Switzerland Today

Greetings from Lausanne!

This week over 400 people with a Swiss passport will be travelling to Lugano from over 40 countries for the 98^th Congress of the Swiss Abroad.

Delegates attending the annual gathering will be discussing issues ranging from democracy to electronic voting and the free movement of people in the European Union.

“The voices of the Swiss Abroad represent an important weight for the development of our democracy,” Filippo Lombardi, president of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, told journalists in Bern today.

Follow our extensive coverage of the congress on SWI swissinfo.ch.

© Keystone / Anthony Anex

In the news: Lindt & Sprüngli withdraws from Russia, returning confiscated millions to Uzbekistan and new Covid stats.

• Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli is withdrawing from the Russian market, after announcing in March that it would cease operations there following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces.
• Switzerland and Uzbekistan have signed an agreement on the restitution of $131 million (CHF125 million) confiscated during criminal proceedings involving Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of the former Uzbek president.
• The Federal Office of Public Healthreported a total of 18,204 new Covid cases on August 16 for the previous seven-day period, down 16% on the previous week. There were 200 new hospital admissions and 14 reported deaths during the past seven days.
• The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Finma) has orderedExternal link the health insurance company CSS to reimburse CHF129 million in excessive premiums to people who took out additional health insurance between 2013 and 2019.
• A new appeal has been filed against the result of the vote on March 28, 2021, for the town of Moutier to move from canton Bern to neighbouring canton Jura.

© Keystone / Ennio Leanza

A left-wing coalition has gathered enough signatures to challenge the government’s plan to buy F-35A fighter jets from the US.

Three years ago Swiss parliament approved plans to purchase new fighter jets to the tune of CHF6 billion ($6.2 billion) to replace the air force’s ageing fleet. This decision was rubber-stamped by Swiss voters the following year. The government is keen to buy 36 new F-35 fighter jets from the US firm Lockheed Martin, but this idea has met opposition.

Political groups behind the “Stop F-35” initiative handed in over 120,000 signatures to the Federal Chancellery on Tuesday, more than the 100,000 required.

After evaluating different jets, the Swiss government believes the F-35A offers the best quality-price ratio. But the “Stop F-35” campaigners argue that the US jet is an attack plane that is too expensive and unsuited to Switzerland’s modest air defence needs.

The opponents claim that the operating costs will be high, even if the purchase price is relatively low, and this has been proven in studies carried out in Canada, the US and Norway.

It is still unclear if and when the vote may take place. The coalition – the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party and the Group for a Switzerland without an Army (GSoA) – says a popular vote could take place before March 12, 2023.

The government initially planned to wait for the outcome of this initiative before concluding the deal. But with the outbreak of war in Ukraine and moves by other countries to re-arm, it reconsidered and signalled an intention to sign the contract before it expires in March 2023. This has been criticised by politicians on the left.

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Off to Lugano! The Congress of the Swiss Abroad takes place this weekend. We speak to some of the Swiss Abroad who are travelling to the southern Swiss city.

The Assembly of the Swiss Abroad is meeting again physically for the first time since the pandemic: in Lugano from August 19-21. We contacted some of the delegates of the Council of the Swiss Abroad to see how they are preparing for the upcoming event.

Hans Broder, delegate of the Council of the Swiss Abroad to Mexico (pictured), will be attending for the first time. He writes: “I expect us to put together a modern, young, digital strategy to lower the average age of Swiss Abroad delegates. At 34, I am one of the younger ones. I am very much looking forward to taking part in my first congress and to networking. It is an honour for me to represent the Swiss in Mexico.”

He added: “I’ll finally get to know everyone, become active and gain experience as a member of the Council of the Swiss Abroad. I’m really looking forward to my new honorary post. I’m spending the entire summer in Switzerland, the most beautiful season of all. I’m visiting my parents, old school friends, open-air festivals, etc.”

“I’m going to enjoy all the classic Swiss things I usually miss: from cervelat sausages to the public transport system and the mountains. And of course, I’ll be visiting family and friends.”

• Our Swiss Abroad page.
• 98^th Congress of the Swiss Abroad 2022 in Lugano websiteExternal link.