Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
The start of the spring parliamentary session is characterised by a certain sense of anxiety. This is mainly due to the situation in the defence ministry - from the intelligence crisis to concerns about the unpredictability of the Trump administration.
We will also return to a decision taken yesterday regarding the 13th old-age pension and close by talking about addiction.
Happy reading!
A week after the announcement of the resignation of the director of the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS), Christian Dussay, the crisis affecting Swiss intelligence continues to be the talk of the town.
“Like changing a plane in flight,” Dussey had said during the announcement of his departure, referring to his attempt to reform the agency according to new management models at the behest of outgoing Defence Minister Viola Amherd. A transformation that ‘obviously failed’, writes the NZZ today and paints a far from rosy picture of the Swiss intelligence services.
For instance, the newspaper highlights the shortage of qualified personnel, as shown by the advertised vacancy for the position of head of the intelligence section on Russia. A vulnerability that Moscow will not fail to exploit, fears the NZZ.
Another sign is that, as part of the restructuring, the FIS paid a total of CHF 2.4 million to two external consulting firms, RTS reveals. A public-private partnership that is surprising in such a sensitive area.
The suspension of US military aid to Ukraine is the latest of several signs of Donald Trump’s unpredictability that also worries Switzerland. There are those at the Federal Palace who are beginning to have doubts about the Swiss purchase of American F-35 jets.
According to Tamedia Group of newspapers, Swiss People’s Party Senator Werner Salzmann is asking the successor of outgoing Defence Minister Viola Amherd to reevaluate the purchase of US fighter jets. The background is the discussion about the uncertainties surrounding the fixed price of six billion francs.
Like him, others fear that Trump might not accept a contract that is advantageous for Switzerland, in a context where production costs are likely to rise for the American armed forces. Germany and Norway, for example, failed to negotiate such fixed prices.
Doubts were also expressed on the other side of the political spectrum. Fabian Molina of the Social Democratic Party fears for security. The US military could disable the jets’ computer systems at any time under Trump, he says.
The six billion francs credit for the purchase of new fighter jets had been approved by the Swiss people in 2020 by a very narrow margin (50.2% ‘yes’ vote). At the time, it was not yet clear from which country the aircraft would be purchased.
The amendment of the law on the implementation of a 13th month pension was approved by the House of Representatives, which thus aligned itself with the Senate. The question of financing will be settled later.
The amendment in question envisages, for example, the payment of a single 13th pension in December (after the vote there had been talk of the possibility of paying a supplement every month). Government minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider specified that the first payment will take place in December 2026.
The most critical issue, the financing, will be dealt with later. The Federal Council intends to increase VAT to pay for it. According to the Commission for Social Security and Health of the Senate, there is no rush to act because the financial situation of the pension is not worrying at the moment and, consequently, parliament has and must take the time to conduct an in-depth analysis of the various possible forms of financing.
A year ago, during the campaign in the run-up to the vote, claims circulated that a 13th month pension would only benefit pensioners living abroad, who were branded by the opposants as ‘selfish’ or ‘luxury pensioners’. Such statements had irritated those Swiss (increasingly numerous) who chose emigration to escape economic poverty in an expensive country like Switzerland.
The ‘Swiss Addiction Panorama 2025’, published today, gives an insight into addictions that are being exploited by industry, intentionally or unintentionally, for profit.
The suffering caused is unacceptable, writes the Swiss addiction association in its report, especially since, according to the latest estimates, the economic costs of addiction amount to CHF7.9 billion per year.
Tobacco, cannabis and gambling are among the addictions cited, as are the microtransactions in certain video games, designed to keep users captive in the long term so that they continue to spend money.
As far as alcohol is concerned, the association points out that in Switzerland, some 4% of the population consumes practically a quarter of all the alcohol consumed in the country. The people with the most problematic consumption therefore generate a considerable part of the turnover for the liquor industry.
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