Switzerland Today

Hello Swiss Abroad,

The results of the 2024 "Barometer of Opportunities", which explores the prospect of a Switzerland with ten million inhabitants, are making waves in the German-language press today.

In French-speaking Switzerland, the sentence handed down to Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan for rape is a major topic, while in canton Bern, parliamentarians have approved electronic identity, and the House of Representatives has voted to stop payments to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

Enjoy your reading.

Keystone / Christian Beutler

Electronic identity (e-ID) clears final hurdle

The path is now clear for the introduction of electronic identity (e-ID). After the House of Representatives, the Senate has also approved the legal framework by a large majority.

Following this vote, the e-ID could be available as early as 2026. This is particularly significant for the Swiss Abroad, as it would simplify administrative procedures and is seen as a stepping stone towards a broader electronic voting system in Switzerland.

The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad also hopes the e-ID will ease relations between the Swiss Abroad and Swiss banks. Potential uses include everything from public transport passes to electronic health records.

Some legal details still need to be resolved between the House of Representatives and the Senate, but with strong support in both chambers, the foundations are now in place. “We are prioritising data protection,” said Justice Minister Beat Jans in the Senate.

To obtain an e-ID, individuals will need to download an app on their mobile phone and scan a Swiss-issued identity document. The federal government will then verify their identity.

RTSExternal link provides more details (in French).

EPA/ANDRE PAIN

Swiss parliament wants to stop funding to Palestinian refugee agency

Swiss contributions to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, should be suspended, reckon a majority of parliamentarians in the House of Representatives yesterday.

By 99 votes to 88, with seven abstentions, the House supported a proposal from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party to halt funding. This goes against the recommendations of the responsible committee and the opinion of the Federal Council.

Following this, the House of Representatives also passed a motion, by 120 votes to 73, calling for Switzerland’s 2024 contribution to UNRWA to be redirected directly to the Palestinian population.

The issue of UNRWA funding has been debated in the Swiss parliament since last year, following allegations that some of the organisation’s members had welcomed or participated in Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. An independent investigation neither confirmed nor refuted the claims.

Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis stated that it would be difficult for any other organisation to take over the tasks currently performed by UNRWA. In May, the Federal Council agreed to reduce funding for 2024 to CHF10 million ($12 million), down from the original CHF20 million. This has now been confirmed by parliament.

ATS provides further information (in French).

Keystone / Martial Trezzini

Tariq Ramadan convicted of rape by Geneva court

A Geneva court has convicted Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan of rape. The parties involved received the verdict today from the criminal appeal and revision chamber, which overturned the initial judgement.

Ramadan, 62, has been sentenced to three years in prison, including one year of actual imprisonment, for the rape of a woman known in the media as Brigitte, which took place more than 15 years ago in Geneva. He has 30 days to appeal to the Federal Court.

In a press release, the Court of Justice stated that the Criminal Appeal and Review Chamber “found several testimonies, certificates, medical notes, and private expert opinions to be consistent with the plaintiff’s account”. The appeal trial took place from May 27 to 29, 2024. In the first trial, held a year earlier, Ramadan was acquitted due to reasonable doubt.

At the second trial, the defendant strongly denied the accusations, claiming he had never had sexual relations with the woman. Ramadan is also facing prosecution in France and was sent to the criminal court in Paris earlier this summer for the alleged rape of three women between 2009 and 2016.

For more details, see the RTSExternal link article (in French).

Keystone / Michael Buholzer

Immigration concerns dominate latest Swiss survey

Nearly two-thirds of Swiss citizens believe action is needed to address immigration, according to the latest “Barometer of Opportunities” survey published today.

However, the survey also reveals that most people recognise Switzerland’s strong economic position is closely tied to the immigration of skilled workers.

Despite this, if respondents were forced to choose between “strong annual economic growth” and “no new immigration”, they would prioritise limiting immigration over growth.

While immigration is seen as a growing concern, other issues such as healthcare, pensions, and energy supply remain higher priorities for the Swiss public.

Additionally, 63% of respondents support abolishing tax discrimination against married couples, 70% are in favour of more childcare facilities, and 73% see making the pension retirement age more flexible as a key step towards reform.

The NZZExternal link provides further analysis (in German).

Keystone / Georgios Kefalas

Switzerland in focus

In the run-up to the Henri Matisse retrospective, staff at the Fondation Beyeler are taking great care to hang one of the French painter’s works. The work in question is “Bathers with Turtle”, painted between 1907 and 1908. The exhibition will be held in Riehen (in canton Basel City) from September 22 to January 26, 2025.