![The four-metre-long painting "Sonntag der Bergbauern" [Sunday of the Mountain Farmers, 1923-24/26] had to be removed by a crane from the German Chancellery in Berlin for the exhibition in Bern.](https://www.swissinfo.ch/content/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2025/12/01_Pressebild_KirchnerxKirchner.jpg?crop=1165px,0px,1670px,1670px&w=480&ver=a45b19f3)
Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Say what you will about the Swiss – that we are reserved or rather closed off – but we are a generous country. In today’s briefing, we look at new donation statistics from our small Alpine nation.
Also on the agenda: an out-of-control licence plate auction, how many Swiss still live where their ancestors lived, and an update from Bern as Parliament wraps up the week. And Swiss football fans eagerly await the 2026 FIFA World Cup final draw, which is unfortunately only be revealed after this newsletter reaches you.
Sunny regards from Bern,
Today marks the end of the first week of the parliament’s winter session. Here is the latest from the Federal Palace:
The Federal Council has approved the draft mandate for negotiating a trade agreement with the United States. The tariff agreement with the US has overshadowed Swiss headlines for a majority of this year, as noted by the “words of the year” we discussed in a previous briefing.
The memorandum of understanding signed on November 14 will serve as the basis: the current 39% tariffs are to be replaced by a flat 15%. The mandate must now be reviewed by the cantons and parliamentary committees. Tariff concessions must remain compatible with Swiss agricultural policy, and Switzerland confirms it will neither levy customs duties on electronic transmissions nor introduce a digital services tax. Swiss companies plan to invest at least $200 billion (CHF 160 billion) in the US over five years.
The Swiss government also announced a clear majority of stakeholders support its proposed new agreement with the European Union. The consultation, which ended on October 31, backed the Switzerland–EU package, though several clarifications were requested. Key points of contention include the safeguard clause on immigration and wage protection. Centre-right parties oppose strengthening of workers’ bargaining power at company level, a measure demanded by the unions. The Swiss federal government considers this provision essential and will continue talks with the unions to reach a compromise.
Switzerland will also tighten the mechanism for temporarily reintroducing visa requirements for certain third countries, in line with an amended EU regulation under the Schengen Agreement. Visa obligations could be reinstated if asylum thresholds are exceeded or public order is threatened.
And finally, the first contract for eight F-35 fighter jets has been signed. According to Armasuisse, the agreement with the US government and Lockheed Martin was concluded in September. As reported by Le Temps, Switzerland will bear any additional costs, though Armasuisse stresses that the country will benefit from the same contractual conditions negotiated by Washington.
The Swiss population is generous: a new study shows that 82% of Swiss households donate. But where do these contributions go?
According to the latest donation report by certification organisation ZEWO, Swiss households gave CHF2.25 billion ($2.8 billion) in 2024 – a stable level compared with recent years. Eighty-two percent of households donated. According to the 2025 Yearbook of Aid Organisations, donations increasingly support humanitarian work abroad and somewhat less the NGOs addressing social issues within Switzerland.
The shift is largely driven by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, says study author Luzius Neubert of PPC-Metrics: “These conflicts are a major concern for the Swiss population.”
Domestically, the landslide in Blatten prompted exceptional solidarity, generating CHF68 million ($84.6 million) in donations and public contributions.
However, institutional funding is shrinking: organisations active in charity work are under pressure as support from the US Agency for International Development collapsed, and Europe and Switzerland also reduced their international aid budgets. Private donations cannot compensate for this, ZEWO director Martina Ziegerer told Swiss public television, SRF.
For 2025, high donation levels are expected again, though figures are not yet available. “The last weeks of the year are always crucial,” Ziegerer said.
The highest bid for the licence plate “SO 1” broke the Swiss record but it was too good to be true.
Late on Thursday evening, bidding for “SO 1” surpassed CHF1 million, far exceeding every previous Swiss record. The old record had already fallen within hours of the auction opening.
The idea for the auction came from Solothurn cantonal parliamentarian Richard Aschberger of the Swiss People’s Party, who proposed selling the plate, which has been in storage at the motor vehicle inspection office since 2008, to support the canton’s depleted coffers.
The auction started at CHF10,000, with increments of CHF1,000. A bidder using a pseudonym pushed the price to CHF1 million making a splash in Swiss media.
But there was a twist this afternoon: the auction has been cancelled and will be restarted at a later date. The canton confirmed the decision to Watson, citing “abusive bids received since late Thursday evening”. The authorities say they are examining the possibility of criminal proceedings against those responsible.
This is not the first auction for “SO 1”: the plate sold for CHF20,000 in 1994, making Solothurn a pioneer in licence-plate auctions. Today, cantons earn millions through this system.
Among the most expensive plates to date are “ZH 25” at CHF299,000 ($372,295), “ZG 10” at CHF233,000, and “ZH 100” at CHF226,000. Solothurn’s previous record was CHF35,000 for a double-digit plate.
Swiss public broadcaster RTS has created an interactive map showing how rooted the Swiss remain.
One in five Swiss people – nearly 1.35 million – still live in their municipality of origin, RTS reports based on Federal Statistical Office data.
Cities tend to retain residents more than rural areas. In Yverdon-les-Bains (56%) and Bellinzona (54%), more than half of native citizens still live in their municipality. Lausanne and Biel also show strong attachment at 45%.
While 80% of the population no longer lives in their home district, most do not move far: 55% still live in their canton of origin. The strongest roots are in Geneva, where more than four in five native Genevans still live in the canton.
By contrast, the Emmental region shows dramatic long-term outmigration. RTS maps illustrate that heavy emigration in the late 19th century – when poverty drove many to leave – is still visible today. In several Emmental districts fewer than 5% of native citizens still live locally, and in some municipalities there are ten or twenty times more people with roots in the area than actual inhabitants.
The Advent calendar of Swiss Oddities
Every day until December 24, our newsletter features a surprise article from our Swiss Oddities series – interesting, unusual and sometimes bizarre stories from Switzerland.
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