Switzerland Today

Hello Swiss Abroad,

Is being a farmer a stepping stone to a seat on the Federal Council? Swiss media are debating this question after Markus Ritter, a farmer and Centre Party parliamentarian, officially announced his candidacy to succeed outgoing minister Viola Amherd.

Also on Tuesday: if German is not your first language and you're looking for work in Switzerland, signing up for a course might be a wise move. Goethe’s language is a valuable asset for French- and Italian-speakers alike.

I hope you enjoy today’s briefing.

Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

‘What is your relationship with your parents?’ and other questions for possible candidates to replace Viola Amherd

Markus Ritter, a parliamentarian from St Gallen, has officially declared his candidacy for the Federal Council. Meanwhile, the Centre Party has enlisted former federal judge Heinz Aemisegger to rigorously vet all candidates.

The Centre is looking for candidates who tick all the boxes. For the second time, the party has thus hired Aemisegger to assess candidates for possible risks to national security. Anyone vulnerable to blackmail is guaranteed to fail the examination.

Interviews will follow federal directives and cover extensive personal data, examining ideological aspects such as religious, political or philosophical convictions. Candidates will also be required to disclose their criminal records, debts, business ties, health issues (both physical and mental), sexual preferences and even their relationship with their parents.

Ritter, currently the president of the Swiss Farmers’ Union, will be the first candidate scrutinised. If later elected in a parliamentary vote on March 12, he will become the fifth minister out of seven to have a farming background. This tradition is already represented by Swiss People’s Party members Guy Parmelin and Albert Rösti, as well as Social Democrat Beat Jans, who did a farming apprenticeship. Jans’ party colleague Elisabeth Baume-Schneider is the daughter of a farmer and an amateur sheep farmer.

Given the demanding nature of farming, some argue that candidates with this background may be more resilient. “We’re used to getting up at 5am and going to bed with the sun,” says Pierre-André Page, himself a farmer and Swiss People’s Party parliamentarian.

• The full article by Blick (in GermanExternal link and FrenchExternal link)
• The announcement of Markus Ritter’s candidacy by Swiss public broadcasters SRF and RTS (in GermanExternal link and FrenchExternal link)
• The Swiss public television, SRFExternal link article on the number of farmers in the Federal Council (in German), and that of Le TempsExternal link (subscription, in French)

Keystone / Jean-Christophe Bott

Delays in criminal proceedings affect both accused and victims

In Switzerland, criminal proceedings often drag on for years, with significant consequences for all parties involved.

Under the Federal Constitution, courts must rule “within a reasonable time.” If they fail to do so, alleged perpetrators may see their sentences reduced or, in some cases, their charges dropped entirely.

The delays weigh heavily on both the accused and presumed victims. Research by Tamedia Group newspapers reveals a 25% increase in pending criminal cases between 2018 and 2023. Several cantonal reports warn of an unmanageable workload in the long term.

To address the issue, some courts have turned to extraordinary or part-time judges to boost capacity. However, these measures are proving inadequate against the challenges posed by population growth, increasing numbers of complaints and appeals and more complex legal procedures.

Between 2020 and 2025, the Federal Court has handled over 400 cases exceeding the “reasonable time” requirement, often resulting in reduced sentences, even for sex offenders. Matthias Mahlmann, a philosophy and law professor at the University of Zurich, warns that prolonged proceedings risk undermining confidence in and the respect for the rule of law.

• The Tages-AnzeigerExternal link article (in German)

Keystone / Georgios Kefalas

German language skills: a key asset in the Swiss job market

For French- and Italian-speakers in Switzerland, German may not be a popular choice, but it’s a valuable one.

Many Swiss companies operate across the country’s linguistic regions and seek employees fluent in at least two national languages. More than a third of Swiss job advertisements require knowledge of two or more languages.

However, finding bilingual German-French speakers remains a challenge. Temporary employment agencies often try to maintain a pool of qualified candidates whenever they come across one. “There is high demand from multinationals and companies operating in multiple regions, as well as in sectors like banking, finance and tourism,” says Sébastien Katz, Regional Manager at Adecco.

Language skills also influence salaries. According to François Grin from the University of Geneva, multilingual employees, particularly those proficient in German, tend to earn more. As the skill level in French-speaking Switzerland falls short of companies’ expectations, German has become an increasingly valuable asset.

• Full article by Swiss public radio, RTSExternal link (in French)

Keystone / Cyril Zingaro

Heat recovery: clean and local energy

Heat recovery is becoming a major topic for the production of clean, local energy. The practice is spreading in Switzerland.

Near Geneva, the heat generated by Infomaniak Group’s thousands of servers is now being used to power a local heating network. “Too often, the heat from data centres is lost to the atmosphere,” says Boris Siegenthaler, the group’s strategic director and founder. He hopes their example will inspire others.

Similarly, the Alps supercomputer, recently inaugurated in Ticino, reuses cooling water from its servers as hot water for the city of Lugano. In Switzerland, water is everywhere and represents an immense energy resource.

According to Stéphane Genoud, an expert who was involved in setting up a network in the 2000s, installations that also provide cooling will become increasingly important with global warming, particularly for cooling densely populated areas.

Such systems are not new; Lausanne and La Chaux-de-Fonds implemented them as early as the interwar years. However, in the face of today’s geopolitical and energy crises, their importance has become even clearer, offering 100% local energy free from strategic uncertainties.

• The full article by Le TempsExternal link (subscription, in French)
• The SWI swissinfo.ch article on the environmental cost of the Alps supercomputer (in English)

Keystone / Georgios Kefalas

Picture of the day

Kleinbasel (little Basel), on the right bank of the River Rhine, celebrated Vogel Gryff on Monday. The three characters Wilde Maa (the wild man), Vogel Gryff (the griffin) and Leu (the lion) danced on the Mittlerebrücke (Middle Bridge) in front of hundreds of spectators and guests of honour. This year is the Year of the Savage.

The Vogel Gryff festival has nothing to do with carnival. Its origins date back to the 14th century, with the creation of the Kleinbasel guilds “zur Hären”, “zum Rebhaus” and “zum Greifen”. The festival itself has been celebrated since the 16th century.

The guilds had a number of military functions, including the inspection of weapons, which culminated in a grand parade. The three guilds, or “Drei E” as they are known in Basel, have 450 members, all of them men. Since 2021, women have been able to apply for membership, but so far none has been admitted.