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Switzerland Today
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When Switzerland builds wind turbines, it also thinks about bats. When a Swiss family builds a hotel, they also think about nature. Nature is even allowed to help shape the hotel!
However, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino does not have time to enjoy Swiss nature. He seems to be abroad most of the time and hardly anyone flies more than the boss of world football's governing body. Nevertheless, FIFA also appreciates Switzerland because of its tax exemption and legal certainty. Now, however, a Swiss court has dismissed a FIFA lawsuit against Google.
Happy reading!
It is a building straight out of a children’s picture book. The hotel project met with widespread opposition for a long time, but now it could become a reality.
The municipal council of Château-d’Oex has rezoned land to pave the way for an extraordinary agritourism project. Heidi News has reported on this and speaks of the “most exciting project in the Swiss Alps”. The main building has caused a stir since the first sketches (picture) were made public.
Behind the “Votre Cercle de vie” (“Your Circle of Life”) project is an innovative local farming family. The complex plans to combine an organic farm, a hotel, restaurants and a self-sufficient energy supply under one roof.
However, in the Alpine world of the Gruyères Nature Park with its gabled-roof farmhouses, the CHF45 million building is not only a novelty, but also an exotic one, if only because of its size. The local heritage organisation therefore saw a threat to the townscape, residents feared the noise from the construction site and the municipality feared the additional road traffic. A total of 48 objections were lodged. On the other hand, the municipal council saw the prospect of 59 jobs and an extraordinary opportunity.
A writeup in Heidi NewsExternal link and the website of the projectExternal link.
Gianni Infantino and FIFA are no longer the subject of much discussion in Switzerland. But now they’re back in the headlines.
FIFA is a global player that is still considered an association in Switzerland and therefore pays no taxes. Yet it has long since moved into the international arena. This is also shown by an investigation into Infantino’s air miles, as reported by the NZZ. Infantino flies in a private jet operated by the airline Qatar Executive. In the last three years, he has flown 600,000 kilometres or 500 kilometres a day. Infantino is therefore one of the five people with the most air kilometres worldwide.
It is the type of revelation that FIFA does not like. The football governing body has long been particularly annoyed by a website on which several anonymous articles have levelled accusations against it, including that of corruption. FIFA took legal action against Google in the commercial court in Zurich. The website had to be removed from searches. However, the Zurich court has now dismissed the claim. Anyone simply googling “FIFA” would not necessarily come across the page in question. FIFA can appeal the judgement.
Infantino’s air miles in the NZZExternal link and the original research on JosimarExternal link. Tages-Anzeiger on the FIFA vs Google court caseExternal link.
A tightening of Swiss asylum policy is on the horizon. A special session will be held in parliament next week.
Asylum policy is a key issue for the Swiss People’s Party; the high asylum numbers are a thorn in its side. Last year, around 30,000 people applied for asylum in Switzerland. This year, the numbers could be similarly high again. The party’s declared aim is therefore to make Switzerland less attractive for asylum seekers. SRF now writes that the balance is shifting among the centre-right. The People’s Party’s ideas are finding broader support. “It’s demands that were previously too radical for the other parties could now gain majority support,” analyses SRF.
Tighter regulations could become possible, for example regarding the reunification of families of temporarily admitted persons or payment cards instead of pocket money. The canton of Schwyz has already introduced such cards, and the canton of Nidwalden is also considering them. “The pressure from the People’s Party is obviously having an effect. It is now succeeding in winning over the other conservative parties in favour of its issues on the one hand, but also in driving them further ahead of it on the other.”
SRF reports on the payment cards for asylum seekersExternal link and analyses the initial situation for the special parliamentary session on asylumExternal link.
A group of experts have looked for ways in which the federal government could make financial savings. Today, the Federal Council decided which of these proposals it would like to submit for consultation.
Switzerland’s budget has a structural deficit, while at the same time the federal government has committed itself to never spending more than it takes in with the debt brake. Nevertheless, additional expenditure for the pension scheme and the army will have to be paid for in the near future.
To make this possible, Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter (photo) recently appointed a group of experts led by economist Serge Gaillard. In its savings report presented at the beginning of September, the group found considerable potential across all federal expenditure.
Today, the Federal Council has now decided which of the proposals it wishes to pursue further. Most of them will result in savings of CHF3.6 billion per year, starting as early as 2027 and even exceeding CHF4 billion in the future. The Federal Council mainly wants to take measures on the expenditure side, it announced. However, it also envisages measures on the revenue side, such as the taxation of pension capital withdrawals.
The Federal Council is not as enthusiastic as the experts who also recommended savings measures affecting the cantons, climate targets and unemployment benefits. The contribution to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation’s foreign mandate, which finances half of SWI swissinfo.ch’s budget, is also affected by the savings targets.
The Federal Council now wants to submit the entire savings package for consultation. As it also requires a series of legislative amendments, it has to be submitted to parliament as a blanket decree, i.e. as a complete package.
Photo of the day
Switzerland is working on the energy transition and is planning to build wind turbines. A first step in this direction was the installation of a wind measuring mast in Flumserberg this week, where six wind turbines are planned.
We can see this mast in the picture in front of the Churfirsten, the most beautiful mountain range in Switzerland. I know this because I grew up in Flums. The measuring tower is 120 metres high. In addition to wind data, it is also supposed to provide data on bats.
Adapted from German by DeepL/ac
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