swissinfo’s Matt Allen delves behind the scenes in Davos to bring you the highlights of WEF 2014.
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Life in goldfish bowl
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The Congress Centre appears hermetically sealed from the outside world, in good part by necessary security measures. Once past the airport-style checks, the forum then resembles the Titanic – a series of watertight compartments. Delegates and journalists are categorised with typical Swiss efficiency and afforded access to various rooms in the party house according to…
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United States investment bank JP Morgan took the brunt of the legal wrist-slapping last year, shelling out some $13 billion (CHF11.6 billion) to settle claims. No wonder then that CEO Jamie Dimon adopted a low profile in Davos, avoiding public debate. Dimon did manage a media interview in which he slammed the US government for…
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Davos residents will be among those Swiss citizens voting on February 9 with the issue also sparking much fierce debate throughout Europe and further afield. Several international speakers have added their voice to the debate in Davos this week. “The feeling of being overcrowded in Switzerland is a result of economic success,” said Martin Schulz,…
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With the United States Federal Reserve slowing the rate of its own spending spree, all eyes are on other central banks to see if they follow suit. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has seen its balance sheet bloat from CHF100 billion ($112 billion) in 2006 to nearly CHF500 billion in defence of the franc. But…
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Each year, the NGOs name and shame the worst examples of corporate excess and environmental vandalism during the Public Eye Awards ceremony. This year, it is the turn of Russian energy giant Gazprom and US clothing firm Gap to “win”. Gazprom’s drilling in the Arctic circle has left a particularly bitter taste in Switzerland after…
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For while there is no more financial crash to be contended with, no imminent EU break-up to be contemplated or raging civil war across North Africa to be observed, it has been soberly noted that a number of deep divisions and problems remain unsolved. Swiss President (and Foreign Minister) Didier Burkhalter pointed out in his…
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But the average Davos man and woman has taken this revelation in their stride. “I’m not taking any more precautions than any other time I travel abroad,” one South African businessman told me. “Besides, I’ve got no intention of shouting out company secrets here.” In fact, government agencies trawling though large swathes of private data…
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Trust for politicians in France and the United States has fallen the most in the past 12 months, says global PR firm Edelman. US President Barack Obama and French President François Hollande (pictured) will be notably absent from Davos, but many other statesmen and women who have also suffered a fall in public image will…
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