The Week in Switzerland

Dear readers,

These are tough times for the Swiss government. Over the past week the Federal Council has once again had to face the bitter truth that the population rarely follows its advice these days concerning national votes. There has been other bitter news this week for one of the pillars of the Swiss economy: the chocolate industry, which is under attack both abroad and at home.

But before we continue our selection of news, here is a riddle: what is the relationship between Swiss bank vaults and ants? You will find the answer in our unusual story of the week.

Happy reading!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

Keystone / Peter Schneider

Federal vote days are starting to look very similar for the Federal Council, often accompanied by disappointment. The vote on November 24 once again demonstrated the gulf between official government positions on vote issues and those of the Swiss population: last Sunday three of the four issues supported by authorities were rejected at the ballot box.

Against the advice of the government and most parliamentarians, Swiss voters rejected a CHF5 billion ($5.6 billion) motorway expansion project. The plan to widen or build new roads at six key points on the country’s motorway system aimed to reduce traffic jams at particularly congested sections.

Swiss voters also rejected two amendments to tenancy law. One aimed to prevent abusive subletting and the other to simplify early termination of leases in the event of the landlord needing the property for their own purposes. The Swiss, the vast majority of whom are tenants, rejected the proposals, even though they were supported by the government and the majority of parliamentarians. The initiatives were seen as a “boost for landlords”.

In the end, authorities and the right-wing majority only secured approval for the proposed uniform funding of healthcare services. Inpatient and outpatient treatment will now be financed in the same way, with around a quarter of the bill paid by the cantons and the rest by health insurers.

• All the results of the vote on November 24 on the SWI swissinfo.ch website

Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

“Women are not safe in Switzerland”: that is the conclusion of the interior minister, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (in photo above). On Monday, she presented an assessment of the fight against gender-based violence on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

A national prevention campaign will be launched at the end of 2025 to improve the situation. This will include the introduction of a centralised phone number and the promotion of non-violent behaviour in school curricula.

Every month in Switzerland, at least one woman is killed because of gender-based violence. In Zurich, the police intervene 20 times a day in cases of domestic violence, Baume-Schneider pointed out.

An analysis of salary data published on Tuesday by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) shows that the wage gap between men and women is continuing to narrow. But it lingers stubbornly: in 2022, women earned on average 16.2% less than men.

• AnupdateExternal link on the campaign to combat gender violence on the RTS website.
• Is Switzerland doing enough to combat violence against women? Have your say on the SBC Dialogue platform
• TheresultsExternal link of the FSO analysis on Blick

Keystone / Walter Bieri

The chocolate industry is accused of various evils, such as encouraging child labour or deforestation; the latest charge is of poisoning its customers.

Lindt & Sprüngli has been the subject of controversy in the United States. The Swiss chocolate maker is facing a class action lawsuit for failing to mention the presence of heavy metals (lead and cadmium) in its dark chocolate bars. The problem was revealed by the American consumer association Consumer Reports.

Cadmium is mainly toxic to kidneys and bones, while lead is mainly neurological. Heavy metals are found in chocolate naturally, especially if the cocoa trees are grown on volcanic soil. Dark chocolate is more likely to contain them, because the cocoa is less diluted with milk and sugar.

But there is no need to worry too much. The standards set in California are much stricter than those applied in Europe and Switzerland. According to the thresholds set by the European Food Safety Authority, an adult can consume up to one bar of chocolate a day without any appreciable risk of poisoning from cadmium, and up to two for lead.

• The complaint against Lindt & Sprüngli in the US reportedExternal link on RTS

swissinfo.ch/Olivier Pauchard

Despite the above-mentioned criticism, chocolate is still a hit with the public. In Broc, canton Fribourg, Maison Cailler was the most popular tourist attraction in French-speaking Switzerland last year, and the sixth most popular attraction in Switzerland. But its expansion plans are running into opposition.

The Maison Cailler is already a huge success. Visitor numbers are rising year on year, and in 2023 the site attracted a record 437,000 tourists. These numbers could grow even more if a chocolate-themed park project, which may eventually attract over a million people a year, is implemented.

The expansion plans are of great concern to the local sections of the environmental protection groups WWF and Pro Natura. They are particularly concerned about the growth in motorised traffic. Currently, 40% of tourists arrive at the site by private motorised transport, 30% by coach and 30% by train.

According to the Fribourg daily La Liberté, the two NGOs have also criticised the legitimacy of certain new attractions, particularly the construction of a cocoa greenhouse on farmland. They also fear that this installation will require “energy consumption that is disproportionate to what is at stake”.

• ThearticleExternal link in the Fribourg daily La Liberté (subscription)
• An articleExternal link on the chocolate park project from RTS from 2022.

Keystone / Anthony Anex

This could be the last stage in the thorny negotiations for new bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the European Union. On Wednesday evening, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis met European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic (in photo above), near Bern.

The meeting was not a new round of negotiations but a political review of the state of current negotiations. At the end of the meeting, the two parties set themselves the goal of concluding negotiations “ideally” before the end of this year. “So far, so good. But there are still things to discuss,” explained Cassis.

The stumbling blocks remain the same, however: Switzerland’s request to be able to limit European immigration in the event of a massive influx of labour, and the amount of Switzerland’s contribution to the European Cohesion Fund.

It should be remembered that even if Bern finally manages to find common ground with Brussels, this does not yet mean the end of the matter. Parliament and the Swiss people must still be convinced. Opposition comes from both the left, which wants to combat wage dumping, and the conservative right, which fears for Switzerland’s sovereignty. A popular vote is expected in autumn 2026 at the earliest.

• Article in Watson that explainsExternal link why the Federal Council wants to approve an agreement with the EU as quickly as possible.

UNUSUAL SWITZERLAND

Swiss banknotes have a number of distinctive features. In addition to the fact that their face value is particularly high by international standards, some banknotes have made a name for themselves with their original designs. This is particularly true of the famous ant that adorned an old CHF1,000 banknote.

So the bar is high for the designers who have to create the new series, which will be based on the theme “Switzerland in relief”.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Keystone / Cyril Zingaro

In Switzerland, as in many other countries, the event that most captured the attention of the population was undoubtedly Black Friday. This custom, which originated in the United States, is now a well-established tradition in Switzerland.

The first Black Friday offers were launched in Switzerland in 2007. Eight years later, Manor became the first major retailer to take part, achieving sales three times higher than on a normal Friday. Today, more than 200 brands and chains are taking part in the event in Switzerland.

THE WEEK AHEAD

This coming week will be dominated by parliamentary sessions. The winter session begins not only at the federal parliament in Bern, but also in several cantonal parliaments. At federal level, one issue should be of particular interest to the Swiss Abroad: the debate on the Electronic Identity Act. Otherwise, the wolf and the federal budget should keep parliamentarians busy during this first week of the session.

And if you travel on the Swiss motorways, you will know that the new motorway toll sticker (vignette) will be valid from December 1. But there’s no need to hurry: the old one will remain valid until the end of January.