Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
As I travelled by train to the starting point of my hike this weekend, I overheard several conversations about the state of the forests. "It looks like autumn already," one person remarked. The trees have turned depressing shades of brown and muted green. Switzerland's neighbours are battling relentless wildfires. All of this is the result of the heat and drought gripping much of Europe.
Yet last year, Environment Minister Albert Rösti cut funding for measures designed to protect Switzerland's forests from heat and drought. The situation was different then, he has said. We explore those funding cuts, before looking at another story from a very different sector: an investment boost for the Swiss film industry.
Sunny regards from Bern,
How is Switzerland’s environment ministry responding to the country’s rapidly changing climate? In a series of interviews published today, Environment Minister Albert Rösti responded to criticism over cuts to forest funding, support for farmers and the country’s chances of meeting its 2030 climate targets.
In 2020, parliament allocated CHF100 million ($124 million) over four years, partly to plant tree species better adapted to heat and drought. Over the weekend, the NZZ am Sonntag reported that Rösti had removed this funding earmarked for the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) from the federal financial plan from 2027 onwards.
Now, in an interview with the Le Temps, Rösti says he can no longer justify that decision on its merits and that the funding remains necessary. “You only have to walk through the forest today to see the consequences of climate change,” he said. He explained that the cuts were made last year during difficult budget negotiations in parliament, adding that the federal government still allocates around CHF115 million annually to Switzerland’s forests.
Rösti acknowledged that Switzerland will struggle to meet its 2030 climate targets. A significant share of the country’s required CO2 reductions will have to come from international carbon credits, which are expensive. “I cannot see how the state can find the additional CHF300 million to CHF400 million required,” he said.
The former Swiss People’s Party president also shares the concerns raised by farmers across the country, who have been particularly hard hit by drought and fodder shortages. “The extreme drought is hitting agriculture the hardest,” he said. In response, the army has delivered water to mountain farms by helicopter, while the government has suspended customs duties on imported fodder. However, Rösti does not believe Switzerland is facing a nationwide emergency, but rather “an emergency for individual farmers”.
Asked by the Tages-Anzeiger if he had underestimated climate change, the minister replied that he had not expected a summer this hot. “But I have never questioned climate change,” he said.
In response to evolving security threats, the Swiss army is overhauling its logistics system, shifting towards a decentralised, combat-ready model. The project is estimated to cost up to CHF10 billion. Given the price tag, the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) says implementation will remain under close scrutiny.
Much of the recent debate around defence spending has focused on air defence systems and communications infrastructure. But even the largest stockpiles are of little use if equipment cannot be accessed quickly when needed. The army’s new logistics concept aims to ensure that the right equipment is in the right place at the right time.
A key element of the strategy is decentralised infrastructure. “The goal is to store the most important systems underground,” said Michael Nussli, deputy head of the army’s logistics base. However, not all existing facilities are in good working order and many will require upgrading.
One of the biggest challenges remains the army’s IT infrastructure. Since 2025, it has relied on the standard SAP system, but in the event of cyberattacks or disrupted communications, the system reaches its limits because data centres are insufficiently protected and cannot operate independently.
Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami officially announced her retirement in a video yesterday. The Swiss media and public have responded with an outpouring of praise for an athlete whose honesty off the piste will be remembered just as much as her golden career.
“With 101 World Cup podiums, including 48 victories, two overall World Cup titles, two world championships and Olympic gold, she is one of the most successful female ski racers of all time,” wrote Swiss-Ski, the country’s winter sports federation.
Gut-Behrami has reached almost every summit the sport has to offer and is now doing what many elite athletes struggle to do: retiring while still at the top. After almost 20 years competing at the highest level, she has pushed her body to its limits. That is ultimately why she is stepping away, she says.
“Despite the falls and injuries, I have no recurring pain – and I don’t want to have any. I no longer want to doggedly chase goals and push boundaries at all costs, or impose those rhythms and stresses on my body,” Gut-Behrami said.
Praise by the media is being published in droves. “Gut-Behrami astonished and fascinated. She inspired and brought joy to people. But she also sometimes irritated and annoyed, leaving some bewildered. She polarised opinion because she never pretended, because she said what she thought, because she strove for the best and acted accordingly,” wrote the Tages-Anzeiger.
An interview filmed after last year’s giant slalom in Sölden – which ultimately became her final World Cup race – has also resurfaced across Swiss media today. In it, Gut-Behrami criticises what she sees as the “act” put on by many younger skiers who claim to be satisfied after disappointing results. Social media, she says, has made it more important to be liked than to be honest.
“I can live with making a mistake and finishing 25th. But I won’t stand there pretending I enjoy it.”
The Locarno Film Festival kicked off yesterday, and today, the Federal Office of Culture announced that almost CHF20 million has been invested in Swiss film and television thanks to the “Lex Netflix” regulation – an increase of 25% compared with the previous year.
Following a nationwide referendum in 2022, which passed by 58.4%, the “Lex Netflix” came into force in 2024, requiring international streaming companies such as Netflix, Disney and Amazon, as well as foreign television broadcasters selling advertising in Switzerland, to invest 4% of their Swiss-generated revenue in Swiss film production. A total of 22 companies are currently subject to the requirement.
According to the Federal Office of Culture, these companies generated CHF817 million in Swiss revenue in 2025, meaning they are required to invest around CHF33 million in Swiss productions.
Companies are allowed to defer part of that investment until the end of 2027. Since around CHF20 million of the CHF33 million required for 2025 has so far been invested, approximately CHF13 million has been carried forward.
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