Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Geneva ended up as a stage for Russian power politics: Valentina Matviyenko, Speaker of the upper house of Russian parliament, addressed an international meeting despite being on the sanctions list – thanks to special permission from Switzerland.
The last Swiss cigar baron is dead: Heinrich Villiger shaped the tobacco industry for decades.
Good reading!
Valentina Matviyenko, who is considered the most powerful woman in Russia, appeared at the 15th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament in Geneva. Even though she is on the sanctions list, Switzerland made an exception in the name of international diplomacy.
The 76-year-old chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council is considered a close confidant of Vladimir Putin. According to the Tages-Anzeiger, she “has advocated, among other things, the deployment of Russian troops to Ukraine, as well as the legal basis for the annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions”. Nevertheless, she stood at the lectern of the 15th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament in Geneva on Monday.
Matviyenko is on the sanctions lists of Switzerland, the EU and the US. She was allowed to enter the country due to an exceptional permit: as the host country of international organisations such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Switzerland undertakes not to hinder diplomatic work. In Russia, Matviyenko’s arrival was portrayed with friendly images – government plane, bouquet of flowers, international stage. In Geneva, she appeared as a peacemaker and demanded security for all nations, according to Blick. But her appearance is politically explosive: In addition to her, other sanctioned members of parliament were also present. Observers see the event as a diplomatic success for the Kremlin.
It has been raining in Switzerland for days. What makes the meadows green causes flooding in various regions of Switzerland. Several landslides and rockfalls fell in Brienz, Graubünden, and the risk of a massive landslide is intensifying.
After heavy rainfall, around ten thousand cubic metres of rock fell onto the already unstable terrain in Brienz – with dramatic effect: the movement of the material has doubled, to 46 centimetres per day. If the entire debris mass of 1.2 million cubic meters were to slide down, the entire village would be endangered, according to the municipality of Albula, according to SRF.
The village itself has been evacuated since November 2024. Now access roads could soon also be affected by closures. The authorities are therefore preparing for the “blue” phase. Among other things, this provides for the immediate closure of the cantonal roads and the Rhaetian Railway’s Albula line. Traffic lights have already been put into operation, hiking trails and lake shore zones have been closed.
The municipality of Albula emphasises that the preparation of the next phase is a precautionary measure. Teams of experts observe the site around the clock. The experts still expect a “rapid de-escalation of the danger situation”, writes SRF.
Despite inflation and the climate change, the Swiss continue to travel by air – a lot. Travel Association President Martin Wittwer sees the industry on the upswing in an interview with Blick.
Inflation is hardly slowing down travel behavior. According to Wittwer, holidays are firmly anchored in the household budget. About 65% of Swiss people travel abroad, preferably to classic Mediterranean destinations such as Spain, Greece or Italy. Scandinavia is growing, but only accounts for about 8-9% of Swiss traffic. Travel as a whole continues to increase – also because of population growth.
According to Wittwer, travel has not generally become more expensive despite a contradictory analysisExternal link by Comparis. And according to the Swiss Tourism Association, the Swiss population spent CHF18.9 billion abroad in 2024 while foreign tourists spent CHF19.6 billion in Switzerland. “This means that the tourism balance is still positive,” says Wittwer.
Wittwer is against tourism shaming. Mallorca is a good example: the hotspots are groaning, but the destination remains popular. Overtourism must be regulated locally. The industry has long been reacting with sustainable offers and alternative travel destinations. “You don’t have to be ashamed of travelling,” says Wittwer – it is an essential economic factor.
Cigar baron Heinrich Villiger died on Friday at the age of 95. The brother of former Swiss president Kaspar Villiger worked in the family business for 75 years.
I grew up in Stumpenland and therefore the death of the “last cigar baron” of Switzerland did not escape my notice. The Stumpenland is located in the Wynental valley in Aargau. It was the center of the Swiss tobacco industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Lucerne village of Pfeffikon, which borders Aargau, still plays a major role in the tobacco industry today, and the cigar manufacturer Villiger Söhne Holding AG has been based here since 1888.
Heinrich Villiger joined the company in 1950, became a partner in 1954. After the death of his father, he ran the company together with his brother Kaspar until the latter became a member of Federal Council. He was involved in the family business until the end and held the chairmanship of the board of directors until his death last Friday.
Villiger was considered a passionate entrepreneur who resisted legal restrictions on smoking throughout his life. The Villiger Group produces one billion cigars and cigarillos annually, generates a turnover of CHF140 million and employs 1,200 people.
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