The Week in Switzerland

Dear Swiss Abroad,
 
Welcome to our selection of some of the biggest – and most colourful – stories in Switzerland over the past seven days.
 
The Trump administration continued to rock the global boat this week, and the waves reached Switzerland in the form of possible tariffs and a controversial reaction to a controversial speech.
 
We also look at measures to keep wages down ahead of a deal with the EU, and how Sinti and Yenish travellers were victims of a crime against humanity in Switzerland.

The big stories of the week

Karin Keller-Sutter: “Talked about one aspect of the Vance speech” Keystone-SDA

The big story in Europe this week was the speech by US Vice President JD Vance in Munich last Friday accusing European leaders of censoring free speech and failing to control immigration.

This drew a sharp rebuke from Germany’s defence minister, but Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, didn’t join the indignant reactions of many other European heads of state and government.

In an interview with newspaper Le Temps the next day, Keller-Sutter said Vance’s speech was “liberal, in a certain sense very Swiss” when he emphasised the need to listen to the people. “He spoke about values which need to be defended and which we share, such as freedom and the ability to express oneself. It was a plea for direct democracy,” she added.

This assessment sparked considerable debate in Switzerland, with criticism coming from former government minister Pascal Couchepin, the Centre Party and the Green Party, among others. Expressing such appreciation for Vance’s speech was “not worthy of Switzerland”, said the Greens.

On Wednesday, Keller-Sutter qualified her comments. “I was only talking about one aspect of Vance’s statements,” she told Swiss public television, RTS. She said she was referring to the statements about listening to the population and guaranteeing freedom of expression. “I didn’t talk about the rest. It’s not up to me to comment or evaluate Vance’s statements about the US or Europe.”

• Karin Keller-Sutter’s interview with Le TempsExternal link (French, paywall)
• Swiss president: Vance speech a ‘plea for direct democracy’ (SWI)
• Karin Keller-Sutter under fire for supporting JD Vance’s speechExternal link (RTS, French)
• Keller-Sutter qualifies comments on Vance speechExternal link (RTS, French)
• Swiss president downplays controversial comments on Vance speech (SWI)

Keystone

“New day, new tariff,” wrote the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) on Wednesday, a day after US President Donald Trump announced details of recently threatened tariffs on pharmaceuticals, cars and semiconductors.

Vehicles are to be subject to an import duty “in the region of 25%”. Imports of medicines and computer chips would also be subject to tariffs, which would increase substantially over the course of a year. Trump said he wanted to give manufacturers some time – “time to relocate their production to the US”, according to the NZZ.

“Switzerland would probably be particularly hard hit by tariffs on pharmaceuticals,” the paper said, since they account for 60% of Swiss exports to the US. “However, many products exported from Switzerland are manufactured using complex biotech processes and can’t be easily substituted, which is likely to give exporters a certain amount of pricing power.”

Many Swiss suppliers to the automotive industry are also likely to feel the effects if German vehicle exports to the US dry up. But there are still six weeks to go until April 2, mentioned by Trump as a possible starting date of tariffs. “In Trumpian terms, that’s half an eternity, during which numerous threats could emerge or disappear again,” the NZZ said.

• Trump’s next prankExternal link (NZZ, German, paywall)
• Swiss business lobby warns Trump tariff turmoil could escalate (SWI)
• Swiss pharma industry particularly vulnerable to Trump tariffs (SWI)

Keystone / Anthony Anex

Trade unions and Swiss cantons have agreed on domestic measures to protect wages, ahead of a treaty to cement future ties with the European Union.

Even though the measures were now in place, the intensive discussions would have to continue in the coming weeks, Economics Minister Guy Parmelin said on Wednesday.

With the “common understanding”, the level of wage protection in Switzerland has been maintained, Parmelin said. The measures are aimed at companies posting workers from the EU. Domestic companies are not affected and no new regulations are necessary for them.

For the government, further wage protection measures are needed, however. These should guarantee the social partnership structures for wage protection and generally binding collective labour agreements (CLAs). Negotiations are also necessary for better legal protection for companies in Switzerland that are to be subject to such a CLA.

• Swiss wage protection measures agreed ahead of EU deal (SWI)
• Report in BlickExternal link (German)
• Report in 24 heuresExternal link (French)

Children of travellers in Switzerland around 1950. Keystone

The Swiss government has acknowledged that persecution of Sinti and Yenish travellers in Switzerland in the 20th century was a crime against humanity based on current international law.

Between 1926 and 1973, Pro Juventute, a Swiss charitable foundation for children and young people, took around 600 Yenish children from their families. They were forcibly placed in homes or in foster families. “In disregard of the principles of the rule of law,” the government wrote on Thursday.

Authorities and church aid organisations were also active in a similar way. Around 2,000 children of the Swiss traveller community are believed to have been taken from their families.

On Thursday Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider personally expressed the government’s concern to representatives of the Sinti and Yenish communities.

• How Switzerland tried to wipe out Yenish culture (SWI)
• Television report on SRFExternal link (German)

Head of endangered crocodile seized at Zurich Airport Keystone-SDA

Swiss customs officers at Zurich Airport got a shock when they found a crocodile head in a man’s luggage.

Most people are familiar with things you can’t packExternal link when travelling on a plane: fireworks, flammable liquids, guns and so on. On Tuesday the authorities revealed that customs officers had seized the head of an endangered Siamese crocodile – being transported without the necessary permits – as well as an illegal amount of erectile stimulants, two illegal knives and two counterfeit brand-name watches. These were found during a search of luggage of a man arriving from Bangkok.

The knives were confiscated and the watches destroyed. The erectile stimulants were forwarded to Swissmedic, and the crocodile head was sent to the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office.

• Crocodile head and erectile stimulants seized at Zurich airport (SWI)
• Report by the Tages-AnzeigerExternal link (German)
• Report by Le MatinExternal link (French)

Swiss Oddities

The bise can lead to high waves on Lake Geneva. Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

When a cold, dry wind sweeps through the Swiss plateau, many people complain of headaches and other physical ailments. You will then often hear them curse the bise, a weather phenomenon unique to Switzerland.

• The bise, the ill wind that blows through Switzerland

Photo of the Week

Actors during a theatre performance on Wednesday to mark the opening of the LU222 anniversary year, celebrating 222 years of canton Lucerne. Keystone / Urs Flüeler

The Week Ahead

Keystone / Urs Flueeler

Tuesday is exactly five years since the first case of Covid was confirmed in Switzerland.

The official mascot for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will be unveiled in Basel on Wednesday. The competition will be held in May.

“Dirty Thursday” (pictured in 2017) marks the start of another frenzied carnival season in many towns across the country, including Lucerne.

Edited by Samuel Jaberg/sb