Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Bad news for your information platform: even though the government has slightly revised its savings programme, Swissinfo’s existence is still threatened by these cuts. On the other hand, the government has no intention of abandoning the purchase of F-35 fighter jets, despite the additional costs that have recently caused controversy in the press.
At the end of this selection, you’ll find out what training you need to do to earn CHF180,000 ($225,000) a year in your first job.
The government has revised its savings programme for 2027 slightly downwards. Despite concessions granted to the cantons, it is maintaining the broad outlines of the programme. Swissinfo is still affected.
Following the consultation procedure, the government has adjusted its savings plan. Today it unveiled cuts of CHF2.4 billion, compared with the CHF2.7 billion initially planned. In a press release, the government agreed to review a number of points, including those in favour of the cantons. It cites the lump sums paid to the cantons and financial equalisation.
Among other measures, the government also intends to temporarily abandon the idea of separating the Confederation’s budget from that of the old-age and survivors’ insurance. It is also going back on its proposals concerning the taxation of second and third pillar capital withdrawals, which had provoked an outcry from the right. For the time being, the government is still sparing the regional and local press by maintaining the current subsidies.
However, the government is not giving up on withdrawing its contribution to the foreign information mandate, which includes Swissinfo. However, Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter stressed that funding for TV5 Monde would be guaranteed.
The fixed price for F-35 fighter jets negotiated with the United States is valid, the government said today. It is maintaining its purchase decision.
On Friday, an SRF investigation revealed that Switzerland could have to pay up to CHF1.5 billion more for the F-35 fighter jets. It claimed that the fixed price negotiated for the purchase of the 36 American jets could not be met.
Today, the government defended itself. “Switzerland and the United States have contractually agreed on a firm price for the purchase of the F-35 fighter jets,” it wrote in a press release. However, for the United States, the firm price agreed is based on a misunderstanding and the US is demanding more.
A solution must now be negotiated. For the government, there is no question of calling the purchase into question. It maintains that a breach of contract with the US government would have far-reaching consequences, as it would prevent Switzerland from guaranteeing the safety of its airspace and its population from 2032.
Human remains were discovered and recovered in Blatten yesterday. They probably belong to the sheep farmer who has been missing since the landslide that destroyed the Valais village. The media were also able to visit the site yesterday to film the army clean-up.
The body found in the area where the Birch glacier collapsed has not yet been identified. The authorities had been searching for a 64-year-old shepherd reported missing since the devastating landslide on May 28. Further information will be released as soon as his identity is confirmed.
For its part, the Swiss army was able to begin clearing the area on Friday. Until then, the safety conditions had not been met. The media were able to visit the site yesterday to report on the work, which is focusing on the lake formed by the River Lonza behind the alluvial fan.
The soldiers’ initial task is to remove the debris and the few objects that can be saved from the water. “The mass has destroyed everything, but we can salvage more personal items from what has been swallowed up by the water, for example from a piece of furniture on the lake or on a roof,” explains Raynald Droz, the commander of Territorial Division 1.
An annual salary of CHF180,000 as soon as you start working. That’s what the US tech giants are offering to attract the best IT talent to Zurich, according to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ).
IT companies are snapping up qualified staff in Zurich. To attract the best, Google, OpenAI and Anthropic are offering dream salaries even to software developers at the start of their careers. “American technology companies are offering salaries for certain positions that can be 30% to 50% higher than in Switzerland,” Gabriela Keller, director of Zurich-based IT company Ergon, tells the NZZ.
The presence of highly qualified staff is precisely one of the factors that attracts the tech giants to Zurich. A spokesperson for the artificial intelligence company Anthropic said that locating in Zurich was a no-brainer. “The city is a first-rate centre for research talent. We are looking forward to developing our team here.”
Faced with such huge sums of money, Swiss companies are complaining that they can’t keep up. So they rely on the corporate culture and the opportunity to take on responsibility. “There’s a difference between being just another number at an American giant and having a decisive influence here,” explains Carsten Wengel, director of G+D Netcetera.
Translated from French by DeepL/ts
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