Switzerland Today

This content was published on March 26, 2024 - 18:00

5 minutes

A stickler for detail, Geraldine first arrived at swissinfo.ch in 2014 to study rumours on social media as part of a collaborative research project known as Pheme. She now coordinates the Fact Checks by swissinfo.ch dossier covering (mis)statements about Switzerland, and continues to follow the trail of online misinformation.

Dear Swiss Abroad,

The dust is still settling on statistics showing a rise in criminal offences in Switzerland last year, which you will have read about in yesterday’s briefing. Sadly, there’s more news of criminal masterminds in today’s edition. Just watch out for what’s on your plate of cheese, is all I’ll say.

US notes hanging up to dry — Counterfeit US bank notes KEYSTONE

In the news: Swiss top life satisfaction poll, “toxic cheesemaker” charged with manslaughter, plus two Swiss face charges for counterfeit money

The Swiss had the highest level of life satisfaction among all Europeans in 2022, according to the Federal Statistical Office. But nearly one in ten say they have difficulties making ends meet.
A former dairy operator in canton Schwyz is facing 20 criminal charges, including involuntary manslaughter, for the deaths of people who ate contaminated cheese and contracted listeria.
Meanwhile, two Swiss citizens have been charged with attempting to print fake US dollar bills with a face value of at least $5 million. They’re set to appear before the Federal Criminal Court.

Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA head — UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini leaving the parliamentary foreign affairs committee meeting in Geneva KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / SALVATORE DI NOLFI

A moment of truth for UNRWA in Switzerland

Today Philippe Lazzarini, the Swiss-Italian head of the embattled UN agency for Palestinian refugees, made a highly anticipated appearance before the foreign affairs committee of the House of Representatives. He was there to answer questions from parliamentarians divided on whether to maintain Swiss financing for UNRWA, the main organisation delivering aid in Gaza and one which depends mainly on voluntary state donations to operate.

Left-leaning parties are generally in favour of funding the agency, as they consider these funds to be vital for millions of Palestinians, Swiss public radio, RTS reportsExternal link. Those on the right, however, tend to see the agency as anachronistic and suspicious.

Switzerland decided not to disburse its 2024 contribution of CHF20 million ($22 million) after the Israeli government accused 12 UNRWA staff of taking part in the October 7 Hamas attack, which killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. UNRWA says it has not received written evidence from the Israelis backing up these serious allegations. Several major donors also suspended their funding, although some, including Canada, Sweden and the European Union, have since resumed their donations to UNRWA. According to Lazzarini, more than half of the population of Gaza is not receiving enough food.

As the Swiss parliament can recommend whether or not to issue the funds, the committees play an important role in this process, RTS explains. Lazzarini is set to also appear before the foreign affairs committee of the Senate.

Following today’s meeting, Lazzarini told reporters the agency had enough funds to operate through May and urged Switzerland to release its contribution. “It’s important for Switzerland to continue to be the partner it’s been up until now,” he is quoted as saying by Keystone-SDA. This is all the more urgent as the United States Congress recently decided to freeze funding for UNRWA until March 2025, he added. The US is by far UNRWA’s largest donor.

The Swiss foreign ministry, however, has previously said it would wait for the results of a UN investigation into the allegations against UNRWA staff before making a decision on the funds. The final investigation report is expected by the end of April.

Is Alain Berset the man to lead the Council of Europe?

Once one of Switzerland’s most popular cabinet ministers, today Alain Berset is facing a popularity contest of another sort. Berset, who stepped down from the Swiss government in December 2023, is running to be the next secretary-general of the Council of Europe. That’s a Strasbourg-based body established in 1949 to promote human rights and democracy on the continent.

On Monday the Council’s ministerial committee decided to retain all three candidates – Berset, the current European justice commissioner Didier Reynders, and the former Estonian culture minister, Indrek Saar – ahead of the election by the parliamentary assembly in June.

But the committee also set out its preference: Berset would be its first choice, followed by Saar, and then Reynders – this after having interviewed all three last week. This is not a surprise, saysExternal link the diplomatic correspondent for Swiss public television, SRF, as many of the Council’s 46 member states “have expressed a desire for a strong, energetic future secretary-general. That’s what Berset stands for.”

The committee may be vouching for Berset, but the contest is still wide open, says SRF. As Le Temps points outExternal link, the Social Democrat politician now has three months left to convince the assembly to award him the five-year term. He has already been campaigning “quietly”, visiting various European capitals in recent weeks.

If elected, the 51-year-old would be the first Swiss to lead the Council of Europe, which Switzerland joined in 1963.