Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad,

It's raining here in Lausanne. But the good news for many people in Switzerland, especially those in the mountains and holidaymakers, is that a big dump of snow is underway. Hopefully we can say farewell to those green Alpine meadows and slushy ski slopes.

Here are some other stories from Switzerland on Monday, January 9, 2023.

Keystone / Andre Borges

In the news: Brazil riot, big SNB losses, fresh snow on the way and jobless figure down.

• Switzerland’sambassador to Brazil, Pietro Lazzeri, has tweeted that the Swiss embassy is following events “with great concern” after demonstrators stormed the country’s Congress (photo above), Presidential Palace and Supreme Court to protest the result of October’s general election. “We reiterate our support for Brazilian institutions and democracy,” the Swiss embassy tweeted, a message that was re-tweeted by the Swiss foreign ministry.
• The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has posted an annual loss of CHF132 billion ($143 billion) for 2022, mostly on foreign currency positions. It represents the biggest loss in the central bank’s 115-year history. It also means the SNB will not make its usual payout to the Swiss federal and cantonal governments. Last year it paid out CHF6 billion.
• Fresh snow is finally on its way in Switzerland – and lots of it. Weather experts expect up to 70 centimetres of new snow above 1,600 metres in the Swiss Alps in the coming days, and possibly even more higher up.
• The rate of unemployment in Switzerland fell from 3% in 2021 to 2.2% last year, the lowest rate in 20 years, according to official statistics. At the same time, trade unions complained that wages were not keeping up with inflation. The Swiss Trade Union Federation called for a minimum wage of CHF5,000 per month for workers who had been through an apprenticeship and at least CHF4,500 for all people in work. 

Keystone / Sebastien Nogier

Efforts to save energy appear to bear fruit.

A surveyExternal link by Swiss public radio, RTS, of electricity producers and suppliers in French-speaking Switzerland revealed drops in electricityconsumption over the last three months of 2022 of 4-10%, depending on the region.

The mildautumn and winterweather may partially explain these decreases, but those questioned said efforts made by individuals and businesses were making a difference.

Groupe E, which is mainly active in cantons Vaud, Fribourg and Neuchâtel, reported a 10% drop in electricity use over the last three months of 2022. In Geneva, the authorities reported consumers making voluntary savings of 4% in October and November.

The electricity company BKW, the main operator in cantons Bern and Jura, said households and small businesses consumed 5% less electricity.

Like other European countries, Switzerland faces the prospects of powershortages this winter, primarily due to Russia restricting gas supplies amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Overall, however, the energy supply situation in Switzerland has eased thanks to sufficient rain and mild temperatures throughout autumn. Hydroelectric dam reservoirs (hydropower provides over half of the country’s electricity) in Switzerland are well stocked, and there has been less need to heat homes and other buildings.

Germany’s network regulator said last week that a gasshortage is “increasingly unlikely” this winter. Also, Germany’s last three nuclear power plants should continue to run over winter and France plans to bring repaired nuclear power plants back online faster than previously announced.

The Swiss authorities have put in place a raft of measures to cope with any possible energy shortages this winter. In August the government launched a campaign encouraging the population not to waste energy. The same month it introduced a voluntary gas savings scheme in a bid to reduce demand from households and industry by 15%. 

© Keystone / Anthony Anex

Bern residents rail against Russian diplomats

All is not well in Bern’sdiplomaticquarter. Residents who live near the Russian embassy in the city’s Elfenau district (photo above) have complained to Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis about Russiandiplomats working there.

In a letter reportedlyExternal link sent to the Swiss official last November, the residents complained about the heavy traffic in the area, and speeding and poor parking by Russian diplomats in Bern.

But the anonymous authors of the letter are also concerned about their own security. The presence of Russian spies in Bern, Geneva, Zurich and other parts of Switzerland represents a “dangerous situation” that has “dramatically intensified” with Russia’s war against Ukraine, they wrote.

Following their complaints, the Swiss foreignministry reportedly contacted the Russian ambassador and urged embassy staff to “strictly observe traffic rules and speeds inside and outside the neighbourhood and to show more considerate behaviour”. The foreign ministry does not wish to discuss the dispute and refuses to comment on the spy claims “for reasons of internal security”, it told the paper.

The Russian embassy has defended itselfExternal link against the residents’ accusations.