Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Becoming a more environmentally friendly country is one of the government’s goals. But in a country like Switzerland, the energy transition often comes up against a slow search for compromises, and progress is made in small steps.
We have an example of this in today’s briefing, in which we also discuss travel to Morocco and a controversy over the Islamic headscarf.
The plan for Switzerland’s largest solar park, which is to be built near the airport in Belp, canton Bern, is to be scaled back. This decision was taken after objections were raised by some environmental organisations.
The main problem is that the area where the solar panels are to be installed also contains a so-called dry meadow, a valuable ecosystem for biodiversity.
Discussions between environmental associations, including BirdLife, and the management of Belpmoos Solar, the airport, local power companies and the cantonal and federal governments lasted for months, but a solution has now been found.
This includes a reduction in the area covered by panels (from 26 hectares to 19) and the inclusion of the dry meadow in the list of federally protected areas (until now only regional). The plant will no longer produce enough energy for 19,000 households but only 8,000.
The dimensions are reduced, but the timescale is lengthened. First, because Belpmoos Solar must now examine the economic and technical impact of the new solution. Second, because local objections may still arise.
Energy Minister Albert Rösti says it is not yet certain that the project will be realised. “What the municipality will do, that’s a different kettle of fish,” he said.
Switzerland’s purchase of the Israeli ADS-15 drones is back in the spotlight today following legal action to end the delivery of the six unarmed reconnaissance drones.
The civil suit filed with the Bern cantonal court aims to annul the contract signed between the Federal Armaments Office (armasuisse) and the Israeli company Elbit. It was initiated simultaneously by a Palestinian couple who fled Gaza in 2024, the Group for a Switzerland without an Army (GsoA), the Geneva branch of the Swiss Human Rights League and the Swiss lawyers for Palestine association.
For the plaintiffs, “the contract, which in fact supports the Israeli army, violates both international and Swiss law”, they said in a statement.
The project had been approved by parliament in 2015 for CHF250 million ($315 million). It was scheduled for completion in 2019 but was postponed to 2026. Currently, five aircraft have already arrived in Switzerland, but they still do not meet the minimum requirements and the costs have risen to CHF298 million. Some ten days ago, the defence ministry announced that it was considering cancelling the purchase.
The municipality of Eschenbach in canton St Gallen has decided not to hire a primary school teacher who wears the Islamic headscarf after protests from some parents. The controversial decision has triggered a political debate at cantonal level.
Despite feeling discriminated against, the young woman, who had already taught with the headscarf during an internship in Thurgau, said she did not intend to appeal against the decision. “I realised it was not worth fighting,” she said in an interview with the local daily Linth-Zeitung, in which she pointed out that some parents had contacted her to express their solidarity.
After the municipality’s decision, the St Gallen branch of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party submitted a motion to the cantonal parliament to ban the veil for teachers. A proposal immediately criticised by the left-wing Social Democratic Party, which denounced discrimination and the violation of freedom of religion enshrined in the constitution.
The teacher, meanwhile, has decided to try to pursue her career in canton Zurich, where “they are probably more socially advanced”, she said.
“Always remain at a distance from stray animals. Several cases of rabies-related deaths from dog bites have been reported,” writes the foreign ministry in an update to its travel advice for Morocco.
The ministry recommends that you inform yourself in advance about the necessary vaccinations and seek medical attention immediately if you are bitten or scratched by an animal.
The page is being updated following the death of a Swiss tourist in the Moroccan coastal town of Taghazout. She had been scratched after playing with a stray dog, according to local media, which speculate that the woman died of rabies.
The foreign ministry confirmed the death but emphasised that the actual cause is not yet clear.
Translated from Italian by DeepL/ts
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