Switzerland Today
Hello from Bern, where newspapers and social media today have been reacting to the government’s desire to push ahead – faster than planned – with the purchase of new fighter jets. There’s no time to lose, ministers say! But what’s really behind the haste?
In the news: Swiss join other nations in posting diplomats back to Kyiv.
- The Swiss embassy in Ukraine is to re-open. Two-and-a-half months after the representation in Kyiv shut its doors due to the war, the situation is “secure enough” to send back five staff people (including the Ambassador), the foreign ministry said on Thursday. If things get worse and an “emergency arises”, the staff will be prepared to leave again at short notice.
- The government wants to be able to bypass banking secrecy rules to investigate financial transactions suspected of funding terrorism, espionage or extremism. “In the event of serious threats to Switzerland’s security, the [intelligence services] will in future be able to clarify financial flows by requesting information from financial intermediaries,” the government said today. The draft amendment has been sent out for consultation until September 9.
- The US ambassador to Switzerland has said he is very pleased with the efforts Bern has made so far to find the funds of sanctioned Russians. Scott Miller reassured the Le Temps newspaper that recent comments by a US Congress group did not represent the official position of Joe Biden’s administration. Earlier this month, the so-called “Helsinki Commission” accused Switzerland of showing a lack of zeal in the hunt for Russian assets.
When politics imitates art: Swiss defence ministry rides Top Gun wave.
Yesterday, the government said it wanted to speed up the purchase of new F-35 fighter jets for the army; rather than wait for the outcome of an ongoing people’s initiative, which is gathering signatures against the CHF6 billion splash, ministers want to plow ahead and buy the planes by next March without a public vote – despite hinting before that they would wait. Why the sudden dropping of democratic politeness? Officially, it’s because of the “worsening security situation” – i.e. the war in Ukraine, the rallying around NATO, the general armament frenzy. But what if the maverick move was about something else?
A trusted source from the defence ministry has told SWI swissinfo.ch that the rush is in fact about coinciding with the release of the new “Top Gun” film. The blockbuster sequel, featuring lots of impressive fighter jet manoeuvres, is to hit Swiss cinema screens next Wednesday, and is on everybody’s lips right now. “[Defence Minister] Viola Amherd wants to ride this wave and get the deal done before some other film, which might be less flattering to fighter jets, comes into the cinema,” the source said, before adding: “this is also why we chose a Tom Cruise look-alike as the new director of the federal intelligence services”.
Indeed, the idea of basing foreign policy around whatever film is currently in the cinema is something the government plans to roll out more widely in future. “Volodymyr Zelensky became Ukrainian president in a TV show before he became president in reality. And look how popular he is now,” the ministry source said. Similarly, a cooperation agreement signed this week between Switzerland and the European Space Agency was directly inspired by the recent release of “Moonfall”, featuring Halle Berry. “If it turns out that the moon is an artificial construct whose implosion could threaten the entirety of humanity, then in this case it’s probably best we work with the Europeans,” the source said.
Some smiles for Smood employees as they ‘progress’ to minimum wage.
Good news today for 1,200 Swiss employees of the Smood delivery company. The couriers, whose job is to cycle around cities delivering food to lazy people, have gone on strike a few times – especially in the French-speaking part of Switzerland – to call for better working conditions and “an end to exploitation”. And after 18 months of “intense and tough discussions”, Smood and the Syndicom union said todayExternal link they had reached a deal. Improvements include a guarantee of at least four hours work per week, as well as a greater say for workers in company decisions. They will also get a minimum wage of CHF23 per hour – already the minimum wage in canton Geneva, one of the few Swiss cantons to have one.
In case you missed it: Greenpeace report in a language we all understand.
In yesterday’s briefing we mentioned a new report by Greenpeace, about “manipulative” advertising tricks used to sell meat and other animal products. We gave the link to the report in French, German, and Italian, but apparently there is also an English version available hereExternal link. Thanks to Greenpeace for alerting us to this.
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