Switzerland Today
Hello from Bern,
The long Easter weekend means most of northern Switzerland seems to be heading south: the radio has been talking all day about 10-km traffic jams at the Gotthard tunnel leading to Ticino. Which means: here in the capital, it’s nice and quiet.
In the news: government looks to boost energy and cyber security.
- The government is to prepare a back-up bail-out plan for Switzerland’s main electricity companies to prevent any future energy shortages. Under the plan, sparked by fears about energy supply that date back to before the war in Ukraine, the state would intervene as a lender of last resort in case of major problems. Conditions for companies to qualify for the bail-out package would be strict, Energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said on Thursday.
- Switzerland’s armed forces plan to invest up to CHF2.4 billion ($2.6 billion) over the next few years to boost the country’s cyber defence. Presenting a long-term planning document on Wednesday, Defence Minister Viola Amherd stressed the need to beef up protection against potential cyberattacks on military infrastructure. Earlier this year, parliament already approved the creation of an army cyber command centre with nearly 600 staff members.
Swiss man living in Japan gets cross about cross.
Swiss President Ignazio Cassis is off to Japan next week, the government announced today. The visit, which aims to bolster the already “excellent relations”, will take Cassis to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, and notably includes a chat with Japanese premier Fumio Kishida. What’s on the agenda? If one Swiss Abroad had his way, it would be the alleged Japanese “abuse” of the Swiss flag: the NZZreports todayExternal link that a Swiss professor living in Japan has been trying for a year now to raise the issue of a sign used locally to indicate people who might be in need of assistance (for some health reason), or to mark out areas reserved for such people.
The problem with this “help mark” is that it looks suspiciously like the Swiss flag: the red background and white cross are differentiated only by a white heart below (see a photo hereExternal link). For expat Roger Mottini, it’s an insult: a lack of “respect” for the Swiss symbol, which is misused by “ignorant foreign bureaucrats”, as Mottini wrote in a letter to the foreign affairs committee in parliament, the NZZ explains. Mottini has in fact written to lots of people: authorities in Tokyo, the Swiss parliament, previous Swiss President Guy Parmelin, and now (in anticipation of next week’s visit) Cassis himself.
But unfortunately for Mottini, it’s unlikely the issue will be raised: the NZZ writes that the embassy in Japan – based on legal advice – has already confirmed that the “Swissness” of the white cross has not been infringed upon.
Ahead of ‘Lex Netflix’ vote, authorities correct booklet – at least online.
There were red faces at the Federal Chancellery this week after it turned out there was a misleading map published in the explanation brochure ahead of the next national votes on May 15. On page 13 of the famous red booklet, a map of Europe shows the countries which already require streaming services like Netflix to invest in local productions, or which levy a tax directly on these companies (the map is to help voters better understand the ‘Lex Netflix’ vote, which is about making streaming giants contribute more to local film production in Switzerland – see our explainer article here).
In the booklet – which used as its source a 2019 publication by the European Audiovisual Observatory – 20 European states appear to have already implemented something similar to what Switzerland wants. But as SRF’s Arena programme revealed last week, the map also includes countries that only have a “general obligation” in place: i.e. streaming firms should visually promote local films. After this emerged, the campaigners against the law said they were launching a legal case against the government for publishing false information; and as a result, the authorities yesterday publishedExternal link “clarifications”, showing that just 13 countries impose similar taxes – though they stopped short of demands to also specify how high these taxes are.
What does it mean for the vote on May 15? The chancellery is not planning to send new booklets around to every household; it reckons the online correction is enough. If the opponents lose the vote however, they might yet use this as a way of attacking the result in the courts; it wouldn’t be the first time.
Photo of the day: Schubert in the clouds.
Chinese pianist Lang Lang, one of the best-known classical musicians in the world, was also one of the highest musicians in the world today. At a ceremony to unveil an ice-sculpture of himself on top of the Jungfraujoch in Switzerland, Lang Lang also played a concert at the 3,454-metre summit. The musician, who was “humbled” by the natural beauty of it all, will be back down in Interlaken for a more normal concert tomorrow. If global warming allows, however, his statue will remain at the Jungfraujoch for a “long time”, say station operators, who are unashamedly hoping to attract Chinese tourists: “[Lang’s] high profile throughout Asia strengthens our brand”, said Urs Kessler, Director of Jungfrau Railways.
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