Switzerland

Glaciers in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino have retreated sharply for the second year in a row.

If glacier melting progresses at the same rate, the glaciers on the southern side of the Alps could have largely disappeared in five to ten years.

The great heat in Ticino in the second half of August as well as the warm September and October led to a strong retreat of glaciers between the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, the Ticino Office for Natural Hazards, Fire and Planning announced on Monday. ...

In Switzerland, rents for apartments on the market continued to rise in October. However, there were clear differences in the individual cantons.

Across Switzerland, rents for new and re-rentable apartments - the so-called asking rents - rose by 0.4% in October compared to the previous month, according to the Homegate rent index published on Monday. The index advanced by 0.5 points to 123.8 points. On an annual basis, asking rents rose by an average of 4% in October in Switzerland.

There were clear differences in the development of rental prices in the individual cantons. According to Homegate, the changes compared to September ranged between minus 0.5 and plus 2.9%. Rents rose particularly strongly in October in the cantons of Glarus (+2.9%), Schaffhausen (+2.3%) and Uri (+1.8%), while Obwalden and Nidwalden (both -0.5%) ) and Schwyz (-0.3%) recorded declines. ...

The 2023 Youth Parliament calls for the introduction of a national citizenship day. The 200 young people who gathered in the Swiss capital of Bern over four days addressed a variety of concerns - from drug prevention to health care costs.

At the end of the session on Sunday, young people between the ages of 14 and 21 from all language regions presented National Council President Martin Candinas with a catalog of demands. In addition to a framework program for drug prevention and a regular review of healthcare tariffs, there is also the creation of a fund for the survival of the Alpine regions.

Topics such as labor shortages, disinformation and health insurance were also discussed, as the Swiss Association of Youth Associations (SAJV) announced on Sunday. ...

Employees could benefit from a real increase in their salary in 2024 in Switzerland, announces the president of the Swiss Employers' Association, Severin Moser. But “we are not going to achieve increases of 4 to 5% as demanded by the unions”.

“Inflation is expected at around 2.1% for 2023 and I believe that salary increases could be higher than this rate,” specifies Moser in an interview on Monday in Le Temps. According to him, the tense situation on the job market encourages companies to offer good conditions to their employees to remain attractive. ...

For the time being, the Centre Party is the only party to have defended the seats it won in the Senate in the last elections. The last six seats in the Senate will be allocated next Sunday.

Forty of the 46 seats in the Senate have now been allocated. It is already clear that the Centre Party has successfully defended the 13 seats it won in the elections four years ago. It even has a chance of increasing its representation in the Council of States: In the canton of Aargau and the canton of Ticino, it will take part in the second round of voting in a week's time.

So far, the Radical Party has secured 11 seats in the new Senate compared to 12 in 2019. It is still running in Ticino and could win another seat there. The Social Democrats only has seven out of nine seats in the bag. It is still trying to win additional seats in the cantons of Solothurn and Schaffhausen. ...

Electric bike courses for senior citizens could become a reality. The Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) is in the process of drawing up a catalogue of the "skills, abilities and aptitudes required" for riding e-bikes, making distinctions by age category.

"The safety of e-bike users is very important to us, which is why we are interested in the results of this work," a spokesperson for FEDRO told the Keystone-ATS news agency, confirming a report in Le Matin Dimanche and the Sonntagszeitung. ...

Around 3,000 demonstrators called for a "free Gaza" in Zurich and Geneva on Saturday afternoon. Once again, the controversial call "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" was chanted.

The demonstrations were authorised. The slogan "From the river to the sea" is labelled as clearly anti-Semitic by the Israeli side, as it denies Israel and its inhabitants the right to exist.

One speaker also called on participants on Zurich's Helvetiaplatz to boycott "Israel-friendly" brands, such as the Starbucks coffee chain. The demonstration by around 1,000 participants was guarded by a large contingent of police. ...

Switzerland needs regulation in the field of artificial intelligence, says the communications minister, Albert Rösti, in an interview published on Sunday in the NZZ am Sonntag. He also advocates setting up an appeals body.

The environment, transport, energy and communications ministry, which Rösti leads, will present a report to the government by mid-2024, the minister said. However, it is important not to hinder innovation in the field of AI, he added.

The Swiss People’s Party politician considers it a possibility to adopt regulations of the European Union (EU). "But, to tell the truth, this is a global issue", he said, pointing out that the United Nations could also play a role. ...

The president of the party, Marco Chiesa, supported the idea of a "light health insurance scheme" for migrants in front of party delegates gathered in canton Thurgau on Saturday. He also called for an end to asylum applications in Switzerland and for border controls.

Asylum applications should only be processed in transit zones outside Switzerland, said Chiesa, a senator from canton Ticino. He condemned the lack of security in Chiasso, in his home canton, which he said was linked to the "asylum chaos". The Dublin agreements must be applied "not only on paper, but also on the ground", he said. ...

Ruth Dreifuss has criticised Switzerland's funding freeze for Palestinian and Israeli NGOs, saying it weakens the peace movement on both sides.

NGOs promote peace and cooperation in civil society, Dreifuss said in an interview with the newspaper Schweiz am Wochenende published on Saturday.

"Where else in the world other than in the Middle East have so many people been campaigning for peace and human rights in such a tense situation for so long and with concrete activities?" she asked. She described the decision of the Swiss foreign ministry as "more than wrong". ...

Renat Heuberger has stepped down as head of the Zurich-based carbon offset provider with immediate effect. The company was recently criticised for exaggerated claims.

Heuberger will be succeeded as CEO of the company on an interim basis by John Davis, who was previously Commercial Director for Asia and the Pacific at South Pole. According to the press release on Friday, the new task would be best performed by a new senior leadership. However, Heuberger will take on a non-executive and advisory role to support the new management. ...

The trend towards privatisation in the elderly care sector is continuing in Switzerland.

In 2022, 47.3% of retirement homes and nursing homes were owned by for-profit companies compared to 45.6% in 2021. The same trend was observed in home help and care, the Federal Statistical Office revealed on Friday.

With this increase, private companies provided 42.3% of elderly care places last year. They managed 1,485 retirement homes and nursing homes.

The remaining establishments were publicly owned (22.9%) or privately owned with public subsidies (29.8%). The most common legal form was the foundation (29.4%), followed by the limited company (24.8%), both of which are growing in relation to 2021. ...

The OECD minimum tax rate of 15% for large companies should wait, according to the senate commission for economic affairs and taxation.

The senate commission wants the government to delay the implementation of a minimum tax rate of 15% given the lack of progress in other countries.

On June 18, the Swiss voted in favour of new rules on the profits of groups with sales in excess of €750 million. Preparations are now underway in Switzerland for implementation.

Since the vote, the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) has adapted its guidelines. In addition, it is likely that fewer countries than initially planned will introduce minimum taxation on January 1, 2024, the OECD said in a press release on Friday. ...

The taxation of teleworking by Italian cross-border commuters has now been settled.

From January, they will be able to work up to 25% of their working hours from home without incurring tax. Switzerland and Italy signed a declaration to this effect on Friday.

Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter, and her Italian economic counterpart, Giancarlo Giorgetti, signed the declaration via videoconference, according to the finance ministry. ...

With the deadline fixed for the end of the year, only three out of five train stations and a third of bus and tram stops have been adapted.

Public transport in Switzerland has until the end of 2023 to become barrier-free accessible to people with disabilities, as required by law. Despite some progress, public transport companies, cantons, towns and municipalities are not ready "because of the complexity and scale of the task", their umbrella organisations emphasised in Bern on Friday. The Law on Equality for People with Disabilities came into force on January 1, 2004. ...

Another bomb threat has been received at the Zurich High Court. The building was evacuated and cordoned off on Friday morning.

A little over two weeks ago there was a threat against the higher court.

At the request of Keystone-SDA, the Zurich cantonal police confirmed a corresponding report from the “Tages-Anzeiger”. According to the cantonal police, the Zurich City Police and the Zurich Forensic Institute are also involved in the operation on site. ...

Thanks to the snow that fell last weekend, the first ski slopes are opening this week in the Vaudois and Valais Alps. The good quantities which fell made it possible to anticipate the start of the season.

Between the snow and the still golden larch trees, two seasons collided in the space of one night. But, if we go up, it is clearly winter that wins. On the heights of Nendaz (VS) at an altitude of 2,400 metres, more than 60 centimetres of fresh snow fell.

“It’s nice to find good conditions again,” rejoices Kevin Fatton, snow groomer driver, in Tuesday’s 7.30pm. And to admit that, last week, he was in his fields, under 20 degrees. “It changes everything!”

Given the lack of snow in past years and the summer temperatures of October, the snow so early in the season was indeed unexpected.

In the ski areas of Valais or the Pre-Alps, this snow is a godsend: the possibility of making a base layer and launching the season for some.

“This allows us to launch the season early, it creates a certain emulation among customers for winter sports and then it allows us to sell our annual subscriptions as best as possible”, indicates François Fournier, director of NV Remontées Mécaniques .

In Valais, in Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Verbier, slopes are open this weekend. You can also ski on the glaciers in Saas Fee and Zermatt.

At Glacier 3000 (VD), part of the area opened on Wednesday, with a slight delay. The fault, paradoxically, is the snow. ...

The market for office real estate cooled down further in the third quarter of 2023. In addition to the weakening economy, weaker demand also has a negative impact.

Across Switzerland as a whole, the number of available office space rose to 3.8% of total office space or 1.8 million square meters in the third quarter of 2023. This is the third quarterly increase in a row, as the real estate service provider CBRE announced on Friday.

The falling demand for offices is also reflected in prices. The price expectation index for office rents collected last Wednesday by Fahrländer Partner Raumentwicklung (FPRE) fell to -34.7 points, after almost -20 points six months ago.

The assessment of transaction prices for office and commercial buildings also became more pessimistic: the corresponding index in the most recent survey was -54.2 points, compared to -38.6 points six months ago.

According to the survey, significantly more office space was available, especially in locations outside the five major centers of Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern and Lausanne. The number of available offices also increased in the suburbs of the centres. ...

Three Cézanne pictures from the inventory of the Langmatt Museum in Baden were auctioned in New York on Friday night for a total of $44.8 million.

The future of the museum is thus secured in the long term, as the museum foundation announced.

The proceeds were the equivalent of CHF40.32 million, as the foundation wrote in a statement early on Friday morning. The goal was to raise CHF40 million. The precision landing was a good result given the tense market environment, it said.

First, the painting "Fruits et pot de gingembre" (Fruits and Ginger Pot) went under the hammer at Christie's auction house in New York. It was auctioned for $33.5 million. The auction of the most valuable of the three Cézanne paintings started at $20 million.

Offers immediately skyrocketed, as could be seen on the live stream of the auction. Starting at the price of $33 million, two representatives discussed in more detail with the potential buyers on their cell phones.

The painting "Fruits et pot de gingembre" was previously estimated to be worth between $35 million and $55 million. The heirs of a former co-owner of the most valuable picture will also receive a share of the sales proceeds, as the museum had announced in advance. ...

On the occasion of the commemorations of the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht and in a context of increasing violence against Jews, a conference was devoted to the duty of memory on Thursday in Bern.

Ignazio Cassis, for his part, estimated that the cases of anti-Semitism observed in Switzerland “require clear discourse, followed by concrete actions”.

“Many of our Jewish fellow citizens are afraid to leave their apartment or their house, to put on a yarmulke or to wear the Star of David as a pendant. They are taken to task and insulted,” he wrote in an article published in Le Temps, describing what these people have to endure as “unbearable”. ...

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) sees more unease in the Swiss financial hub than in the previous year.

In addition to the main risks, FINMA identified two new problem areas in its "Risk Monitor 2023". According to the report published on Thursday, these are in the areas of liquidity and refinancing as well as the outsourcing of business activities.

According to FINMA, the liquidity and refinancing risk includes the danger that institutions do not have sufficient liquid funds to fulfil their obligations in the event of a crisis. This problem could be fuelled, for example, by an increased need for collateral, rating downgrades or rapid outflows of client funds.

The latter was one of the main causes of the collapse of Credit Suisse, which was then taken over by UBS. According to FINMA, such a so-called "bank run" can trigger a "stress situation with an unstoppable downward spiral". ...

Fribourg and Montreux have joined UNESCO's Creative Cities Network (CCN).

Fribourg was admitted in the "Gastronomy" category and Montreux in the "Music" category, their respective administrations announced on Thursday. This is the first time that Swiss cities have joined the CCN.

Both cities had to submit a four-year action plan to be accepted into the network. The action plan for Fribourg, which is famous for its tradition of the bénichon feast, "focuses on innovation in gastronomy", explained the city administration in a press release.

The main thrusts of the plan are to strengthen Fribourg as a place of innovation and research in the agri-food sector; to promote education and professional integration and reintegration through gastronomy; and to ensure that gastronomy continues to be a key marketing tool for the city, the document stated. ...

Retail banks have increased investment in digital marketing by 16% in a bid to attract younger clients.

In 2023, budgeted sums in this segment will total CHF 47.6 million ($52.8 million), up 16% on last year, according to an estimate by Colombus Consulting in its study on the digitalisation of the customer experience, published on Thursday.

UBS, Postfinance and Raiffeisen occupy the online advertising podium.

"The major retail banks have invested massively in new digital functions, while maintaining a hybrid approach with relationship services and advisers who remain at the centre of customer relations," Jean Meneveau, Associate Director of Colombus Consulting Switzerland, was quoted in a press release. The banking sector has made a special effort for its under-18 customers by introducing dedicated applications for "spending, saving, growing pocket money, sponsoring and sending money to friends".

In terms of audience, monthly visits to the websites of Swiss establishments - more than a quarter of which come from organic or paid search - fell by 8.7% to 26 million, while the number of subscribers for the industry as a whole on the main social networks jumped by 16% to 2.7 million. ...

As empty and affordable apartments continue to be a rare commodity in Switzerland, rising rents are pushing people to live closer together, a study writes.

The Swiss housing market has tipped from oversupply to housing shortage at a high and “historically unique speed”, wrote economists from Raiffeisen Switzerland in the “Real Estate Switzerland – 4Q 2023” study, published on Thursday. With supply not increasing despite high demand, the densification required by spatial planning inevitably occurs on the demand side – via the price.

This leads to ever-increasing housing costs, laborious and lengthy searches for accommodation, drastic compromises in terms of space requirements, location quality and occupancy density or longer commutes for people looking for accommodation. The result is a loss of prosperity that will continue to worsen as long as 10,000-15,000 apartments too few are built each year, according to the authors.

Since the new spatial planning law makes it significantly more difficult and sometimes even impossible to zone building land, cities in particular should be densified. However, it is said that this is being significantly slowed down by a flood of objections, over-regulation in the construction sector, hoarding of building land, a lack of willingness to increase zoning in large cities and, most recently, by rising construction prices and financing costs.

According to Raiffeisen, the result of this is “involuntary densification”: the lack of living space forces people to use less space and to group together in larger households. ...

In Switzerland – a global frontrunner when it comes to remittance payments – people from Portugal often send smaller amounts, while those from the UK send larger amounts, but less often, a study has found.

For the study published in the “Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies”, researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) interviewed around 3,000 people from various European countries living in Switzerland about money transfers, the UZH said on Thursday.

At least 21% of those surveyed said they send money to their home country at least once a year. For people from Portugal, 46% of all respondents send money home every year. People from Germany (15%) and Italy (13%) are below average. ...