Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad

As of Monday, political heavyweights and prominent representatives from business and tech will convene in Davos for the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

As would be expected, Switzerland will focus heavily on keeping VIPs safe during the five-day event. We take a closer look at how the municipality of Davos in Graubünden transforms into a security stronghold.

Today’s briefing also covers the environmental responsibility initiative, Switzerland’s current standing on planetary boundaries, a prominent departure at Swiss Post and a legal dispute over the licence for an SAC mountain hut in Val Mora, Graubünden.

Best regards from Bern.

Keystone / Michael Buholzer

World Economic Forum 2025: how the Swiss winter resort manages security

Around 3,000 attendees, including 60 heads of state and government, are expected at the WEF starting Monday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang and Argentinian President Javier Milei will be among the distinguished guests.

Six of Switzerland’s seven Federal Councillors will also make an appearance, with Albert Rösti of the Swiss People’s Party being the sole absentee.

To ensure security, 5,000 members of the army will be deployed – half of them stationed in and around Davos – alongside police forces from every canton.

In an impressive visualisation, the daily newspaper 24 heures illustrates how the army and police make Davos the world’s best-secured small town during the WEF. The airspace above Davos is closed within a 46-kilometre radius, both valley entrances are equipped with checkpoints and mobile units conduct train passenger checks.

Graubünden cantonal Police Commander Walter Schlegel stated that local authorities have authorised one demonstration by the youth wing of the Social Democrats and one climate rally. However, the police intend to respond more swiftly to disruptions than they did last year.

• Visualisation of WEF security measures: 24 heuresExternal link (in French)

Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Environmental responsibility initiative on the horizon

In just over three weeks, on February 9, Swiss voters will decide on the Young Greens’ environmental responsibility initiative.

The initiative demands that Switzerland stays within planetary boundaries in proportion to its population within a decade. In practice, this means economic activities must use resources and release pollutants only to the extent that natural ecosystems can sustain.

So where does Switzerland currently stand? Swiss public broadcaster SRF has compiled an overview. The area most in need of improvement is greenhouse gas emissions. A 2022 government-commissioned study concluded that Switzerland must reduce emissions by 89%.

On land use, the situation is more promising. A Greenpeace analysis found that Switzerland is just about within planetary boundaries in this area. However, water consumption remains problematic. Government data shows a per capita reduction of 11% since 2000, but Greenpeace estimates that Switzerland exceeds planetary boundaries for water use by a factor of three.

• The full report by Swiss public television, SRFExternal link (in German)

Keystone / Michael Buholzer

Swiss Post CEO Roberto Cirillo to step down

After six years in office, Swiss Post CEO Roberto Cirillo (pictured above) will step down at the end of March. Chief Financial Officer Alex Glanzmann will serve as interim CEO until a successor is found.

Cirillo, a mechanical engineer, became CEO in 2019 with the goals of transforming Swiss Post, advancing digitalisation and preserving its core mission.

Under his leadership, Swiss Post raised postal rates and announced the closure of 170 of its nearly 800 branches last May. These measures were met with significant criticism, particularly from trade unions.

Chairman of the Board Christian Levrat praised Cirillo for enabling Swiss Post to “move into the future”. Environment Minister Albert Rösti also thanked him on Platform X, noting that Cirillo had laid the foundations for a “successful future” with the “Swiss Post of tomorrow” strategy.

• The article on Swiss public television, RSIExternal link (in Italian)

Keystone / Gaetan Bally

No new SAC hut for Val Mora

For mountain hikers and ski tourers, the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) operates more than 100 huts across the country. However, plans to convert a hut and stables in Val Mora, one of Switzerland’s most remote regions in the Lower Engadine, into a new SAC refuge have been halted. The Federal Supreme Court has upheld an appeal blocking the project.

In Val Mora, one of the most remote places in Switzerland in the Lower Engadine, the Swiss Alpine Club SAC wanted to create new lodging for overnight guests and convert an existing hut with stables into an SAC hut. But the Federal Court has upheld an appeal against the conversion and construction.

The SAC first submitted its planning application 15 years ago. A revised proposal seven years later reduced the project’s scale, but objections persisted. Conservation groups such as the Swiss Foundation for Landscape Conservation, WWF and Pro Natura argued that a modern hut would attract too many visitors, disturbing the pristine environment of Val Mora. “The ibex, black grouse, bearded vulture and other animals still live here relatively undisturbed,” Anita Mazzetta from WWF Graubünden told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper. The Federal Court has now upheld the nature conservation organisations’ complaint.

The judges ruled that, although remote, the hike to and from the proposed site could be completed in seven hours, making a refuge unnecessary for accessibility reasons. The round trip was deemed reasonable “for motivated and sufficiently trained mountain hikers”.

Val Mora will remain untouched: no running water, no electricity and no mobile reception – just unspoilt nature.

• The full article by the Tages-AnzeigerExternal link newspaper (paywall, in German)

Keystone / Ennio Leanza

Picture of the day

As of tomorrow, the Kunsthaus Zürich will host Glacier Dreams, an exhibition by Turkish-American AI pioneer Refik Anadol. Using over 110 million images, artificial intelligence has created an immersive installation showcasing the beauty and fragility of glaciers.

Translated from German using DeepL/amva