Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
The Swiss are generally proud of their education system. But a new UNICEF report paints a far more sobering picture.
In today’s briefing, we also explain why some Swiss retirees living abroad have gone several months without receiving their state pension payments despite being entitled to them.
Happy reading!
Educational success in Switzerland remains closely tied to family background – more so than in many other wealthy countries.
According to a new UNICEF analysis, 91% of 15‑year‑olds from privileged families achieve strong results in reading and mathematics. Among students from disadvantaged backgrounds, that figure drops to 46%.
“This is an enormous gap,” Désirée Zaugg, a children’s rights expert at UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein, told Tages-Anzeiger.
The report ranks Switzerland 10th out of 41 countries for overall academic skills, but just 31st for educational equality – placing it among OECD countries with the widest achievement gaps.
“The Swiss welfare state only insufficiently compensates for unequal starting conditions,” said UNICEF in a statement.
Child poverty rose by almost 14% between 2002 and 2022, the UN agency said in another report, while income inequality increased by nearly 17% over the same period.
The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) represents a growing threat to Switzerland, prompting the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) to launch a national awareness campaign.
This invasive insect is dangerous for agriculture and the environment, as it attacks over 400 plant species by feeding on leaves, fruit and flowers, while the larvae damage roots.
First appearing in 2017 in southern Ticino, the beetle has gradually spread to other regions of the country. In recent years, significant outbreaks have also been identified in the cantons of Basel, Zurich and Valais, indicating expansion on a national scale.
The main risk is linked to summer travel: the insect can be transported unintentionally in vehicles and luggage, especially along north-south routes. For this reason, the period between June and September is considered particularly critical for its spread.
Although eradication is no longer possible in some areas, measures adopted by authorities and operators have managed to slow the expansion. The Swiss government is therefore calling on the population to cooperate by checking vehicles and luggage and eliminating any insects, to limit damage especially in regions north of the Alps, where there is still hope of containing its spread.
For several months, payments of the Swiss Old Age and Survivors’ Insurance (OASI) pension have no longer been reaching some beneficiaries living in Russia and Belarus, despite their entitlement. The problem: the reluctance of financial intermediaries in the context of European Union sanctions against these two countries.
The news, which appeared on the information portal Infosperber, was confirmed to Swissinfo by the Central Compensation Office (CCO), which published a communication on the matter on its website in May. “Due to the sometimes extensive interpretation of foreign sanction measures by financial intermediaries […] the CCO is currently unable to make OASI pension transfers to beneficiaries residing in certain countries, or can only do so under more difficult conditions.”
These financial intermediaries, Swiss banks, also take into account, for strategic and risk-related reasons, foreign legal provisions that may affect their activities, such as US law, the CCO explains.
The problem affects around 60 people living in Russia and Belarus. They are affected by the restrictions because they only have a bank account in these countries. For another hundred or so beneficiaries living there, however, payments reach their destination thanks to the fact that they have an account in Switzerland.
All patients residing in Switzerland who were treated abroad following the tragic fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana on New Year’s Day have returned to Switzerland.
A total of 22 people were repatriated, the Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP) announced. They were part of the 38 injured people hospitalised in Belgium, Germany, France and Italy following the blaze. “The repatriated patients will receive medical care and psychological support,” the FOCP states.
After the tragedy, 24 European countries offered their assistance through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), making available places in specialised facilities, medical teams and transport.
For all European countries, managing a massive influx of burn victims “necessarily involves international cooperation and is an integral part of European emergency plans,” the FOCP writes. Switzerland cannot join the UCPM, but a formal request should be submitted as soon as the EU’s legal basis allows.
Translated using AI/sb
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