Switzerland Today
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The vote on the ‘No to ten million’ immigration initiative is over, but the debate on Switzerland’s relationship with the EU continues. And the final word hasn't been spoken in parliament’s nuclear energy debate. At the G7 summit in Évian, it is not only about what is being said, but also about who is dominating the stage.
The ‘No to ten million’ immigration initiative has been rejected, but the debate over Switzerland’s relationship with the EU continues. A new poll shows more respondents support the bilateral agreements than oppose them.
On Sunday, Swiss voters rejected the right-wing Swiss People’s Party’s “No to ten million” immigration initiative. One of the key issues raised during the campaign is likely to remain a central topic in Swiss politics: relations with the EU.
A new poll by Tamedia newspapers and 20 Minuten found that a relative majority supports the bilateral agreements with the EU. Some 46% would vote in favour, 40% against and 14% remain undecided. Many of the undecided are women, while men appear to hold more fixed views.
Political scientist Fabio Wasserfallen sees parallels with Sunday’s result. “When push comes to shove, many Swiss people, despite their reservations, favour cooperation with the EU,” he told the Tages-Anzeiger. A separate survey by the Sotomo research institute conducted before Sunday’s vote found even stronger support, with 59% backing the bilateral agreements.
One particularly contentious question remains whether a future vote on the bilateral agreements should require not only a majority of voters but also a majority of the cantons. Opinion is divided: 43% favour a simple popular majority, while 39% support the double-majority requirement.
The key issues from the summer parliamentary session: the battle over new nuclear power stations continues, while parliament has also cleared the way for trials of electronic signature collection.
Should Switzerland once again be allowed to build new nuclear power stations? Nearly 100 parliamentarians registered to speak during the debate on the counter-proposal to the “Blackout Initiative”, which ultimately stretched over three days. The outcome was extremely close. “The Social Democratic Party, the Green Party and the Liberal Green Party would have preferred not to discuss lifting the ban on new nuclear power stations at all,” writes Swiss public broadcaster SRF.
In the end, the political centre tipped the balance. Yesterday the House of Representatives voted to send the matter back to the government, requesting clarification on how new reactors would be financed. The more pro-nuclear Senate rejected that referral today, meaning the issue now returns to the House of Representatives.
Parliament has also taken an important step towards electronic signature collection for initiatives and referendums. The government will now be able to conduct pilot projects, either nationwide or in selected regions. In addition, adjustments to voting materials will allow blind and visually impaired people to vote more independently.
The war in Ukraine dominated the second day of the G7 summit in Évian. Iran is also in the spotlight, with reports that a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran could be signed at the Bürgenstock resort.
The second day of the G7 summit in France focused largely on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is attending the meeting, and leaders are reportedly discussing ways to increase pressure on Russia, including through additional sanctions on energy exports, according to Swiss public broadcaster RTS.
US President Donald Trump said Russia should reach an agreement with Ukraine. Iran also featured prominently in discussions. According to CH Media, a memorandum of understanding for a peace process between the US and Iran could be signed at the Bürgenstock resort rather than in Geneva as previously expected. Switzerland would organise the event, while Qatar could play a hosting role.
Summits such as the G7 are also about personalities. Geneva political scientist Cédric Dupont told the media that tensions could emerge between Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron. If anyone tries to steal the spotlight from Trump, Dupont believes the US president is likely to react sensitively.
Meanwhile, Macron caused some irritation in Switzerland with a post on X. While Geneva is bearing significant security costs and restrictions linked to the summit, the French president publicly thanked French security forces. Geneva politician Delphine Bachmann replied that a message of thanks to Geneva’s emergency services would also have been “nice”.
The Swiss Alpine Club is opening Switzerland’s first self-sufficient mountain hut – and introducing a fee for no-shows.
The hiking season is under way, and a new accommodation option is attracting attention in the Bernese Alps – provided visitors have experience in high-altitude mountaineering. The new Mutthorn Hut sits at 2,788 metres above sea level, surrounded by glaciers and built entirely from Swiss timber. Equipped with solar panels and its own water supply, it is the Swiss Alpine Club’s (SAC) first self-sufficient mountain hut.
“The goal is to produce as little waste as possible,” Marion Herren of the SAC told the Berner Zeitung. There are no plastic bottles in the hut and greywater is treated on site.
The glaciers surrounding the new hut are also the reason it was built. The original Mutthorn Hut had to be abandoned because of melting ice. Hut warden Stefanie Künzi sees the replacement as an opportunity to raise awareness. Visitors can witness changes in the Alpine landscape first-hand and gain a better understanding of what is happening to Switzerland’s glaciers.
Another change has also caught the attention of hut wardens. Increasingly, hikers and mountaineers fail to arrive despite making reservations. To address the issue, the SAC will introduce a CHF10 ($13) booking fee from 2027. The amount will be deducted from the cost of the overnight stay, but will not be refunded in the event of a no-show.
Translated using AI/amva/ts
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