EU gives cold shoulder to Swiss weather forecasters
MeteoSwiss, which had been part of a European project to develop a virtual model of the Earth, has been excluded due to the tensions around the ditched framework agreement between Bern and Brussels.
The European Union (EU)’s “Destination EarthExternal link” aims to build a “digital twin” of our planet using continually updated weather and climate-related data – all with the goal of having a state-of-the-art source of models and forecasts to better predict natural disasters and environmental change, as well as simply give a better picture of the weather.
MeteoSwiss, the Swiss federal meterology and climatology office, will not however be part of the project, media have reported. According to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, the decision to exclude the Swiss was directly related to the breakdown of negotiations with Brussels on an overarching framework agreement in May – a dispute which has also since led to exclusion from other major EU projects such as the Horizon Research programme and the Erasmus+ student exchange scheme.
Speaking to Swiss public radio, RTS, on Thursday morning, Isabelle Bey, head of the MeteoSuisse office in Geneva, said the exclusion will have an impact, particularly on “the quality of forecasts in the medium and long term”.
“We regularly measure the quality of our predictions and we know that they are steadily improving,” she said. “That’s solely as a result of the range of innovations and applied research which we implement.” She said exclusion from the Destination Earth project will mean “falling behind and losing know-how”.
Who knows how
As for how Switzerland plans to make up for the lost expertise, parliamentarians in Bern last week approved a CHF870,000 ($942,000) budget boost for MeteoSwiss, the NZZ reports. One of them, the Centre party’s Beat Rieder, even told the paper it wasn’t a question of the Swiss missing out on EU expertise, but the other way around: “When Brussels doesn’t want our know-how, then we’ll take care of the weather ourselves”, Rieder said.
The government was meanwhile less keen to shore up MeteoSwiss: “In our view, the budget increase is not urgently necessary at this point in time,” Finance Minister Ueli Maurer told Senators. Parliamentarians themselves, however, were strongly in favour.
Coercion still an issue in Swiss welfare system, report finds
This content was published on
The rights of people in vulnerable situations are sometimes disregarded within the Swiss social welfare system, according to a national research programme.
This content was published on
Viola Amherd has expressed her “deep shock” at the assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday.
This content was published on
A man injured half a dozen people with knives, two of them seriously, before being arrested on Wednesday in northern Switzerland.
Switzerland to introduce flight passenger database
This content was published on
Switzerland plans to introduce a flight passenger database to collect and process personal data in a bid to combat terrorism and serious crime.
Government plans to invest over CHF16bn in Swiss rail network
This content was published on
The federal government intends to invest CHF16.4 billion ($18.1 billion) in railway infrastructure between 2025 and 2028, CHF2 billion more than for the current period.
Swiss to vote on pension reform and biodiversity in September
This content was published on
Swiss citizens will vote on occupational pension schemes and a biodiversity initiative on September 22, the Federal Council announced on Wednesday.
Ukraine peace talks: 50 countries have confirmed participation
This content was published on
To date, 50 countries out 160 invited delegations have confirmed they will attend the Ukraine peace conference, held in central Switzerland in mid-June, according to Swiss public radio, RTS.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Switzerland to get hotter and drier with less snow
This content was published on
By the middle of the century, Switzerland’s climate will be drier and warmer, with less snow and more intense precipitation, say projections.
EU Commissioner laments ‘trust problem’ with Switzerland
This content was published on
EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič says he wants a “clear political signal” from Switzerland that it is “serious” about regulating relations.
This content was published on
Citing “substantial differences”, the government has decided not to move ahead with a controversial institutional agreement on relations with the EU.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.