Swiss Abroad

Debate heats up over Swiss army system

This content was published on Aug 5, 2004 Schmid broke a taboo by suggesting that the militia system could one day be scrapped. He said that budgetary pressures meant that further reforms to the army could not be ruled out. This is a view shared by the centre-left Social Democrat parliamentarian, Barbara Haering, who told swissinfo that debate over the future of the…

Swiss Politics

Militia tradition challenged by defence minister

This content was published on Aug 4, 2004 The cabinet is expected to address the issue next month as part of discussions about further reform of the armed services. Schmid told Swiss radio on Tuesday that changes in the army’s structure could not be ruled out because of budget cuts. “We have to be prepared to think the unthinkable,” he warned. The defence…

Swiss Politics

Deiss calls on Swiss abroad to set example

This content was published on Aug 3, 2004 In his speech to mark the country’s National Day, Deiss described expats as positive symbols of globalisation and an example for all Swiss. Deiss used the speech, which is traditionally given on August 1 to celebrate the founding of Switzerland, to urge the country to break free of its isolation and become more competitive. “There…

Swiss Politics

Swiss urged to pull together on National Day

This content was published on Aug 1, 2004 The president, Joseph Deiss, called on the Swiss to preserve national unity while reaching out to the rest of the world. Deiss said bilateral agreements with the European Union were vital to preserve Switzerland’s relationship with the rest of Europe, and that the Swiss should move quickly to enforce them and embrace competition. Negotiations on…

Swiss Politics

Switzerland sees marked decline in asylum seekers

This content was published on Jul 28, 2004 The Federal Refugee Office attributes the drop to measures taken in recent years and a general decline in asylum requests across Europe. Figures out on Wednesday come just a day after the United Nations refugee agency told Switzerland that it was “seriously concerned” about plans to tighten the country’s asylum policy. The Geneva-based UNHCR said…

Swiss Politics

Scandal raises questions over political funding

This content was published on Jul 16, 2004 Opinions are divided over how parties should be funded and whether parliamentarians should be obliged to declare the sources of donations. Switzerland’s tradition of service to the community extends to its parliamentarians, who do not give up their jobs when they take up their seats – unlike in many other countries. Although they receive some…

Swiss Politics

From a great Dane to Adolf Hitler

This content was published on Jul 14, 2004 William Tell was not the only medieval archer to have shot an apple off a boy’s head, or to have got his revenge on an evil ruler. Yet, thanks largely to Friedrich Schiller, Tell looms larger than much older Nordic or other European legendary figures. Over the centuries, Tell has been employed as an ambassador…

Swiss Politics

The Swiss standard-bearer

This content was published on Jul 5, 2004 In 1798, France invaded the territory of the Old Confederation and set up a centralised state: the Helvetic Republic. Bureaucracy, which had formerly operated on informal lines, was suddenly transformed; official dispatches and communications multiplied. All letters from then on bore the heading “liberty and equality”, and featured the figure of William Tell. Having become…

Tell travels

This content was published on Jul 5, 2004 During the Enlightenment, the small democratic state of Switzerland aroused considerable interest among philosophers and politicians. Plots against the French monarchy and Jacobin assemblies were likened to the secret pact signed at the Rütli. The Tell tyrannicide was also used to justify the guillotining of Louis XVI. In 1766, the French writer Antoine-Marin Lemierre (1733-1793)…

Security fears dominate Iraq handover

This content was published on Jun 28, 2004 But the head of the Swiss mission in Baghdad, Martin Aeschbacher, told swissinfo reconstruction would fail if security did not improve. Although the interim government will have full sovereignty, the US will continue to be responsible for security. The Swiss foreign minister, Micheline Calmy-Rey, has said her country is likely to play a “more dynamic…

Swiss Abroad

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Swiss Abroad

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Debate heats up over Swiss army system

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Militia tradition challenged by defence minister

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Deiss calls on Swiss abroad to set example

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Swiss urged to pull together on National Day

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Switzerland sees marked decline in asylum seekers

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Scandal raises questions over political funding

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From a great Dane to Adolf Hitler

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The Swiss standard-bearer

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Tell travels

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Security fears dominate Iraq handover

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