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Swiss Politics

Geneva and UN need to get closer

This content was published on Sep 20, 2005 Since the creation of the United Nations 60 years ago, Switzerland has benefited from the presence of the organisation’s European headquarters in the city. The UN’s 60th General Assembly is currently underway at its headquarters in downtown New York. In Geneva, which hosts the UN’s specialist and operational agencies, celebrations are seeking to bring the…

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Calmy-Rey calls for human rights council

This content was published on Sep 20, 2005 She also announced that Switzerland intends to present a draft resolution to the plenary assembly in New York on ways to reform the Security Council. “The UN is of great importance for Swiss foreign policy,” Calmy-Rey told swissinfo, adding that a lot rests on increasing the organisation’s credibility. Calmy-Rey said that in the three years…

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Swiss business fears German power vacuum

This content was published on Sep 19, 2005 They also warn of the consequences for the Swiss economy if the next German government does not pick up the pace of reform. Both Gerhard Schröder of the ruling Social Democratic Party and opposition candidate Angela Merkel from the Christian Democratic Union have claimed victory in the polls. But neither politician has won enough seats…

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Swiss Politics

No real winner in German election

This content was published on Sep 19, 2005 They said it would be the small parties who will play the kingmakers, and were in agreement that the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader, Angela Merkel, was the main loser. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) called the outcome the “worst election for Germany”. The Zurich newspaper said that while Gerhard Schröder’s Social Democratic Party (SPD)…

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Swiss Politics

Social Democrats tackle future challenges

This content was published on Sep 17, 2005 At a conference on Saturday, Switzerland’s second largest party also launched a referendum against tightening asylum legislation, due to be discussed by parliament in the autumn. Hans-Jürg Fehr, the party president, stressed that the proposed amendments relegated Switzerland’s humanitarian tradition to the scrapheap. The Swiss are due to decide in November whether to amend labour…

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Swiss Politics

Corridors of power analyse federalism

This content was published on Sep 17, 2005 Justice Minister Christoph Blocher was among the 300 participants at the meeting, where all concurred that federalism had to be put under a spotlight but not all agreed on the methods. There were a number of issues tackled during the two-day event including the limitations of the Swiss model of power-sharing and looking to the…

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How the German elections affect Switzerland

This content was published on Sep 15, 2005 But Swiss experts are greeting the possible power swap on September 18 with guarded optimism. “From a liberal point of view these elections are hardly the great white hope,” Silvio Borner, a professor of economics at Basel University, told swissinfo. “So far Merkel and Schröder have shied away from discussing real reforms.” Borner says a…

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Swiss Politics

Americans turn down Swiss hurricane aid

This content was published on Sep 15, 2005 The US embassy in Bern said on Thursday that Switzerland’s “generous” help was no longer needed, after an offer of assistance was accepted two weeks ago. Around 50 tons of emergency supplies comprising blankets, tarpaulin, tents and hygiene kits – in addition to eight Swiss experts in logistics, medicine and water – have been ready…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss back Annan over summit failings

This content was published on Sep 15, 2005 Speaking on Wednesday at the opening of a three-day summit of 150 world leaders, Annan said nations had come up short on efforts to tackle poverty and reform the world body. Annan was also highly critical of the failure to reach an agreement on how to tackle nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. “We welcome the realistic…

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Swiss Politics

EU labour accord vote remains undecided

This content was published on Sep 14, 2005 The third and last survey by the GfS institute, commissioned by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, found that 50 per cent would vote yes and 38 per cent no, with 12 per cent undecided. With less than two weeks to go before the crucial ballot on September 25, Wednesday’s results show that the yes camp has…

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