Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
the Swiss government is scrambling to find a negotiated solution after the US announced tariffs of 39% on imports from Switzerland. President Karin Keller-Sutter and Economics Minister Guy Parmelin set off for the US today with this goal in mind.
I would also like to introduce you to two young Swiss Abroad who have travelled to Switzerland to complete military recruit school. Find out what motivates them.
Warm greetings from Bern
From August 7, Swiss exports to the US could be hit with a tariff rate of 39% . The Federal Council wants to negotiate this figure down and to this end, Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter and Economics Minister Guy Parmelin are travelling to the US today.
Following yesterday’s crisis meeting, the Federal Council issued a press release announcing “new approaches” aimed at reaching a trade agreement. The government apparently intends to achieve this by making a more attractive offer to the US. According to SRF, a small delegation is accompanying the two members of the government. Among them are the Helene Budliger Artieda, director of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs and Daniela Stoffel, State Secretary for International Financial Matters.
Swiss public broadcaster RSI spoke with Peter V. Kunz, a professor of business law, who thinks it is possible that the Federal Council could achieve an extension of 30 days for the implementation of the tariffs. Even though the Swiss benchmark index SMI made an upward countermovement after a weak start to the week, the situation remains tense.
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung writes that whether a solution more acceptable to Switzerland can be found by August 7 now depends on Keller-Sutter, Parmelin, Swiss diplomacy and the pharmaceutical bosses. In this context, Blick asks: “Will Roche and Novartis deliver the Trump miracle cure?”. It is possible that the Swiss pharmaceutical industry could tip the scales in the renegotiations.
They may live in France and Germany but two Swiss Abroad are completing military recruit school in Switzerland. What motivates them?
They stand out among other recruits because they are sent into the weekend in civilian clothes. Today, the Aargauer Zeitung profiles two young infantry recruits from France and Germany. However, young Swiss recruits abroad also come from more exotic locales like Sri Lanka, Panama and Réunion.
Both young men portrayed have a strong connection to their country of origin, as they work in Switzerland. But why do they do voluntary military service? Thomas Ganière from France hopes to gain maturity in the army. Samuel L. from Germany says he is doing his job to get to know his limits – “and to push them”.
With a wink, such recruits are referred to as “détachement touriste” in the barracks in Colombier, canton of Neuchâtel. According to the report, 80% of Swiss Abroad recruits come from neighbouring France, Germany, Italy and Austria. However, their number in the army is extremely small: in 2024, only 78 Swiss Abroad began recruit school.
The virus is harmless to humans but in France, entire herds of cows had to be slaughtered because of the nodular dermatosis. The Swiss border cantons have taken urgent measures against it.
It is enough for individual animals to become infected. Because of the highly contagious viral skin nodule disease, the entire herd then has to be slaughtered – much to the chagrin of the livestock breeders. In the French departments of Savoy and Haute-Savoie, hundreds of animals had to be slaughtered in an emergency.
This is to be prevented in Switzerland. As RTS Info and Watson.ch report, a programme is nearing completion in the canton of Valais to vaccinate over 2,000 cattle against the insidious disease, also known as “lumpy skin disease”.
In Geneva, which is even closer to the affected French departments, 90% of the approximately 1,100 cattle in the canton have already been vaccinated, as 20 Minutes reports. So far, not a single case of the disease has emerged. However, the vaccine only unfolds its full protective effect after 28 days, which is why caution is still advised .
Roaring engines and growling exhausts: the noise generated by so-called car posers annoys many. Despite pilot projects with noise radars, the project is stalling at the national level.
In the cantons of Basel-Country, Zurich and Geneva, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has recently carried out tests with noise radars. Now several cantons and left-wing politicians are calling for such devices to be installed quickly and permanently, according to public broadcaster RTS.
However, the government reacted with a negative decision: the imposition of fines via such radars was not possible due to the lack of a federal legal basis.
According to RTS, the ball is currently in the court of the government, specifically Transport Minister Albert Rösti, who is called upon to enact laws that enable the effective use of such anti-noise radars.
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