Switzerland Today
Greetings from Lausanne!
Much of the world’s attention has been on London today where leaders, royalty and members of the public gathered to mourn Queen Elizabeth II. Swiss President Ignazio Cassis was among them at Westminster Abbey to pay last respects to the monarch on behalf of Switzerland.
Cassis has a busy schedule. During the course of the day he is due to meet King Charles III before later flying to New York for the high-level opening week of the United Nations General Assembly.
In the news: the Queen’s funeral, a mountain restaurant fire and a record rösti.
- Swiss President Ignazio Cassis attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday. Ahead of the solemn ceremony and procession, Cassis signed the book of condolences for the late monarch and offered his “deepest sympathies to King Charles III on the passing of his mother”.
- A Swiss woman who stabbed two people in a shopping centre in Lugano in 2020 in a jihadist–inspired attack has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment by a court.
- A fire broke outExternal link early on Monday at a mountaintop restaurant (photo above) designed by Swiss star architect Mario Botta. The building is perched at the top of Glacier 3000 at Les Diablerets. Helicopters battled to help put out the blaze at 3,000 metres (9,800 ft), police said. Prosecutors opened an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
- The world’s biggest rösti, a popular national dish of grated potatoes, was cooked at Bern’s Parliament Square today. The huge rösti, which measured 13.7 m2 and used 1,350 kg of potatoes, will provide 3,000 portions; the previous record was 10m2.
- Swiss armaments officials today signedExternal link the contract with the US government for the procurement of 36 F-35A fighter jets. The American authorities had already signed the procurement contract worth CHF6 billion last October.
Swiss government prepares energy crisis unit.
The energy crisis is making Swiss officials and businesses extremely nervous about possible shortages this winter. Power cuts lasting several hours are to be expected, warned the president of the Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom), Werner Luginbühl, in August. Economics Minister Guy Parmelin insists that the threat of shortages should not be over-dramatised.
Amid mounting calls for action and better preparedness, Parmelin last month announced numerous measures to help combat possible energy shortages, including an energy-savings campaign and a voluntary gas savings scheme to reduce demand from households and industry by 15%. Measures are also underway to boost water reserves at hydropower plants and to increase gas storage facilities.
But the cantons, a number of business groups and left-leaning political groups have voiced concerns, with some taking aim at the government for a perceived lack of urgency. They have complained about coordination and accusations that it is too slow in responding to a potential crisis.
On Sunday Parmelin said the government was “very close” to finalising the creation of a special crisis unit with “a single point of contact for cantons” to respond to possible energy shortages.
More
One in five women do not retire at the age of 64
Among the nationwide votes this Sunday, the Swiss are set to decide on two related issues to reform the state old age pension scheme, including raising the retirement age for women from 64 to 65 (the same as men), and an increase in value added tax for consumers.
According to a reportExternal link by Swiss public television, RTS, one in five Swiss women already work beyond the age of 65. This varies by sector: few women in banking or insurance work after the legal retirement age. Most of those who continue beyond 65 are in the social and cultural sectors.
According to a pre-pandemic survey, the majority of men and women who continue working after the official retirement age do so because they enjoy their professional activity, while 17% cite financial reasons.
Speaking to RTS, 66-year-old Fabienne Beaud, a business head-hunter and coach, says she continues to work as she loves her job. But she also does it because she receives only CHF2,500 a month from the official state pension scheme and she lives in expensive Geneva. Despite having worked for 45 years, the divorced mother still finds herself in a difficult financial situation as she is independent and works part-time.
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