Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
The reputation of the Swiss Abroad has been suffering for years. The last big wave of resentment was experienced by the diaspora during the referendum campaign in March 2024 for the 13th monthly pension payment. The Swiss Abroad are once again being labelled as scroungers. How do you experience the mood?
Staying on demographics, the Federal Statistical Office expects the Swiss population to grow to over ten million people in the coming decades.
More and more Swiss nationals are spending their retirement abroad. This has consequences for the authorities. And the reputation of the Swiss Abroad is suffering as a result.
The number of Swiss nationals abroad of retirement age has risen sharply since 2017, from 157,000 to over 198,000. Many make the move because of the better climate and lower cost of living. While the majority emigrate well-prepared, some find themselves in financial or health emergencies, writes Blick. Looking after them is becoming a “growing challenge” for the Swiss foreign ministry.
The cases are few in number, but all the more complex, making a lot of work for the Swiss representations on the ground. The resources required are correspondingly high but are not shown separately either in the statistics or in the costs. Older emigrants in particular require extensive support, for example if they fall seriously ill. The foreign ministry then steps in locally. In some cases, the Swiss authorities also provide financial assistance to its citizens abroad if they find themselves in financial difficulties. However, the hurdles for this are high.
Reports about emigrants receiving aid from Switzerland have sometimes damaged the reputation of the Swiss Abroad. The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) and the Council of the Swiss Abroad have been dealing with this problem for years. “We’re ambassadors,” was the unanimous message from the Council at the end of March. It’s not only pensioners abroad who are too often labelled as parasites. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis reassured the Swiss Abroad in attendance: “In the polarised world we live in today, if you are not criticised, then you are irrelevant.”
Zimbabwe abolished the death penalty at the end of 2024 – thanks in part to Switzerland. Ambassador Stéphane Rey was a key figure in this historic decision by the southern African country. The Tages-Anzeiger offers a rare insight into the actions of Swiss diplomacy.
Rey was publicly praised by the Zimbabwean Attorney General for his contribution: “I would like to mention the Swiss embassy, which has tirelessly contributed to the abolition of the death penalty in Zimbabwe,” said Virginia Mabiza at a panel discussion.
Rey told the Tages-Anzeiger that it was rather unusual for a country to praise Switzerland’s contribution in this way. Switzerland itself remains discreet, one of the most important ingredients for such successes. The Swiss ambassador to Zimbabwe calls his work “barbecue diplomacy” – lots of dialogue, lots of informal meetings.
It was important, he said, to “show important people in the country’s political system that the abolition of the death penalty is in Zimbabwe’s interests”. Rey was able to link the issue to a matter in which Switzerland has interests: compensation for dispossessed Swiss farmers who lost their land as part of the land reform in the 2000s. This created trust. The abolition of the death penalty was implemented at record speed. The case of Zimbabwe serves as a model for Swiss foreign policy.
The resident population in Switzerland could grow to 10.5 million people by 2055. This growth will be achieved primarily through immigration. However, the extent of this increase depends on various future developments.
In its reference scenario, the Federal Statistical Office has calculated that the permanent resident population is likely to rise to ten million by 2040 and to 10.5 million by 2055. This corresponds to annual growth of 0.5%. From 2035 onwards, this increase will be due exclusively to migration. The birth surplus will be negative, meaning that more people will die than are born.
According to the reference scenario, the population in cantons Lucerne, St Gallen, Vaud, Geneva, Thurgau and Aargau will grow at an above-average rate compared to other cantons over the next three decades. Switzerland’s population will therefore continue to be concentrated in the catchment area of the Zurich conurbation and the Lake Geneva region.
“Trump, no thanks” or “Swiss fall out of love”: these are today’s headlines about the massive decline in travel to the US – not because of the dollar exchange rate, but because of Donald Trump. Political uncertainty and unpleasant entry conditions are putting many people off travelling.
Travel from Switzerland to the US fell by almost 26%, or more than a quarter, in March compared to the same month last year. According to Heinz Zimmermann, chairman of the Swiss “Visit US” committee, this is the first time a US president has had a negative impact on Swiss travel behaviour.
Surveys by Tamedia show that almost four out of five Swiss would rather not travel to the US at the moment. The reasons for this are uncertainty regarding the situation at the borders, personal political opposition to the Trump administration and the fear of encountering problems when entering the country.
Travel providers are anticipating a decline in bookings, despite the expansion of offers. However, low occupancy does not necessarily lead to bargain prices for flights to the US. “Airlines are now very flexible when it comes to capacity and flights can be cancelled quickly,” says the president of the Swiss Travel Association.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
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