Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Switzerland is still reeling after the devastating blaze that tore through a Crans-Montana bar on a night meant to usher in the New Year. Internationally, there is disbelief that such a disaster could occur in a country known for its strict rules and regulations.
Today, we look at how media around the world are reporting on the fire in the Swiss ski resort, and on the apparent lack of safety inspections.
Also making headlines: reports about the alleged background of the couple who owned and managed the Le Constellation bar.
Sunny regards from Bern,
“We thought Switzerland was the country of rules, precision and manic controls.” That is how Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper summed up the shock following the Crans-Montana tragedy. Media around the world are struggling to understand how such a disaster could occur in a country often portrayed as safe and tightly regulated.
International coverage has focused in particular on the failure to carry out routine fire safety inspections, not only at the bar that caught fire on New Year’s Eve, but, according to several reports, at other bars and restaurants in the region as well. Authorities have acknowledged that the Crans-Montana bar had not been inspected since 2019.
“Even the most virtuous country can fail,” wrote a La Repubblica editor who usually reports on corruption and organised crime, cited today by the Aargauer Zeitung. Italians were among the most affected by the fire, with six fatalities and eleven injured, and the Italian government’s criticism has been echoed in domestic media coverage. Several Italian outlets describe the tragedy as exposing cracks in the image of a “perfect” country.
Reporting in France and Germany has been more restrained, according to the Aargauer Zeitung, but has nevertheless highlighted the absence of safety checks over several years. France’s TF1 headlined its report “Serious violations proven.”
Major international outlets including the BBC, CNN and The New York Times have also been covering the fire, noting that the bar had not undergone a fire inspection for five years.
TF1 reported on Wednesday that a hearing with the couple who owned the bar was expected to take place on Thursday, citing Romain Jordan, a lawyer representing some victims’ families. Swiss authorities have yet to confirm this. The announcement comes as scrutiny of the couple’s background intensifies – an issue explored below.
Alongside criticism of the authorities, media attention is increasingly turning to the couple who owned and managed the Crans-Montana bar, Le Constellation.
To many local residents, the couple remain almost unknown. “I know everyone in the village – except them,” one woman told Blick. A neighbour living next to one of their houses said he had had no contact with them despite their years-long presence in the area.
The same obscurity appears to surround their business activities. Local restauranteurs told Watson that they barely knew the man who presented himself as manager of several establishments. “I noticed he didn’t use many local contractors,” one source said. Another individual added that cars with Corsican licence plates were often seen during construction work.
As media investigations deepen, a more troubling picture is emerging. According to news reports, the husband’s past allegedly includes a prison sentence, links to prostitution networks, multiple bankruptcies and connections to Ghjuventù Paolina, a Corsican nationalist group.
A central question remains how the couple financed their acquisitions in Switzerland. Blick reports that they arrived with “meagre resources” yet went on to amass what it describes as a “dazzling influx of money”.
In addition to Le Constellation, the couple also own Le Senso, a burger restaurant in central Crans-Montana, and the Le Vieux Chalet inn in Lens. Their real estate holdings include two residential properties estimated at CHF1.23 million ($1.54 million), according to Inside Paradeplatz. Several outlets report that no mortgages are registered on either the commercial or residential properties.
Lucerne is making another attempt at e-voting. The canton plans to reintroduce electronic voting on a trial basis, initially for Swiss citizens living abroad.
The cantonal government is preparing the legal framework for new trials starting in 2026. According to the Luzerner Zeitung, Swiss citizens abroad may be able to vote electronically from September 2026.
From 2028, a pilot project is also planned for selected municipalities, with the city of Lucerne mentioned as a potential participant. People with visual impairments are also expected to be included.
The system will be operated by Swiss Post and is already in use in cantons Basel City, St Gallen, Graubünden and Thurgau. The cantonal authorities hope e-voting will boost participation, particularly among younger and more digitally oriented voters.
The Jungfrau Railway Group once again transported more than one million guests to the Jungfraujoch mountain area in 2025 and has started the 2025–26 winter season with a record. The Jungfrau region attracted more visitors than any other mountain destination in Switzerland.
A total of 1.06 million guests travelled to the Jungfraujoch, a slight decrease of 0.2% compared with the previous year, the company announced. Even so, it remains the third-highest figure in the group’s history, after 2024 and 2018.
Group travel has returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to the company. Ahead of its upcoming investor day, the Jungfrau Railway Group also announced new medium-term targets through to 2030, including raising its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) margin to at least 45%, up from 43%.
In total, the Jungfrau region recorded 3.91 million visitors in 2025 – an increase of 3.2% year on year and, according to the company, more than any other Swiss mountain destination.
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