Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation has officially entered a period of cost reductions. Following yesterday's announcement of restructuring and a savings plan, concrete cost-cutting measures were unveiled on Tuesday.
Also on today's Swiss news agenda: a new biometric identity card, the opening of an investigation into the purchase of F-35 fighter jets, and a tree that could become a valuable ally in the fight against the heatwave.
Enjoy your read.
Big cuts are on the table at the Swiss public broadcaster, RTS. The French-speaking arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) announced on Tuesday a series of measures designed to save CHF16.5 million ($20.87 million) by 2026. This includes the elimination of 60 to 70 full-time equivalent posts, resulting in approximately 20 redundancies.
The situation is also difficult in the German-speaking part of the country. The Swiss public broadcaster, SRF, has announced cost-cutting measures and further job cuts: 66 full-time jobs will be eliminated by the end of the year, according to a press release. The cost-cutting measures will primarily affect production and technology. Programming, on the other hand, will not be directly affected. With these measures, SRF aims to save a further CHF12 million.
In Bern, SBC management confirmed on Tuesday that it will vacate its headquarters on Giacomettistrasse – also to cut costs. This impressive complex, situated near the motorway, was sold in 2012 and is currently leased by SBC. The SBC head office will vacate the premises by the end of 2026, moving to the former German-language radio studios on Schwarztorstrasse, where Swissinfo is based.
These measures follow Monday’s presentation of a comprehensive restructuring plan. SBC aims to save CHF270 million by 2029, a response to the gradual reduction in TV licence fees and the dramatic decline in advertising revenue.
Swiss parliamentarians have decided to investigate the government’s controversial purchase of American F-35 fighter jets. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives management committee announced it would open an inquiry.
In a press release, the committee confirmed that it had “decided to investigate the authorities’ handling of the F-35A fixed-price issue”. The inquiry aims to determine whether any shortcomings can be identified in the government’s management of the contract negotiations.
Switzerland is set to purchase 36 F-35 fighter jets for CHF6 billion ($7.6 billion). The Federal Council has always maintained that this was a fixed price. However, the US says the notion of a “fixed price” is a “misunderstanding” and is now demanding a higher price due to inflation-related cost overruns. The final bill could exceed the original estimate by between $650 million and $1.3 billion (CHF822 million to CHF1.6 billion). With the purchase budget for the new fighter jets narrowly approved by Swiss voters, these cost overruns are causing a stir in Switzerland.
This issue is also being closely followed in various European countries, where the purchase and maintenance costs of American aircraft are a source of controversy. Several countries that have opted for the F-35, including Germany, Belgium and Italy, are directly affected. Last March, the Portuguese defence ministry indicated it would forgo the F-35 in favour of the French Rafale for cost reasons, although the matter remains unsettled.
A new biometric Swiss identity card (ID) is expected to be available by the end of 2026. The Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) and its federal and cantonal partners are working on the new ID card, which will feature an electronic chip.
Like the current biometric passport, the new identity card will include a chip containing two fingerprints and a facial image. These biometric documents offer enhanced security, which is essential in preventing identity theft, forgery and other abuses, according to Fedpol.
Additionally, the new card will allow Switzerland to comply with new European Union standards. In 2019, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU adopted a regulation requiring member states to issue biometric identity cards exclusively from 2021. The new Swiss card will ensure that Swiss citizens can continue to travel freely within the EU.
Swiss citizens who have concerns about digital data will still be able to obtain chip-free ID cards, but these will be valid only within Switzerland. Traditional identity cards issued before the introduction of the new biometric card will remain valid within the EU for their full period of validity (ten years).
The extremely hot weather in Switzerland and across Europe is a major talking point right now. And the conclusion seems to be the same everywhere: the climate is warming, and we need to adapt. A new study from Switzerland suggests a possible solution.
Vegetation in cities is known to alleviate the oppressive heat. A study carried out in canton Geneva by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research WSL, together with the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), has identified the plane tree as particularly effective at cooling the air.
In hot weather, trees cool the air by evaporating water from their leaves. However, this process usually halts when temperatures rise above 30 to 35° degrees Celsius to avoid excessive water loss. Surprisingly, the study found that even at temperatures exceeding 39°C, plane trees continued to evaporate significantly more water than expected. This cooling effect intensified as the temperature increased.
These surprising results suggest that plane trees could play a crucial role in maintaining the quality of life in cities during hot spells. The next phase of research will focus on the transpiration efficiency of other tree species exposed to extreme heat.
Translated from French using DeepL/amva/sb
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