Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
The heatwave continues in Switzerland and its effects are unavoidable in places like hospitals and prisons. In French-speaking Switzerland, overheated rooms are causing resentment – employees, patients and prisoners are demanding better solutions.
In terms of sport, Switzerland hasn't come out of World Cup fever. The national team is back in Zurich after its historic quarter-final appearance. The success generated emotions and recognition but also millions in cash for the Swiss Football Association.
Best regards
The ongoing heatwave is pushing public institutions in French-speaking Switzerland to their limits. Reports from Geneva hospitals and prisons show how badly patients, detainees and staff are suffering from the high temperatures.
In the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), employees protested against temperatures of 34°C in patient rooms and up to 40°C in individual work rooms. The trade unions are calling for more staff and sustainable air conditioning. The hospital management refers to the outdated buildings and has introduced immediate measures such as fans, cooled areas and a crisis team.
In prisons in French-speaking Switzerland, too, temperatures of more than 30°C are regularly measured in the cells. Detainees are demanding fans and better access to showers. The prison administrations offer water, cold meals and adapted daily routines, but admit that the old buildings can hardly cope with the rising temperatures.
In both hospitals and prisons, those responsible and supervisory bodies see structural infrastructure as a central problem. While short-term measures are intended to alleviate the consequences of the heat, comprehensive renovations are likely to be years away.
The historic World Cup campaign ends with the reception of the Swiss national team in Zurich on Tuesday. The team returns after the quarter-final exit against Argentina with a lot of recognition – and with a financial windfall for the Swiss Football Association.
Reaching the final eight in the tournament will earn the Association $19 million in FIFA prize money. President Peter Knäbel expects a net surplus of around CHF3 million despite the “massively” high costs for the trip to North America. The income from successful tournaments has become an important part of the association’s planning and flows into both professional and amateur football.
Switzerland benefits from FIFA’s prize money pot, which distributes a total of around $870 million to associations and teams for the World Cup. There is $19 million for reaching the quarter-finals, semi-finalists get another $9 million, and the world champions net $50 million. Critics, however, complain that the distribution of funds is still comparatively low compared to FIFA’s income.
Now the focus is already on the next tasks: In the autumn, Switzerland will start in the Nations League, which will also be decisive for the starting position in qualifying for Euro 2028. Coach Murat Yakin has a contract until the summer of 2028, captain Granit Xhaka and other key players are likely to remain with the team. “None of the players told me that they wanted to stop,” Yakin said the day after the elimination.
Has Switzerland indirectly enabled human rights violations at the EU border? This question is addressed in a new expert report.
Switzerland has paid over CHF300 million into European border protection funds. Among other things, vehicles, drones and thermal imaging cameras were co-financed, including in countries such as Croatia, Greece and Poland, where there were reports of so-called pushbacks – i.e. violent rejections of people seeking protection without an asylum procedure. A new expert report now examines whether Swiss funds were indirectly used for alleged human rights violations.
The report could not prove a direct connection with pushbacks. However, it cannot be completely ruled out. According to the Swiss Refugee Council, it is difficult to assign individual violations to specific financing, which is why it is calling for independent control of funds.
Politically, Swiss participation remains controversial. While the Federal Council wants to support better supervision and checks, the Swiss People’s Party rejects additional mechanisms and calls for the money to be used in Switzerland in the future. The question of how far Switzerland’s responsibility for the use of its contributions at the EU border extends is unclear.
The Swiss Competition Commission (COMCO) has Google in its sights. The authority is investigating whether the tech company is restricting competition in search engines by abolishing a selection function on Android devices.
The trigger is the so-called “choice screen”. This allowed users to select a default search engine when setting up a new Android smartphone. Google has removed the feature in Switzerland, while it is still available in the European Economic Area. This automatically presets Google Search on Swiss devices .
COMCO is now examining whether this practice puts competitors at a disadvantage and makes market entry more difficult. Google justifies the difference to the EU with the Digital Markets Act that applies there. However, the competition watchdogs note that Swiss antitrust law is also intended to protect competition in the case of such default settings.
The preliminary clarification is expected to take several months. According to COMCO, a decision will then be made on the opening of proceedings. The COMCO’s sanction options are fines and bans. However, it is also possible that the parties will reach a mutual agreement.
Translated from German, sub-edited by Anand Chandrasekhar
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