Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
On the third day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, the much-awaited arrival of United States President Donald Trump caused a stir. In a 90-minute speech, he spoke at length about Greenland, which the US would like to acquire.
And, in a minor blunder made during the WEF, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared that Swiss President Guy Parmelin was a fantastic representative "for the French”.
Enjoy today's briefing,
At the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, it was Donald Trump’s day. The US president’s long-awaited 90-minute speech alternated between praise for his own record and criticism of his predecessor Joe Biden, NATO, Canada and European countries.
“If you don’t give us Greenland, we will remember it,” Trump declared. He also referred to Switzerland and what he called a “small story” about a phone call with Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter.
Trump’s delayed arrival in Davos – due to an electrical problem on Air Force One – did not affect the scheduled start of his speech at 2:30pm. He greeted the packed hall “in front of many friends and some enemies”.
In his lengthy address, the US president complained about what he sees as a lack of international recognition for America’s role, from victory over Germany in the Second World War to what he described as eight wars he would end during his current term.
“We probably won’t get anything in return unless we decide to use excessive force. We won’t – and I can hear sighs of relief in the room,” he said.
Trump cited Switzerland as an example of a country that, in his view, benefits from the US. “Switzerland makes a lot of nice watches, but they weren’t paying anything to us,” he said, referring to what he described as a $41 billion (CHF32.5 billion) trade imbalance.
“When we announced the tariff increase, I think the prime minister – a woman – called me,” Trump recounted, referring to Karin Keller-Sutter, the minister who then held the rotating Swiss presidency. “She kept saying: ‘Please don’t, we’re a small country.’ It rubbed me the wrong way. I put the tariffs at 39% and then all hell broke loose. Rolex called me, others called me. Now we’ve reached an agreement and reduced the rates – but now they’re paying. There are many countries like Switzerland.”
A few hours before Trump gave his speech, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Europeans should avoid the “anger reflex” and listen to the US President’s arguments about acquiring Greenland. He also praised Swiss President Guy Parmelin, saying that he was a fantastic representative “for the French”.
Fire inspection shortcomings at the Le Constellation bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana were more serious than initially reported, according to an investigation by Swiss public broadcaster RTS, based on official municipal documents from Crans-Montana.
No proper fire safety inspections were carried out when Le Constellation was renovated in 2015. This emerges from dozens of archive documents reviewed by Swiss public broadcaster RTS’s investigative team. When contacted, both administrative and political officials declined to comment, saying they would reserve their statements for the courts.
RTS found that the 2016 visit, which municipal authorities later described as a fire inspection during a press conference on January 6, was in fact limited to checking compliance with requirements linked to a building permit for a veranda on the terrace. Renovation work in the basement – including the installation of the ceiling’s acoustic foam later found to be flammable – was not checked.
Inspection reports from 2018 and 2019 list several elements as not being “in order”, notably regarding maximum occupancy, staff training and evacuation drills. The final line of the reports notes the next inspection date simply as “to be determined”.
The Swiss remain attached to their long-standing tradition of neutrality, but a majority would support supplying arms to Ukraine. This is one of the findings of an online survey of 2,088 people.
The survey, conducted by the Sotomo research institute on behalf of the NeutRealität association – which describes itself as politically independent and advocates a neutrality “adapted to reality” – shows that around 56% of respondents believe Switzerland should be allowed to supply ammunition to Ukraine for defence against drone attacks. Economic sanctions against states that violate international law are supported by a clear majority of 75%.
At the same time, support for neutrality remains strong: 80% want it maintained, and 85% oppose Switzerland’s participation in military conflicts.
However, the survey also shows growing scepticism about armed neutrality alone. Some 74% doubt its protective effect. As a result, 83% favour cooperation with friendly states to ensure Switzerland’s security, while 58% would support NATO membership if the security situation were to deteriorate. The margin of error is ±2.2%.
Around 3,000 people demonstrated in several Swiss cities against the Syrian government on Tuesday. The protests were marked by a number of incidents.
In Bern, nearly 2,000 people gathered on Tuesday evening to protest against the advance of Syrian government troops into Kurdish-controlled areas in northern and eastern Syria. The unauthorised demonstration was tolerated by police. Some participants wearing balaclavas attempted to breach a police cordon and threw projectiles at officers.
In Winterthur, about 300 people assembled at the main railway station, according to municipal police. No material damage was reported, but traffic disruptions were significant.
In Basel, an unauthorised gathering of around 500 people formed shortly after 6:30pm and marched through the city centre. A tram window was damaged and one passenger sustained head injuries.
Translated using AI/amva
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