Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Today’s briefing focuses on the United States. Various issues are outstanding between Switzerland and the US, including fighter jets and chlorinated chicken. In addition, the major bank UBS is reportedly toying with the idea of moving to the US.
But the news of the day: Ditaji Kambundji has sensationally won gold for Switzerland in the women's 100m hurdles in Tokyo!
I said we’d cover US topics, but let’s start with a quick – very quick! – visit to Tokyo, where Ditaji Kambundji has won gold in the 100m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships!
It’s the first gold for Switzerland over a short distance. Kambundji, a 23-year-old from Bern, beat all her rivals in the final, winning in 12.24 seconds.
At first she couldn’t believe that she had just become world champion. “I’ve never cried so much for a good reason,” she told Swiss public television, SRF.
Kambundji has not only written Swiss sporting history but set as new Swiss record.
Is a solution emerging in the dispute with the US over the purchase of new fighter jets for the Swiss Air Force?
Instead of CHF6 billion ($7.5 billion), the price tag was suddenly CHF1.3 billion higher. The controversy surrounding the purchase of 36 F-35 fighter jets from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin caused heated discussions over the summer. The US justified the higher price with inflation and the sharp rise in commodity and energy prices following the Covid pandemic.
The NZZ am Sonntag has now reported that the US authorities believe it is possible to reduce the number of planes bought in order to stay within the price range. From the US government’s point of view it’s a sovereign decision for Switzerland to order fewer F-35 jets, said a spokesperson for the Federal Office for Defence Procurement (Armasuisse).
The ball is now in the politicians’ court to decide on a lower number of aircraft. According to the report, Defence Minister Martin Pfister already put this option up for discussion in mid-August.
The government is planning a concession in the customs dispute with the US: it wants to authorise US poultry, also known as “chlorinated chicken”. However, Swiss retailers are showing little interest in stocking such products.
The import of poultry that is sterilised in chlorine baths – standard in the US after slaughter – is banned in Switzerland. As part of the negotiations with the US, Switzerland is said to have offered the prospect of opening up to such US poultry, according to the NZZ am Sonntag.
However, this idea has been rejected by Swiss poultry farmers. Adrian Waldvogel, president of the Swiss Poultry Producers Association, described the opening of the market for chlorinated chicken as “absolutely unacceptable”.
A survey of major Swiss retailers such as Migros, Coop, Denner, Aldi and Lidl shows that they predominantly favour Swiss products and imports from countries with high quality and animal welfare standards. The inclusion of US poultry products is currently not planned and is considered unlikely because Swiss consumers favour domestic meat.
The major Swiss bank UBS wants to avoid the stricter capital requirements in Switzerland and is examining strategic options such as a purchase or merger with a US bank. To this end, it has reportedly held talks with the US administration.
The planned capital regulations in Switzerland would require UBS to increase its capital buffer by up to $26 billion (CHF32.7 billion). UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti has sharply criticised the new rules on several occasions, saying it could severely impair the bank’s global competitiveness.
In dialogue with the US authorities, UBS is said to have discussed possible far-reaching changes in strategy, writes the New York Post. These include the purchase or merger with a US bank as well as a possible relocation of the headquarters from Zurich to the US. This would be a major coup for the US, while Switzerland would view such a move rather critically.
UBS did not deny the meeting to the New York Post, writes Blick. On Thursday Ermotti reaffirmed the bank’s intention to retain its headquarters in Switzerland. Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter has so far been unimpressed by fears of flight. However, “the sabre-rattling is likely to continue for some time yet”, reckoned Blick.
Switzerland, a country of hikers. But the maintenance of the extensive network of hiking trails is becoming increasingly complex owing to the extreme weather.
Take Raron in canton Valais, for example: many of the hiking trails in this municipality are mountain hiking trails. It takes a lot of time and money to maintain them, says municipal president Stefan Troger.
“The burden on the municipalities is increasing year on year,” he tells SRF News. The reason for this is increasingly extreme weather events but also the sharp increase in use: hiking became a trend during the Covid pandemic and many people now also use the paths on their bike or e-bike.
The increased strain is affecting trails throughout Switzerland, which has one of the largest hiking trail networks in the world at 65,000 kilometres. The issue has also reached national politics, but the government recently responded to a question in parliament by saying that it considers the cantons to be responsible for hiking trails.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
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