Switzerland today

Greetings from Bern,

the topic of citizenship always provokes a lot of discussion in Switzerland among the general public. Among politicians, the endless debate is whether to increase old-age pensions. We've got a bit of both for you today in our roundup of Swiss news.

This content was published on March 1, 2023 - 18:00

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Swissinfo.ch's India specialist covers a wide range of issues from bilateral relations to Bollywood. He also knows a thing or two about Swiss watchmaking and is partial to the French-speaking part of Switzerland. 

In the news: Bankers on trial, architecture biennale, hunger profiteering and pensions penny-pinching

Senior management of Russian bank Gazprombank will go on trial in Zurich on March 8. They are accused of failing to exercise due diligence in their dealings with Sergei Roldugin, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Swiss entryExternal link for the 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia – have been announced. The project entitled “Neighbours” plays on the proximity of the Swiss Pavilion to its Venezuelan neighbour and the professional bond between the two architects who designed them: the Swiss Bruno Giacometti (1907 – 2012) and the Italian Carlo Scarpa (1906 – 1978).

Multinational food companies, including Nestlé, have used the war in Ukraine and the Covid pandemic as a pretext for higher food prices, a Greenpeace reportExternal link claims. According to Greenpeace, the increases in food prices were accompanied by an increase in the revenues of multinationals and dividends they paid out to their shareholders.

Pensions have always been a hot potato among Swiss law makers. Even tiny increases are the subject of much negotiations in the halls of power. This time is no exception. The House of Representatives did a U-turn and decided against a debate about a plan to boost payments to beneficiaries External linkby between CHF7 to CHF14 ($7 to $15)) a month. They said the government had already increased pensions by 2.5% at the beginning of the year as part of a regular adjustment to compensate for inflation and salary levels.

passport — © Keystone / Christian Beutler

Trending in Switzerland: Hardest place to become Swiss and a controversial eviction

How easy is it to become a Swiss citizen? The answer depends on where you apply. Apparently one of the most difficult places to get Swiss citizenship External linkis the village of Oberriet in canton St Gallen. According to public broadcast SRF, only one in two applications are accepted. It is not uncommon to be rejected twice.

What are the advantages of being a local anyway? Around 50 Swiss residents face eviction from a building in the town of Windisch in canton Aargau. The locale will be commandeered by the canton to accommodate asylum seekers. Politicians and the public are outraged but what is the real truth External linkbehind the matter?