Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad,

Happy first Friday of the new year!

Whether you plan to spend your weekend skiing, preparing for the year ahead or recovering from the holiday season, today’s briefing ensures you head into the weekend informed with the latest news from Switzerland.

Water reservoirs are unusually low—but this is good news. Also in today’s briefing, Switzerland’s first female president has issued sharp criticism towards the current Swiss Federal Council. And if you’re thinking about driving into the city, make sure you read today’s briefing before getting behind the wheel.

Keep reading until the end of today’s briefing to improve your Swiss animal trivia knowledge in 2025.

Sunny regards from Bern,

Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

Why Swiss water reservoirs are lower than usual, and why this is a good thing

Switzerland’s water reservoirs are currently significantly lower than usual for this time of year, standing at about 54% capacity instead of two-thirds. But this is not a cause for concern: the low levels indicate that the electricity market is thriving.

These reservoirs function like enormous batteries, storing water to generate electricity during periods of high demand. Following concerns about power shortages during the winter two years ago, Swiss authorities urged energy conservation. Today, however, energy companies are draining reservoirs faster than average to sell electricity abroad.

Are energy companies risking Switzerland’s energy security?

Martin Koller, chief economist at Axpo, Switzerland’s largest electricity company, reassures the public that they are not: “Security of supply must be considered in European terms. If Europe has no problems, Switzerland has no problems either. At the moment, the supply situation in Europe is very good.”

Going forward, reservoirs may continue to be emptied faster during autumn and winter. This is because the expansion of solar energy means that an increasing amount of electricity can be produced in the spring, allowing electricity companies to hold back less water during this time.

• Full article on Swiss public television, SRFExternal link (in German)

Keystone / Martial Trezzini

Why a former Swiss president criticises government ‘silence’ on EU deal

Millions of official documents from 1994 were declassified on January 1, 2025, among which are nearly 1,700 Swiss diplomatic files.

These files offer new insights Switzerland’s domestic and foreign policy of that year, many of which touch on Swiss-EU relations. Some of these issues are still relevant today.

Ruth Dreifuss, who served as a member of the Federal Council from 1993 to 2002 and was Switzerland’s first female president in 1999, spoke to French language newspaper Le Temps about her memories of that time.

Reflecting on 1994, Dreifuss recalled a “crisis of confidence” following Switzerland’s 1992 rejection of the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement. “There was confusion, no clear strategy and inconsistent messaging between Brussels and Bern,” she said, adding, “It felt like embarking on an adventure without a compass, speaking in two languages.”

The reality of today reminds Dreifuss of that time.

Switzerland has the same reasons or even more reasons as in 1994 to move closer to Europe, says Dreifuss, but the opposition remains the same.

However, she believes that Brussels understands the Swiss “particularities” better today.

But she also notes some stark differences in the handling of EU relations by the Swiss Federal Council today: “At the time of bilateral agreements I and II, there was strong leadership from the Federal Council to get them accepted. I wouldn’t say that I have the same impression today. And I deeply regret it”.

• Read the full interview in Le Temps External link(in French)
• Or read more on this topic on SWI swissinfo.ch (in English and German)

Keystone / Christian Beutler

Why your favourite parking spot may not be there anymore

Having lived abroad in the UAE and India, countries in which driving made me very anxious, I appreciate Switzerland’s well-developed public transport system, which allows me the privilege of avoiding driving altogether. Especially now as cities here are rapidly cutting back on parking spaces.

Switzerland’s five largest cities—Zurich, Basel, Bern, Lausanne and Geneva—have eliminated over 10% of their parking spaces in the past decade. Zurich and Geneva alone have removed 3,000 above-ground spaces each, while Lausanne has cut 2,500 and Bern and Basel City about 1,500 each.

This is just the beginning, reports the Swiss newspaper, the Tages-Anzeiger. People living in the cities are less likely to own a car, and the number of automobile-owning individuals is falling.

City officials are also shifting away from accommodating cars: Zurich wants to reduce motorised private transport by 30% by 2040, Geneva wants to reduce the number of parking spaces by 12,000 and Lucerne aims to halve the number of parking spaces. In smaller cities like St Gallen and Winterthur, there has also been a marked reduction in parking spaces.

The reduced parking spaces is an incentive for drivers to use different methods of transport into city centres and is “effective and relevant in supporting a policy that aims to promote the use of other means of transport than cars in everyday life,” according to Vincent Kaufmann, director of the Urban Sociology Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). For Kaufmann, a solution is that drivers park outside the city and take public transport into the city, leaving the centre open for green spaces and restaurant terraces.

Not surprisingly, the car-lobby does not agree. Thomas Hurter, Swiss People’s Party member and president of the Automobile Club of Switzerland says business and individuals depend on having sufficient parking spaces and argues that reducing parking is counterproductive, leading to increased traffic as drivers search for available parking spots.

• Read the full article in the Tages-AnzeigerExternal link (in German)

Franco Banfi / Biosphoto

Picture of the day

If you like pub-quizzes, today’s picture of the day is for you!

Switzerland’s Fish of the Year for 2025 is the zander (Sander lucioperca).

The Swiss Fishing Association chose the zander for its beauty, hunting prowess and dedication as a “super dad,” fiercely defending its offspring. Pictured above is a male zander guarding its nest in Lake Lugano (Ceresio) in Ticino.

And another trivia titbit: Switzerland’s Animal of the Year for 2025 is the lemon snail (Cepaea nemoralis) selected by Pro Natura.