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The week in Switzerland

This content was published on Jun 23, 2000 Switzerland’s banking secrecy came under the spotlight once again, after the European Union agreed to exchange information on non-residents’ savings accounts to prevent tax evasion. The EU deal is conditional on persuading third countries, including Switzerland, to adopt similar measures. The finance ministry in Berne indicated it might amend tax on investment income to bring…

Canton Vaud celebrates potatoes without borders

This content was published on Jun 23, 2000 “Potatoes are to Switzerland what rice is to China,” says Daniel Pitton, a local potato producer and self-confessed rösti fanatic. He and fellow potato growers in the Gros-de-Vaud region to the north of Lausanne have teamed up to promote their crop. The Röstiparc idea dates back to 1997, when regional producers organised an event called…

Liechtenstein blacklisted over money laundering

This content was published on Jun 22, 2000 The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) named 15 countries, which it said needed to implement international standards to combat money laundering. Switzerland was not among them. The FATF report shied away from openly criticising the nations on the blacklist, although the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has in the past accused many of…

Gruyère exhibition celebrates the cowbell

This content was published on Jun 22, 2000 More than 200 cowbells are on display, the earliest dating back to 1620, and some which were made by local craftsmen just a few weeks ago. Over the centuries, a device enabling farmers to find their cows at night, in fog and over long distances has developed into a folk tradition which today is as…

Parliament opens state pension scheme to EU citizens

This content was published on Jun 22, 2000 The House of Representatives followed the Senate in approving the bill, which will also double the minimum contribution to SFr648 a year in a bid to get the scheme out of the red. Under the new law, EU citizens will be able to enjoy the same pension benefits as Swiss expatriates. To qualify, EU citizens…

Couchepin cautions against complacency over economy

This content was published on Jun 22, 2000 Addressing the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry in Colombier, he said that the country still had to continue making structural changes. “The liberalisation movement, which has started well in the telecommunications sector, is going to intensify and it will begin in the electricity and postal services sectors,” he said. “We should continue agricultural reform,…

Holderbank plans expansion in Indonesia

This content was published on Jun 22, 2000 In a communiqué from its headquarters in Glarus, Holderbank said the agreement was subject to certain conditions, including the restructuring of the SFr2 billion debt owed by the company concerned, Cibinong. It added that negotiations with representatives of Cibinong’s main creditors are scheduled to begin shortly. Holderbank said the deal also depended on receiving government…

Globalisation at heart of UN poverty summit in Geneva

This content was published on Jun 22, 2000 The World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen ended with UN member states signing up to an audacious programme of action which included ten commitments. The 117 heads of state and government vowed to make the fight against poverty, the quest for full emplyment and the fostering of safe and just societies their overriding objectives.…

Switzerland under EU pressure to abandon banking secrecy

This content was published on Jun 21, 2000 Under the EU deal, clinched at its summit in Portugal, member states agreed to provide information on non-residents’ savings accounts, a measure that would help governments crack down on tax evasion. But pressure from Luxembourg and Austria means the agreement is dependent on persuading third countries, including Switzerland, the United States and other offshore tax…

Swiss Post introduces first embroidered stamp

This content was published on Jun 21, 2000 The unique stamp was designed by Peter Hostettler, who works as a textile designer at the Bischoff Textiles company in St Gallen. The company will be producing the stamp. It was presented to the public on Wednesday at the opening of the national stamp exhibition in the city. “It goes without saying that there will…

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