Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Economics Minister Guy Parmelin is in Washington to continue negotiations on a possible reduction in the tariffs imposed on Swiss exports.
Meanwhile, the government wants to oblige young women to participate in an information day on the army, but there are those who are upset about the timing.
After the last farewell to the inventor of a "cult" Swiss snack, we will finally meet a couple who, exactly 10 years ago, were in a restaurant targeted during the terrorist attacks in Paris.
Parmelin landed in Washington this morning (Swiss time). The purpose of the trip is to continue negotiations on customs duties. In recent days, the press had spoken of a possible lowering of the tariffs imposed on Swiss exports to the United States from 39% to 15%, in line with those set for the EU.
The central point of the trip is Parmelin’s talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, with whom Parmelin had already had a “very constructive” videoconference discussion last Friday. This comes after some Swiss business leaders met with American President Donald Trump to try to appease him on tariffs on Swiss goods.
To achieve this, they proposed investments in the pharmaceutical sector and US infrastructure, as well as the partial relocation of Swiss gold refineries to the United States.
However, the announcement of an agreement in the short term is “rather unlikely”, said spokesman for the economics ministry Markus Spörndli. Minister Albert Rösti, who stood in for Parmelin at the World Cheese Award, which begins today in Bern, stressed that at this moment “the important thing is to show [in Washington] that the Swiss government takes the negotiations seriously and intends to bring them to a successful conclusion”.
A little more than two weeks to go before the vote on the initiative for civic service for all, the government has put out for consultation a proposal that wants to introduce a compulsory obligation for young women to participate in an information day on the armed forces and civil protection.
“On the one hand, this will promote equal opportunities; on the other hand, the Federal Council expects that thanks to more detailed information, more women will decide to serve voluntarily,” the government explains in its message.
To enter into force, the measure requires a constitutional amendment and thus a double majority vote of the people and the cantons.
The timing of the proposal does not please the promoters of the initiative, the aim of which is to introduce the obligation for everyone to serve (in the army or in other areas), writes Le Temps.
According to Noémie Roten, who co-directs the campaign in favour of the text on which the people will vote on November 30, the government’s campaign is “clearly state interference in the campaign” that prevents the free formation of citizens’ opinions. For the Valaisian, “with this ‘measure’ […] the Government wants to show that it works on the same issue by making our initiative appear superfluous”.
The taste of childhood (and adult life for some) of almost every person who grew up in Switzerland has lost its inventor. Alfred Kägi, co-founder of the biscuit factory that made the Kägi fret chocolate wafer bars, died at the age of 97 on November 10.
The news was announced today by the municipality of Lichtensteig in the canton of St. Gallen, of which he was an honorary citizen. Alfred “Fredi” Kägi was born on September 19, 1928 in Bad Ragaz. After the premature death of his mother in 1934, his father moved with his six children to Lichtensteig, where he took over a pastry shop/restaurant.
In 1951, Alfred took over the family business with his brothers Otto and Eugen, which had already grown into a small confectionery factory by then. A confectioner and engineer, Alfred was the creator of technical innovations and the typical chocolate coating of the “Kägi fret”. After Eugen’s death in February, the generation that made this snack famous throughout Switzerland disappeared with Alfred.
On November 13, 2015, a series of attacks claimed by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) killed 130 people in Paris. Ten years after the events, RTS met a Swiss couple who were in a restaurant attacked by terrorists.
Myriam Gottraux and Maurice Schobinger were spending the evening on the terrace of the restaurant La Belle Equipe, in the eleventh arrondissement that was targeted by the jihadists. Maurice came out unscathed but Myriam was shot in the arm. A total of 21 people died in the vicinity.
The couple, in their sixties, emphasise the importance of forming bonds with other victims to help each other and those who are still grieving to recover. Maurice speaks, for example, of a woman, whose daughter died in that restaurant. “Eight years later, I was able to explain to her that I had seen her daughter serene. Just telling her that was something huge for her.”
Myriam overcame the trauma with the support of loved ones. Today, she emphasises that recovery is possible, even if the path to succeed is different for everyone. “There is no recipe,” she says, but it certainly takes “time, patience and kindness.”
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