Switzerland Today

This content was published on June 24, 2024 - 18:00

5 minutes

Born in London, Simon is a multimedia journalist who has worked for www.swissinfo.ch since 2006. He speaks French, German and Spanish and focuses on science, technology and innovation issues.

Dear Swiss Abroad,

Sensational Switzerland almost sealed it. They should have beaten the Euro 2024 hosts Germany, I hear you say. After taking the lead through Dan Ndoye, the Swiss had a goal disallowed for offside, Granit Xhaka almost scored a cracker and they led until the Germany’s stoppage-time equaliser. 1-1 seems very unfair.

Switzerland came to the Euros under a cloud of uncertainty after a grim qualifying campaign. But last night’s performance by the revamped Swiss has given hope and excitement about their prospects as they advance to the next stage.

“This team is hungry, this team has a completely new mentality, will, passion,” said Xhaka.

Read on for more news and stories from Switzerland.

Ronaldinho arrives and poses for a few photos with a woman dressed in an elaborate Brazilian carnival costume before the inauguration of his first restaurant named after him — Football legend Ronaldinho in Geneva. Keystone / Martial Trezzini

In the news: Jura celebrations, hydropower hit by flooding, Ronaldinho burgers and new sex offences law and EFTA-Chile free trade deal.

Citizens and officials from canton Jura on Sunday celebrated the 50th anniversary of a historic referendum that led to the creation of Switzerland’s youngest canton.
Six hydroelectric power stations belonging to the energy group Axpo have been affected by flooding in the Misox region in canton Graubünden in southeast Switzerland. The facilities have been checked and are safe, said the Aargau-based group on Monday.
The former Brazilian football star Ronaldinho has opened his first restaurant near Geneva in western Switzerland. The restaurant serves burgers and is named “R10” after the famous footballer’s shirt number.
Some Swiss cantons, especially in German-speaking Switzerland, are inadequately prepared for the new criminal law on sexual offences which will be implemented from July 1.
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which includes Switzerland, signed a revised free trade agreement with Chile on Monday. Swiss Economics Minister Guy Parmelin also expressed caution about ongoing talks with the Latin American Mercosur trade bloc and “relative optimism” about trade deal negotiations with China.

Landslide debris. — Keystone / Michael Buholzer

Heavy rains and melting snow cause disastrous conditions in Swiss Alps.

Heavy rains and melting snow in the Swiss Alps have caused deadly landslides and disastrous conditions in certain valleys, affecting livelihoods and energy companies.

Smaller mountain rivers and the Rhone and Rhine have been swollen by the rain and melting snow. MeteoSwiss, the national weather service, said 124 mm of rain fell in the Mesolcina valley in canton Graubünden on Friday, with 63 mm falling in a one-hour period.

Several rivers burst their banks in the Mesolcina valley, also known as Misox, covering roads, fields and villages with rubble, earth and wood. Three houses and three cars were swept away by water in the village of Sorte.

Four people were initially reported missing, although a woman was later found under rubble and taken to hospital in nearby Lugano. A body of one of the missing people was found later. A search is still underway in the Misox region for two other people who police said could have been in their homes when the flooding took place.

Six hydroelectric power stations belonging to the energy group Axpo have been affected by the flooding in the Misox region in canton Graubünden.

Experts have been mulling the causes of the spectacular scenes. Frédéric Jordan, a Swiss hydrologist, toldExternal link Swiss public radio, RTS, on Monday that unusually warm temperatures, most probably linked to the climate crisis, suggest the situation is changing and Switzerland needs to better adapt.

“In the last hundred years or so, heavy floods have typically occurred between August and October. However, if we look at the last 12 months, we had a major flood on the Rhône River on November 14, 2023 and one on June 21, 2024, which is quite new,” he explained.

Switzerland is a magnet for workers from Europe.

Over the past 20 years, Switzerland has been a magnet for workers from Europe, attracting the third largest share of foreign workers after Germany and Italy, according to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Last year was a peak: Switzerland attracted 68,000 people from the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states in accordance with the free movement of people agreement. This represented a 29% increase compared to the previous year. Most came from Germany (21%), France (16%) and Italy (15%).

This total number was only beaten in 2008 (72,100), SECO said.

The increase is due to the strong growth in employment (+2%) and a historically low unemployment rate (2%). Companies have faced major recruitment difficulties in recent years. The authors of a reportExternal link published today by SECO estimated that since 2005, 10% of EU/EFTA nationals of working age have moved to Switzerland to work.

People come not only because its Swiss economy is thriving, but also because national demographics are faltering. The number of people reaching the retirement age of 65 is higher than those entering the job market.

The Europeans who came to Switzerland include “a high share of highly qualified workers: many of them carry out demanding activities in booming economic sectors, such as specialised, scientific and technical services, information and communication or health”. But Switzerland also depends on the recruitment of EU immigrants to fill lower-skilled jobs, mainly in hotels and restaurants, construction and industry.