Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad,

Rainy regards from Bern. I hope you find yourself somewhere sunny, maybe enjoying an iced coffee or a cocktail.

We begin today’s briefing with one of the most Swiss topics: banking. But don’t worry! If this topic is a bit too dry for you, today’s briefing also contains social media drama and a look into a piece of Beatles history that is up for sale.

Also in today’s briefing: which canton will soon be seeing an increase in the minimum wage?

Read on to find out!

Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

Swiss banks make profits but fail on sustainability

A recent WWF Switzerland ranking revealed that none of the 15 largest Swiss banks meets international climate and biodiversity targets.

The banks scored an average of just 2.2 out of 5, categorised as “average”. The assessment, based on 32 criteria, examined core business activities, corporate governance, and environmental impact.

The Zurich Cantonal Bank ranked highest, while the St Gallen Cantonal Bank and Valiant placed lowest. The only French-speaking institution on the list, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (one branch pictured above), came in tenth.

Although some progress has been made since the last ranking in 2021, no bank achieved the “pioneer” (4 points) or “visionary” (5 points) categories. Credit and financing operations remain the most problematic areas, contributing significantly to carbon emissions. The construction sector, heavily reliant on bank financing, accounts for almost 40% of Switzerland’s energy consumption.

• Full press release and ranking information by WWF SwitzerlandExternal link (Available in German, French and Italian)
• Our article in English
• The article by Watson External link(in French)

Keystone / Peter Schneider

Social media controversies: Swiss parliamentarian and public broadcaster under scrutiny

This summer, Andreas Glarner (pictured) from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party tweeted:

“Shouldn’t we slowly put a stop to a religion whose members are using bomb attacks, attacks on Christmas markets and knife attacks on innocent citizens to reinforce their demands for headscarves, special rights, caliphates, minarets, prayer callers, Sharia courts, etc.? #stoppislam” (translated from German).

The House of Representatives committee overseeing immunity has ruled that Glarner’s tweet is not protected by parliamentary immunity, as it is unrelated to his official duties. Immunity only applies to activities directly connected to a political mandate.

Bern’s public prosecutors had requested the lifting of Glarner’s immunity to investigate the tweet under Switzerland’s anti-racism laws. While the Senate committee has yet to respond, Mirjam Spreiter, the parliamentary correspondent for Swiss public television, SRF, noted that granting full immunity for social media posts would treat politicians more leniently than ordinary citizens. If immunity is lifted, it would mark only the second time such a decision has been made.

Meanwhile, SRF itself has faced criticism for an Instagram post about the upcoming November 24 referendum on motorway expansion. The post initially read, “Old wisdom: If you sow roads, you will reap traffic,” before being revised to, “Is it really that simple?” (translated from German).

Critics, including the Young Swiss People’s Party, accused SRF of displaying bias and issuing a recommendation regarding the vote. The broadcaster defended the post as satirical, but the ombudsman’s office ruled yesterday that it violated principles of factual accuracy and diversity. The post was found to contain a clear political message that was not obviously satirical to a broader audience.

The Young Swiss People’s Party hailed the ombudsman’s decision as a “great success”.

• Swiss public television, SRF, External linkarticle on the tweet by parliamentarian Andreas Glarner (in German)
• News alert by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ)External link on the SRF Instagram post (in German)

Keystone / Karl Mathis

Ticino implements final stage of minimum wage

Canton Ticino has finalised its minimum wage legislation, nearly a decade after it was approved by voters in 2015.

Introduced in stages between 2021 and 2024, the minimum wage had previously been set at CHF19 ($21.50) to CHF19.50 in 2021 and CHF19.50 to CHF20 by 2023.

On December 1 the final stage of the minimum wage increase will be implemented between CHF19.75 and CHF20.25.

In summer, legislation was also passed which required an impact assessment on the introduction of the minimum wage on the labour market on canton Ticino.

The assessment conducted by the Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI) in Italian-speaking Ticino reported that the minimum wage did not have a negative impact on the economy of the southern canton.

This study, as well as the effect of inflation, influenced the Ticino cantonal government to propose a slight upward adjustment, which received near-unanimous approval from the cantonal government.

• Article by Corriere del Ticino External link(in Italian)

The Paul McCartney Project

Swiss chalet with Beatles history up for sale

A chalet with a special musical history in the municipality of Klosters in canton Graubünden is up for sale.

In March 1966, Paul McCartney and his then girlfriend, Jane Asher, rented the chalet (pictured) for two weeks. The Beatle came to Switzerland with the intention of writing songs and skiing.

The chalet was owned by local restaurateur Tino Meisser. In an interview with Swiss public television, SRF, Meisser’s son, who was 20 at the time, recalled how he had to drive McCartney and Asher to the slopes after their silver Aston Martin got stuck in the snow. Admittedly, an Aston Martin might not have been the most suitable car for navigating the snowy Alps.

The Beatles star invited the young man to breakfast, where the two yodelled and ate fried eggs and bread, Meisser told Swiss public television, SRF.

A handful of guests and employees at Hotel Casanna in Klosters witnessed history when McCartney spontaneously played Eleanor Rigby on the piano – a song that had never been performed live before.

However, it was in the bathroom of the rented chalet that McCartney composed the song “For No One”.

“I ended up sitting in a small bathroom in a Swiss chalet and wrote ‘For No One’. I remember the falling bass line on which the piece is based and the character in the song – a girl standing in front of the mirror putting on make-up,” McCartney said in The Beatles Anthology.

“Wonderful chalet, wonderful holiday,” McCartney wrote in the chalet guestbook, alongside a signed picture of The Beatles.

Now, this historical home is up for sale.

• Full article, including photographs and video, from Swiss public television, SRFExternal link (in German)

Keystone / Walter Bieri

Picture of the day

Confetti falls onto the crowd at the Lindt Museum in Kilchberg on Saturday. The crowd queued for 500 limited edition bars of Lindt’s Dubai Chocolate which went on sale on Saturday. Lindt says what makes its Dubai Chocolate special is the filling, which is “a particularly high proportion of the finest pistachio paste (24%), crunchy kadayif and velvety tahini”.