Switzerland Today
Hello from Bern,
Swiss defence minister Viola Amherd has become the latest member of the 7-person Federal Council to join Instagram and is already racking up the followers. At last look, she had a strong army of 539 followers. Not bad for a newbie. She is after all the most popular minister according to a poll.
More news from Switzerland in today's briefing.
In the news: Swiss condemn attack in Ukraine, promising results for recycled asphalt and youth in crisis.
- The Swiss government condemned the Russian airstrike on a market in the eastern Ukrainian town of Kostyantynivka, which reportedly killed at least 16 people. The foreign ministry wrote on X that Switzerland was “once again calling on Russia to immediately cease its military aggression against Ukraine”.
- Tests with recycled asphalt on Swiss roads show promising results according to a joint project led by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA). The project found that in Uster, canton Zurich, and on the Lukmanier Pass in canton Graubünden, the proportion of recycled asphalt could be increased without any loss of performance. More monitoring to come.
- The Pro Juventute Foundation, a charity dedicated to children and youth, has experienced a significant increase in the number of calls to its support hotline from young people in Switzerland. The average length of calls has doubled, while consultations concerning self-harming behavior are on the rise.
How bad is inflation in Switzerland? A look at and behind the numbers.
It seems like an easy question. According to official figures, inflation fell from a peak of 3.5% last August to 1.6% this August. But as I found out, this isn’t the whole story.
First: the situation has improved and is better than other countries but that doesn’t mean consumers aren’t feeling the pinch. “Prices may not be going up as rapidly as before or compared to other countries, but they are still high and rising, which is hard on consumers,” monetary expert Fabio Canetg told me. Plus, one of the big expenses, health insurance premiums, which are expected to increase by some 8% next year, aren’t included in the inflation calculation.
Second: wages haven’t kept pace with inflation. Real wages dropped 1.9% last year, which means that any increase is tough to manage. And these increases are coming, much of this in parts of the economy where there is some regulation by the state, such as rents. Rent is tied to inflation and interest rates under Swiss law. A benchmark increase by a quarter percentage-point allows landlords to raise rents by 3%.
Third: Switzerland isn’t an island although it does sometimes seem like one in the middle of Europe. It is affected by what happens in other countries to some extent. This was reiterated by the chairman of the Swiss luxury group Richemont who said that inflation in Europe is affecting demand. Apparently even well-heeled consumers aren’t able to buy everything they want.
A Swiss soldier risks life and imprisonment fighting for the Ukrainian army
Today Swiss public television SRF reported on a man from western Switzerland who spent last year in Ukraine with the armyExternal link. Volunteers joining the International Legion sign a contract with the Ukrainian army and are paid the same as that of Ukrainian soldiers. According to media reports, this is around CHF2,500 a month.
But this isn’t without risks, not only to their survival. Swiss military law forbids Swiss from serving in a foreign army. The military court is currently investigating seven Swiss people who are or have fought in Ukraine.
What drew him to the war isn’t entirely clear but even after getting injured, seeing a colleague die during a demining operation, and the risk of imprisonment, he still wants to go back to Ukraine.
More
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
