Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
The Federal Council is not ready to reconsider cancelling the federal contribution to the foreign mandate as part of the budget cuts labelled "Relief Package 27". Swissinfo's existence is directly affected.
And today's briefing remains political: the government is cracking down on early French, the forecast for asylum applications until the end of the year has been revised slightly upwards and months after her nomination, the new US ambassador to Switzerland has been confirmed.
Enjoy the read!
The Federal Council has adopted the dispatch on the “Relief Package 27” for the federal budget. In it, the government is sticking to the cancellation of the federal contribution to the foreign mandate, which directly affects Swissinfo.
The savings via the “Relief Package 27” cuts amount to a total of CHF2.4 billion for 2027 and CHF3 billion in 2028 and 2029. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation’s (SBC) international mandate, that includes Swissinfo, is also affected. The federal contribution of CHF19 million, around half of which has so far gone to Swissinfo, is to be abolished, which means the end of the ten-language platform in its current form.
“The international offer was created and developed at a time when the Internet was still not very widespread,” says the Federal Council, explaining the decision. The range of information available abroad about Switzerland is now very comprehensive through various media channels. In addition, the measure would significantly relieve the burden on SBC as a whole, which would have to save money anyway. SBC matches the government’s contribution towards Swissinfo’s operating costs. The Senate will discuss the entire relief package in the winter session.
A coalition of organisations, including the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, Educationsuisse and the media trade union SSM, is calling on parliament to reject the planned cuts to the federal contribution to the foreign mandate.
“Especially today, in times of growing disinformation, geopolitical tensions and an ever-growing community of Swiss Abroad, this reduction would be fatal,” they write in their press release. Instead of cuts, what is needed is a strengthening of Switzerland’s media presence abroad.
The federal government has revised its forecast for asylum applications slightly upwards by the end of the year: instead of 24,000 applications as assumed at the beginning of the year, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) now expects 25,000.
The SEM cites the situation in North Africa as the main reason for the increase. In the spring, unexpectedly more people came to southern Italy, especially from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia. Some of them later moved on to Switzerland.
Looking at the last three months, Reto Kormann from the SEM says: “We had slightly more applications in June and July than in previous years and now fewer in August.”
Both are unusual in the course of the year. But estimating how many applications will be made is always a bit of a question of interpretation. Despite the upward correction, this new figure of 25,000 is also significantly below the values of the last two years. But the increase in asylum numbers in June and July, when the federal government put additional asylum centres back into operation, as well as the slight adjustment of the forecast, show that the situation remains tense, according to SRF News.
Callista Gingrich is the new US ambassador to Switzerland and Lichtenstein. Months after her nomination in December by US President Donald Trump, she was confirmed by the Senate last night.
The 59-year-old has experience as a diplomat, having served as American ambassador to the Vatican from 2017 to 2021 during Trump’s first term. During this time, she received the Order of St. Pius – the highest award that the Holy See bestows on lay people – from the late Pope Francis for her services to the Church and society.
Callista Gingrich is the wife of Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, who is considered the founding father of the modern Republican Party, according to the newspapers of CH Media. The couple is one of Trump’s close allies. Newt Gingrich had already supported the current president early on in his first election campaign and was one of his closest advocates, as SRF News writes.
The new US ambassador to Switzerland comes from the American state of Wisconsin. But she also has Swiss roots: her maternal ancestors come from Chur.
Non, merci! Early French is coming under increasing pressure in Switzerland. Now the Federal Council is taking action: a second national language is to be compulsory at Swiss primary schools.
It all began in Appenzell Outer Rhodes: In March, the cantonal parliament decided to abolish early French. In September, the same decision followed in the cantons of Zurich and St. Gallen. The Federal Council was “concerned” and has now instructed the Federal Department of Home Affairs to prepare a consultation draft. The aim is to oblige the cantons to continue to teach a second national language at primary level.
This is intended to ensure the importance of the national languages as well as the exchange between the language regions. There are to be two variants to choose from: a strict one with two foreign languages in primary schools and one with a little more leeway – a second national language must be taught from primary school until the end of compulsory schooling.
According to the Federal Council, the new regulation will only apply if the existing language compromise fails. This has been in force since 2004 and obliges the cantons to coordinate their education.
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