Switzerland Today

Greetings from Bern!

Glaciers are disappearing, flights are being delayed and expats in Switzerland are still complaining that the locals are unfriendly. The good news on Tuesday is that Switzerland is taking part in an international monkeypox study, and expats still love the Swiss quality of life.

Keystone / John G. Mabanglo

In the news:  Almost every second flight from Zurich Airport has been delayed more than 15 minutes since the beginning of June, with travellers facing more delays this summer.

• On average, passengers have had to wait around 40 minutes. Most delays were of an operational, technical or weather-related nature, said an airport spokeswoman.
• Swiss arms exports rose more than 40% to CHF516 million in the first half of this year, the economics ministry said todayExternal link, with CHF159.8 million in sales of air defence systems to Qatar to protect stadiums during the football World Cup later this year making a decisive contribution.
• A study involving ten European countries, including Switzerland, has been launched to better understand monkeypox. It will follow people affected by the disease, record their symptoms and study their response to treatment. The Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) said it had recruited its first three patients.

Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

What have Mexico, Indonesia and Taiwan got that Switzerland hasn’t? Friendlier locals and better personal finance for starters, according to a survey of almost 12,000 expats around the world.

Switzerland has come 19th out of 52 countries in the ninth InterNations Expat Insider surveyExternal link, published today. It does best in the Quality of Life index (6th) and also gets above-average results in the Working Abroad (16th) and Expat Essentials (20th) indexes. While it lands in a rather mediocre 31st place for Personal Finance, Switzerland ends up among the bottom ten in the Ease of Settling In index (43rd). Still, 76% of expats are happy with their life in Switzerland, compared to 71% globally.

This reflects previous surveys in which Switzerland got excellent marks for its natural beauty, safety and general quality of life but fell down on the high prices and difficulty in befriending locals. Mexico, Indonesia and Taiwan were the big winners this year, with Kuwait failing to impress and coming last.

Ppr Media Relations Ag

A lack of snow means it will not be possible to ski on the Fee Glacier near Saas-Fee, southwestern Switzerland, this summer – a first in the resort’s history.

Access to the summer ski area is reserved for athletes training for competitions. However, training will also be restricted. Only 35 of the 60 pistes will be openExternal link, said Emmanuel Rossi of the Saas-Fee mountain railways. About 40 ski camps had been cancelled, he added. The situation would be reassessed in a fortnight.

The restrictions are the result of insufficient snowfall last winter plus recent high temperatures and rain at high altitudes. “The protection of the glacier has therefore decreased,” Rossi said.

In nearby Zermatt the glacier remains open, but the situation is being reassessed every week, said Marc Lagger, communications manager of Zermatt mountain railways. He also pointed to the high temperatures this year. “Already in mid-June the situation was like it normally is in August,” he said.