Switzerland Today
Greetings from Lausanne!
The Christmas markets in Switzerland may have to dim their lights and find other ways to cut back on energy. But markets and shops are packed and people are spending.
As a cost of living crisis fuelled by rising energy prices bites into the Christmas budgets of many Europeans, a poll reveals that Swiss consumers are set to splash out a record amount on Christmas presents this year.
This and other news from Switzerland on Monday, December 5, 2022.
In the news: inflation, more summer holidaymakers and Tariq Ramadan on trial.
- The Swiss Competition Commission (COMCO) has opened an investigation into whether dozens of banks were sharing information about what they pay some staff.
- Swiss-based Glencoresays it will pay $180 million (CHF168 million) to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of an agreement covering all present and future claims to alleged corruption by the mining firm in the country between 2007 and 2018.
- Inflation in Switzerland in 2023 is expected to remain above the Swiss National Bank’s (SNB) target range, according to the leading Swiss business umbrella organisation Economiesuisse.
- Hotel owners reported a sharp rise in overnightstays last summer compared to the previous year. But overall figures were still lower than for summer 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Islamic scholar TariqRamadan will have to stand trial in Geneva next year accused of rape and sexual coercion.
Nine women and 110 men – the Swiss Federal Council.
On December 7, Switzerland is due to elect replacements for outgoing ministers Simonetta Sommaruga and Ueli Maurer who are stepping down from the Swiss government.
Eva Herzog or Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, of the Social Democrats, will be the tenth woman to become a Swiss cabinet member, taking over from Sommaruga. And either Hans-Ueli Vogt or Albert Rösti will replace Maurer.
This Swiss public radio, RTS, articleExternal link has interesting interactivegraphics showing every single cabinet member since 1848. You can follow the trends over the years to see when the first women joined, which parties have dominated, the average age of ministers and from which language regions they come from.
The distribution of cabinet posts by languageregion is extremely accurate, it turns out. French-speaking ministers have accumulated 116,000 days in government, or 26% of the total, while French-speakers represent 23% of the total Swiss population.
German-speakers meanwhile have been in power for 66% of the time, while they represent 63% of the population. Italian-speaking Ticino remains slightly under-represented, with 7% of days in government while 8% of Swiss are Italian speakers.
How much will people spend on Christmas this year?
Swiss consumers are set to splash out an average CHF343 ($367) on Christmaspresents this year, a record high even though 62% of people questioned would like to reduce spending, a survey published on Monday showed.
“Unemployment in Switzerland is low and the Swiss market is proving stable, with companies’ enjoying full order books. In addition, the first signs of a reduction in inflation can be seen,” said André Bieri, Swiss markets leader at audit and consulting group EY, which conducted the survey of 400 adults.
Gift vouchers and money topped the list of gift categories this year, surpassing last year’s favourites clothing and cosmetics. Toys, food and confectionery, books, event tickets and jewellery were also popular, the survey found.
How will I buy a train ticket in the future?
Over the years, more and more railwayticketcounters have closed in Switzerland; now it seems to be the turn of bus and train ticketmachines. The main argument for closing seems to be the same: because they are too expensive and underused. But how might passengers be affected?
According to Thomas Ammann of the public transport tariff industry association Alliance Swisspass, in the future passengers will only be able to buy bus and train tickets online using a mobilephone or computer. While this might not be a problem for many, what about those who are more “digitally challenged” or who don’t own a phone?
Peter Burri from Pro Senectute believes this is not such a big deal for pensioners. “With the timeframe that the industry sets, we see that consideration is being given and that everyone is being accounted for,” he toldExternal link Swiss public radio, SRF. Special care is being taken to ensure that by 2035 everyone will be able to pay with their mobile phone.
He says many Swiss pensioners are already used to paying with their phones or computers. Of the 1.8 million pensioners in Switzerland, only around 200,000, or less than 10%, do not own a smartphone, and this is set to decrease over the years.
While older Swiss people may have less trouble paying for buses or trains with a mobile phone, this could be trickier for children, according to Pro Juventute spokesman Jan Schlink.
Public transport firms in Switzerland promise that people who have neither a credit card nor a smartphone can continue to use public transport. But it remains unclear what the exact situation will be from 2035.
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