The week in Switzerland
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Welcome to our selection of some of the biggest – and most colourful – stories in Switzerland over the past seven days.
The Women’s Euro football championships kicked off in Switzerland on Wednesday – in temperatures of 32°C. The ongoing heatwave means Swiss lakes are warmer than ever, and a nuclear power plant in canton Aargau has had to be shut down.
We also look at developments in the dispute between Switzerland and the US over the price of F-35 fighter jets. Plus the Federal Intelligence Service published its annual report on the threats facing Switzerland: it’s not relaxing reading.
After weeks of feverish anticipation, Women’s Euro 2025 finally kicked off in Switzerland on Wednesday with most matches sold out. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Switzerland lost their opening match to Norway.
“As time wore down and Switzerland strained to restore parity in a match that had looked so comfortably within their grasp, the clattering encouragement of a cowbell sounded from St Jakob-Park’s west stand. It may unwittingly have been tolling for the home nation, whose campaign now stands on a knife-edge after one day,” The Guardian wrote.
Swiss fans, who had braved sweltering temperatures and packed into bars and fan zones, thought an upset could be on the cards when Nadine Riesen put Switzerland ahead after 28 minutes. Two second-half goals from the Norwegians ended those dreams, but the Swiss media were unanimous: manager Pia Sundhage’s team exceeded expectations in the opening game. “The confidence after the bitter defeat is therefore greater than the disappointment,” reckoned Swiss public broadcaster, SRF.
The hosts now need to perform in their two other group matches – against Iceland on Sunday and Finland on Thursday.
A heatwave has pushed Swiss lakes to record temperatures and forced both reactors at Beznau nuclear power plant to be shut down. Nevertheless, Switzerland has so far got off lightly compared with some other European countries.
Swiss waters have warmed considerably owing to the hot weather. Over the past two weeks, lake temperatures have risen by an average of 5°C – a record, according to the MeteoNews weather service. The highest temperature recorded was in Lake Lugano, at 28°C it was 5°C warmer than the 41-year average.
The impact of this rapid warming of the country’s waters is visible on several levels, say meteorologists. In addition to the relatively low water levels, some species of fish are finding it difficult to survive in water that is too warm.
On Thursday energy company Axpo said both reactors at Beznau nuclear power plant in canton Aargau had been shut down owing to the heat. Axpo said this posed no threat to the security of the electricity supply or the safety of the Beznau reactors.
On Wednesday the BBC reported how a wildfire in Spain and high temperatures elsewhere in Europe had claimed another six lives.
The “flop gun” controversy rumbles on: a parliamentary commission will now investigate the “misunderstanding” over the price of US fighter jets that could cost Swiss taxpayers more than CHF1 billion.
For years the Swiss government has maintained that it had agreed a fixed price for 36 US-built F-35 fighter jets. However, according to the US Department of Defense, the order with manufacturer Lockheed Martin is only finalised when the aircraft go into production – at a price that is not set until that time. Switzerland estimates the additional costs to the original price tag will be between CHF650 million ($820 million) and CHF1.3 billion.
On Tuesday the Swiss House of Representative’s supervisory committee said it had decided to lead an investigation into the matter, focusing on the authorities’ handling of the fixed price and information provided by the government to the supervisory authorities and the public.
A 2020 referendum on whether Switzerland should acquire new fighter jets was accepted by just 50.1% of voters (8,670 votes). The Swiss Abroad rejected the proposal by more than 56%. It has been speculated that had the postal ballots been delivered to the Swiss Abroad earlier, it could have changed the result, although this cannot be calculated reliably.
Switzerland’s security situation is deteriorating, according to the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS).
The global confrontation with the US on the one hand and Russia and China on the other has “direct implications” for Switzerland: the threat of espionage is high, proliferation activities are increasing, and the terrorist threat remains elevated, the FIS wrote in its report Switzerland’s Security 2025 on Wednesday. It is particularly concerned about the online radicalisation of young people.
Globally, the FIS sees the dangers in the rivalry between the US and China, which it says will “significantly shape” global security policy in the coming years. Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are working more closely together and want to change the Western-dominated international order, it said. The Ukraine war is likely to continue in 2025. At the same time, the conflict between Israel and Iran has escalated. All of this is increasing the pressure on Switzerland. As a technology hub and host state of international organisations, the threat of espionage is growing.
Separately, on Monday it was announced that the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland had been authorised to start investigations into the alleged disclosure of sensitive information from the cyber division of Swiss intelligence to Russia.
The week ahead
Monday is World Chocolate Day, “an opportunity for chocolate enthusiasts worldwide to enjoy and share their passion for chocolate”. Some people think July 7 is the date chocolate was brought to Europe in 1550.
On Tuesday the Locarno Film Festival announces its programme. The festival runs from August 6-16.
The weeklong Basel Tattoo, Switzerland’s largest military music festival and the second-largest military tattoo in the world, starts on Friday. This time the Patrouille Suisse, the aerobatic team of the Swiss air force, will make an appearance at the opening ceremony.
Saturday is exactly 40 years since Oh Yeah, arguably the most famous and successful Swiss pop song ever, was released by Yello.
Edited by Samuel Jaberg/ac
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