Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Passing Bern railway station on Saturday, I was struck by the heavy deployment of riot police who swiftly blocked an unauthorised protest against the World Economic Forum (WEF), which opened today. Subtlety was clearly not the chosen approach.
The police response can perhaps be read as a reflection of the current geopolitical tension, much of which centres on US President Donald Trump, who is also expected in Davos.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) opened today in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos. Around 3,000 leading figures from politics, business and academia are attending, but media attention is focused almost exclusively on the United States.
The presence of Donald Trump, accompanied by ministers, governors and the heads of major US companies, is “turning Davos into a ‘Little America’”, writes Swiss public broadcaster SRF. Blick estimates Washington’s spending in Switzerland for the trip at around CHF7 million ($8.78 million).
The US president is scheduled to speak on Wednesday at 2:30pm. There is considerable anticipation over how he will present Washington’s global ambitions, at a time when transatlantic relations are tense. Trump’s desire to annex Greenland and the recent arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro have further fuelled unease. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as repression in Iran, are also expected to feature prominently. Today the WEF cancelled the participation of Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, deeming his presence “inappropriate” in light of developments in the country.
Protests on the sidelines of the forum have already begun. Around 600 people marched in Davos yesterday, while an unauthorised protest in Bern on Saturday was halted by a large police presence. Demonstrators denounced what they called the “undemocratic decisions” of the “oligarchs and warmongers” gathering at the WEF.
The prospect of new US tariffs, repeatedly raised by President Donald Trump against countries opposing Washington’s ambitions over Greenland, is also resonating in Switzerland. Le Temps asks today whether such measures could eventually affect the country.
On Saturday Trump explicitly threatened Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland with tariff increases of up to 10%.
According to investment experts cited by Le Temps, Switzerland, which is not politically or militarily involved in the dispute, does not face immediate retaliation. However, if tariffs become a lasting political tool, open economies with trade surpluses, such as Switzerland, could come under scrutiny. Joaquin Cascallar, head of investments at Tarfa 5 Advisors, says Switzerland has an interest in keeping a low profile and maintaining a cautious, non-aligned stance.
So far, this appears to be the approach taken by the Swiss government. In parliament, however, voices of dissent are growing. Fabian Molina, a Social Democrat parliamentarian and member of the new Switzerland-Greenland friendship group, says Bern should “coordinate with the European Union to push back against this attack on multilateralism”.
The lawyers representing Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the couple who ran the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana where 40 people died in a New Year’s Eve fire, have spoken to the media for the first time since the tragedy.
Yaël Hayat said she wanted to “restore a truth that has been distorted”, criticising what she described as excesses in the media coverage. She stressed, for example, that the closed door on the ground floor was not an emergency exit, as often reported, but a service entrance used by suppliers.
Her colleague Patrick Michod said the soundproofing foam that caught fire had been purchased by Jacques Moretti in 2015. According to him, Moretti had told staff at the DIY store that the material was intended for use in a public building, and the packaging did not indicate that it was flammable. Moretti had never believed he was taking any risk, Michod said.
The lawyers also sought to counter allegations regarding the origin of the funds used to acquire the couple’s properties in Crans-Montana. Contrary to claims made by several media outlets, they said the purchases had been financed through mortgages.
When abundance turns into crisis: that is how the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) describes the current situation in the Swiss dairy sector, which is facing an unprecedented milk surplus and the risk of large-scale waste.
In recent weeks, dairy processor Emmi has hired additional staff, introduced overtime shifts and prioritised products that require large volumes of milk. Even so, long queues of tanker trucks continue to form outside its site in Dagmersellen, canton Lucerne. “In 25 years, I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Stefan Kohler, director of the milk producers’ organisation IP Latte, citing the exceptionally high quality of fodder harvested in summer and autumn.
From February, the price per kilo of high-quality milk (segment A) will be cut by CHF0.04 to CHF0.78 ($0.98), but the risk that tonnes of milk may have to be disposed of “is real”, Kohler warned. IP Latte has appealed to retailers to increase the share of Swiss dairy products on their shelves. According to the NZZ, Migros says it will follow up on the request, while Coop says it will “do what it can” but does not expect immediate changes.
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