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Swiss aim to start free-trade talks with US

This content was published on Jun 10, 2005 Economics Minister Joseph Deiss will travel to Washington next month for exploratory discussions. Addressing the media on Friday, Deiss said the cabinet wanted closer economic ties with the US – Switzerland’s second biggest export market. Last month Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey signalled a change of focus for Swiss foreign policy, saying more attention would be…

Profits rocket for Richemont

This content was published on Jun 9, 2005 Demand for its wares is gaining pace again after epidemics and war in the Middle East suppressed spending in recent years. The maker of Cartier jewellery and watches as well as Lancel handbags said operating earnings rose 71 per cent to €505 million in the year to end-March, meeting market expectations. Richemont’s net income included…

Firms count cost of doing business stateside

This content was published on Jun 9, 2005 But the US is also considered to be a land of litigation – something which many Swiss firms have learnt to their cost. Over the past seven years Swiss firms or their insurers have had to pay out a total of more than SFr10 billion ($7.9 billion) in legal fees, fines or out-of-court settlements. The…

More passengers travel on Swiss trains

This content was published on Jun 9, 2005 The vast majority of trains are on time and the problem of overcrowding has been at least partially solved, the Federal Railways announced at a news conference on Thursday. Before the timetable change on December 12 last year the growth in passengers using the train network was 2-4 per cent. Since then the expanded service…

Swiss pay the price for “island life”

This content was published on Jun 8, 2005 In an interview with swissinfo, price administrator Rudolf Strahm says Switzerland’s political isolation has turned it into a “high price island”, and calls for far-reaching reforms to bring the cost of living into line with neighbouring countries. He says that, in addition to a lack of competition in several key domestic sectors, the Swiss economy…

Swiss like work but not their salaries

This content was published on Jun 7, 2005 A report by global staffing services company Kelly Services found that 53 per cent of Swiss are pleased with their jobs. But 52 per cent feel they are not being paid enough. The survey of 12 countries places Switzerland, along with neighbouring Italy, in third place. In front are the Scandinavian nations (68 per cent)…

Economic growth – the “bottom-up” way

This content was published on Jun 6, 2005 The German-speaking canton is bucking a trend in a country where – federalism notwithstanding – economic policy is traditionally made at the national level. Aargau, the fourth largest canton in economic terms, says its goal is to increase total cantonal output by 0.5 per cent per year between now and 2010. The 25-point programme proposes…

Microbrewers fizz amid falling beer sales

This content was published on Jun 6, 2005 The country is now home to around 100 of these small-scale beer producers who are leading a revival in speciality brewing in a predominantly lager-drinking nation. Last year speciality beers produced by big and small breweries accounted for 5.5 per cent of the 3.6 million hectolitres of beer consumed in Switzerland, and their market share…

Campus welcomes arrival of Blue Gene

This content was published on Jun 5, 2005 The supercomputer will be used primarily to penetrate the mysteries of the brain, but plenty of other researchers are lining up to make use of the prototype. Blue Gene is currently the most powerful supercomputer available. According to specialists, its original modular design allows it to overcome the shortcomings of some of its competitors, making…

Firm lifts off with airship

This content was published on Jun 4, 2005 It has become the first company in 100 years to receive a licence to operate an airship passenger service in Switzerland. “Getting there is half the fun,” enthuses Skycruise founder and director Christian Schulthess, describing his company’s philosophy. “We’ve crossed the finish line and then some,” he told swissinfo after getting the green light from…

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