Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Switzerland normally enjoys good relations with its neighbours. However, the situation with Rome has become tenser in recent weeks. At the weekend, Italy recalled its ambassador to Switzerland over the Crans-Montana tragedy. Find out why in today’s news briefing.
Today’s selection also takes a look at Vaud lawmakers, some of whom have been accused of problematic alcohol consumption during parliamentary sessions.
Enjoy today's selection,
Italy summoned its ambassador to Switzerland back to Rome at the weekend in protest at the release of Jacques Moretti, the owner of the Le Constellation bar, who had been in custody for the ongoing Swiss investigation into the devastating New Year’s Eve fire.
Three weeks after the tragic fire, Crans-Montana remains a widely followed and highly emotional issue in Italy, which was badly affected by the blaze; six Italians died out of a total of 40, and more than a dozen were seriously injured, out of a total of 116.
Jacques Moretti’s recent release from custody is not going down well in Italy. “This is an act that constitutes a real affront to the feelings of the families who have lost their children,” commented Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on the social media platform X.
Recalling an ambassador is a powerful diplomatic statement, but one that is rare. According to the Swiss public broadcaster RTS, the last time an ambassador posted to Switzerland was recalled was in 2009. Tel Aviv applied this measure to protest against a meeting in Geneva between the Swiss president and his Iranian counterpart. The only other recorded case dates back to the 1930s, when the USSR protested against the acquittal of the killer of a Soviet diplomat in Lausanne. For its part, Switzerland has twice recalled its ambassador: to denounce the Syrian regime in 2011 and the execution of trade unionists by the Franco regime in 1975.
Swiss officials have reacted diplomatically to Italy’s recall, demanding further explanations. In Rome, the Swiss ambassador explained that the fact that an accused person remains free as long as he or she has not been convicted is a fundamental principle of Swiss criminal law, and that the judiciary acts independently. Swiss President Guy Parmelin has also insisted on the separation of powers but expressed his understanding of the Italian point of view. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, for his part, assured his Italian counterpart that Switzerland, too, intends to get to the bottom of this tragedy.
Bern has lodged an official complaint with Rome over an Italian bill designed to benefit European machine manufacturers. Switzerland’s machine industry is a major pillar of its export sector and Italy’s move is seen as direct discrimination against Swiss companies.
Economics Minister Guy Parmelin described Italy’s new rules in favour of European manufacturers as “worrying”, prompting the Swiss government’s reaction. In an interview in the NZZ am Sonntag, Parmelin said he had personally raised the issue with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen when they met at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos last week.
The new Italian rules, which could come into force at the end of January if no solution is found, would come on top of heavy tariffs that the European Union has erected to protect its steel sector. “I have made it clear that this is not acceptable,” Parmelin told the Sunday newspaper, which said such a development gave ammunition to the opponents of the Bilaterals III, which “is not pleasant for the Federal Council”.
In the interview, Parmelin also spoke about his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the WEF. While he refused to comment on what Trump had said, he said the talks had gone well, pointing out that “the tone was very different from that of Trump’s speech”.
A debate over alcohol consumption in the Vaud parliament is back in the news after a young Green lawmaker called for it to be regulated. Oleg Gafner wants to introduce an alcohol limit on parliamentarians that is similar to that imposed on drivers. He argues that alcohol can impair the quality of parliamentary debates and the ability to vote conscientiously.
His motion calls for a rule prohibiting the over-consumption of alcohol during parliamentary working hours. The blood alcohol limit of cantonal lawmakers should not exceed 0.5 per thousand, it says. However, the text does not specify how this limit can be enforced.
Swiss public television, RTS, visited the Vaud parliament to find out more. Several lawmakers confirmed that certain behaviour is problematic, citing confused speeches or inappropriate remarks linked to alcohol. Other politicians disputed this, saying that parlimentarians were serious and that the image of people spending too much time in the parliament bar was a thing of the past.
Gafner’s motion will be debated on Tuesday. It will be a Swiss first if it is accepted, as no cantonal parliament has ever formally regulated this issue.
The number of new asylum applications in Switzerland continued to fall in 2025, down 7.1% compared to the previous year.
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) registered 25,781 applications, mainly from Afghan, Eritrean and Turkish nationals. Other applications, linked to births, family reunifications or repeat applications, accounted for almost 4,800 cases. For 2026, the authorities predict around 25,000 applications, a figure closely linked to the situation in Turkey and the Mediterranean migration route.
Departures from Switzerland have also changed. Voluntary departures increased slightly last year, with 2,548 people returning voluntarily to their own country or to a third country. Compulsory repatriations rose to 2,400 people. But transfers to “Dublin countries” fell significantly, along with special deportation flights.
Overall immigration is slowing. The permanent resident foreign population rose again, but less strongly than in 2024. Net immigration amounted to 75,000 people, a decline of 10% covering both EU/EFTA and non-EU nationals. At the same time, emigration rose: almost 83,000 people left the country. A total of 2.4 million foreign nationals were living in Switzerland at the end of 2025.
Translated from French using AI/sb
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