Swiss political agenda for 2023.

After yesterday’s economic look ahead to 2023, today it’s the turn of politics. SWI swissinfo journalists Samuel Jaberg and Marc Leutenegger examine the big talking points that will shake up Swiss domestic and foreign policy next year: from the tricky balancing act of climate policy to relations with the EU, and – above all – parliamentary elections on October 22.