Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), all political parties seem to agree for once: the 2027 AI World Summit in Geneva should be bigger and take place at the highest political level – heads of state and AI CEOs should come to Switzerland next June.
Meanwhile, the Olma agricultural fair in St Gallen opens this Friday. In this briefing, you’ll discover which cabinet minister started the tradition of carrying the famous Olma piglet.
Regards from Bern,
On what is likely to be his final trip to India as a Swiss government minister, Guy Parmelin looks back on his trade policy achievements and ahead to the future of the free trade agreement with India.
Last week, Parmelin announced that he would step down from the Federal Council at the end of the year. Shortly afterwards, he embarked on what is likely to be his final visit to India as economics minister. He has travelled to India five times, and one of his greatest achievements was securing the free trade agreement, according to the NZZ. Parmelin negotiated the deal together with State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda.
She has also since announced her resignation. Will the agreement survive without its two principal architects? the NZZ asks. “Everyone is replaceable,” says Parmelin. What is certain is that India will remain important for Switzerland. The EFTA states, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, plan to invest $100 billion and create one million jobs in India over the next fifteen years.
As he prepares to leave office, Parmelin takes a positive view of his trade policy record. The Federal Council’s strategy, he says, has been to stabilise relations with key partners such as the European Union, the US and China, while diversifying through new trade deals. Despite challenging times, he believes the Swiss economy is well positioned, though he warns against resisting future trade agreements.
Politicians from all parties are pushing for a more ambitious international AI summit in Geneva in 2027.
Back to Guy Parmelin and India: at the World AI Summit in Delhi in February, the economics minister announced that the next summit would be held in Switzerland in June 2027.
The plans have since led to rare consensus in parliament. Politicians across the political spectrum believe the Federal Council’s ambitions are too modest. So far, CHF5.4 million have been earmarked for the summit, which is currently planned as a ministerial-level gathering. According to the politicians, heads of state and government, as well as CEOs of major tech firms, should come to Geneva. In their view, the summit’s “level of ambition” must be raised significantly.
As debate continues over the summit’s scale, local authorities and cantons are already feeling the effects of the AI boom. Hardware costs have surged because data centres require vast quantities of chips and hard drives. According to Swiss public broadcaster RTS, computers are now costing more than twice as much as before. In canton Valais, half of the workstation upgrades planned for this year have been postponed.
There is also concern on the cybersecurity front. One analysis concludes that thousands of computers in Switzerland are inadequately protected against cyberattacks, while another study suggests many SMEs underestimate their cyber risks.
Mild winters and warmer autumns are helping canton Ticino attract more visitors outside its peak summer season.
The traditional seasons, as you may remember them from the past, are increasingly blending into one another in Switzerland. This autumn, for example, has been unusually warm and dry. While this is bad news for vegetation, it offers opportunities for tourism, which aims to attract visitors all year round.
Canton Ticino has long sought to extend its tourism season and increase overnight stays during the quieter months between November and February. According to Swiss public broadcaster RSI, the strategy is beginning to pay off. Overnight stays in December rose by 35% between 2015 and 2025.
To turn these individual successes into genuine year-round tourism, however, the entire sector needs to work together, tourism representatives told RSI. Hotels, mountain railways and tourism organisations would all need to extend their opening hours and develop offers that remain attractive during the off-season.
Olma piglets train for months before race day. And one government minister is responsible for the Olma agricultural fair tradition of carrying a piglet in his arms.
Succus in sport requires training, and the piglets starring in the Olma’s famous “Säulirennen” race are no exception. The Swiss Agricultural and Food Fair opens on Friday, and the piglets have been preparing for their appearance for the past two months.
The piglets are being prepared on the Dörig family’s farm in Gossau. They learn how to stand in the starting box and run while wearing sponsors’ jackets. To prepare them for the hustle and bustle of the fair, they are exposed to music and the shouts of children. By the time the Olma begins, the four-month-old piglets will weigh around 50 kilograms, thought to be their ideal racing weight. Afterwards, they return to the farm until they eventually reach their slaughter weight of 110 kilograms.
No discussion of Olma piglets would be complete without mentioning the traditional photo opportunity featuring a cabinet minister holding a piglet. Every year, a member of the government travels to the fair, even though it is no longer part of the official programme. But they don’t let the opportunity for a photo with an adorable animal pass them by, as NZZ reports. The tradition began in 2001 when Samuel Schmid casually picked up a piglet. Most of this colleagues have followed his example ever since. The notable exception was Joseph Deiss, who posed with a goat instead.
Translated from German, sub-edited by Simon Bradley
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