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October 2024
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What Trump’s return or a new Harris administration would mean for Switzerland
With the United States presidential election looming, Switzerland – along with the rest of Europe – is bracing itself for the implications of the result for its security and prosperity.
Swiss diplomats often say that the party affiliation of the occupant of the White House changes very little for Switzerland. Whether the sitting president of the United States is a Democrat or a Republican, “relations between the two countries have always been excellent,” former Swiss ambassador Jacques Pitteloud said shortly before leaving Washington this summer.
But the current US election cycle is challenging this notion. Across Europe, countries are “really thinking through what a second [Donald] Trump presidency would mean for foreign, security and economic policy,” said Laura von Daniels, head of the Americas research division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.
On trade and security, Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris have expressed vastly different policy ideas, as well as governing styles. How either will approach international trade and handle transatlantic relations will have a direct impact on Switzerland. The country, although not a member of NATO, relies on the defence alliance for its security. The EU and the US are also its most important trading partners.
With the presidential race too close to call, Switzerland needs to do more to prepare for a scenario in which Trump is elected on November 5, said Aurèle Cotton, a policy fellow at Swiss foreign policy think tank Foraus. “We expect that the ‘America First’ trend we saw in his first administration will significantly influence his foreign policy agenda, both on the security side and economically,” he said.
US leadership in NATO ‘indispensable’During his tenure in the White House, Trump regularly scolded NATO countries whose defence spending fell shortExternal link of a target of at least 2% of their GDP, including Germany, Italy and France. The US, by contrast, spends nearly 3.5% of its GDP on defence and contributes around 70% of NATO’s budget.
More recently on the campaign trail, the former president has suggested that the US under his leadership “would not protect” its allies, sayingExternal link at one rally: “I would encourage [the Russians] to do whatever the hell they want.” Read more here
Switzerland returns three offenders to Ukraine
Switzerland has deported three convicted Ukrainian criminals to their country of origin. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) confirmed the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper report to the news agency Keystone-SDA.
SEM confirms the return of three people on Wednesday by special flight. These are convicted criminals who are facing expulsion from the country. For reasons of data protection and privacy, it is not possible to provide any further information on these individuals.
The repatriation of the three Ukrainian offenders is the first since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, writes the Neue Zürcher Zeitung in its Thursday edition. It is possible that these individuals may now be called up for military service.
SEM states that it is not necessary to examine the reasonableness of returning convicted criminals who have been expelled from the country. Admissibility, i.e. whether the person is at risk of persecution or serious human rights violations, must be taken into account.
Removal is only carried out if the person concerned does not face such risks. In this context, military service is not an obstacle.
The recent deportation to their country of origin of two Afghans who had been convicted and sentenced to death caused quite a stir. This was the first repatriation by Switzerland since the Taliban took power in August 2021. According to SEM, these were delinquents who represented a problem for Switzerland’s internal security.
More people giving up meat in Switzerland
The number of people turning away from meat consumption has never been higher, according to the Swissveg association, which promotes plant-based food. It says the number of vegetarians and vegans has risen by around 40% in the last five years.
In 2024, only 2.9% of men declared themselves vegetarian, compared with 6.3% of women. The percentage of vegans is 0.5% among men and 0.9% among women, Swissveg reported on Thursday, based on an annual representative survey of over 30,000 people.
However, the number of male vegans has risen considerably, while the number of female vegans has remained relatively stable in recent years, Swissveg notes. “In general, one person in 19 in Switzerland no longer eats meat,” says the association on the eve of World Vegan Day.
More young people
The younger a person is, the more likely they are to avoid consuming animal products, Swissveg points out. In 2024, 8.4% of people aged 14 to 34 were vegetarians. In the 55+ age group, this figure falls to 2.1%. The proportion of vegans in these two groups is 1.3% and 0.2% respectively.
Most vegetarians and vegans are young women: in the 14-34 age group, one in seven women is a vegetarian. A further 1.8% of young women are vegans.
Higher levels of education
The 2024 survey also confirmed that vegetarians and vegans have a higher-than-average level of education. While 39.1% of the Swiss population has a higher education, this figure rises to 54.8% among vegetarians and 54.4% among vegans.
For the first time ever, more than half the population (51.5%) say they eat meat alternatives. Vegetarians consume the most meat substitutes (87.9%).
Milk alternatives
Over a third of the Swiss population buy milk alternatives (36.1%). When it comes to alternatives to yoghurt and curd cheese, the circle of consumers is only slightly smaller (29.7%).
By contrast, only 16.9% of those surveyed buy plant-based alternatives to cheese. All these figures show an upward trend.
Climate change alters natural hazards in Swiss Alps
Climate change is intensifying natural hazards in the mountains, posing major challenges for the Alpine region. A Swiss study analysed over 300 scientific papers from the past three decades.
For example, rockfalls in the high Alpine region have increased in recent decades, according to the report. The permafrost there is thawing and the glaciers are receding. This weakens the rock and favours the release of stones and rock masses, the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) announced on Thursday.
The study shows that the number of heavy precipitation events that can trigger mudslides has increased significantly. There is more activity above the tree line and in areas not previously affected. Due to the retreat of the glaciers and increased rockfall, more loose material is available there that can be set in motion by the precipitation.
Avalanche activity is decreasing at low altitudes because the amount of snow is decreasing there. At high altitudes, however, activity is increasing slightly, the report continued. The disappearance of the glaciers is also leading to fewer ice avalanches.
However, regional observations would indicate that larger ice avalanches have been occurring more frequently since the turn of the millennium.
Roger Federer gives up boathouse plans amid public pushback
Roger Federer has decided not to build the planned boathouse on the banks of his villa in the town of Rapperswil-Jona on Lake Zurich. Two weeks ago, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) lodged an appeal against the permit he had been granted.
The former world tennis star’s decision not to build the hangar is the result of an agreement reached with the FOEN, the town of Rapperswil-Jona said on Wednesday. Instead, the Basel native will be able to decontaminate and renaturalise the shoreline on his land, demolish the existing boarding ramp, build a new pontoon and install a new access channel. The board did not appeal against these elements of the project.
At the beginning of September, the town of Rapperswil-Jona granted Roger Federer planning permission after overcoming objections to the boathouse project. The canton followed suit. The FOEN reacted to this green light by lodging an appeal with the federal authorities, which caused Roger Federer to give in.
The project to build a boathouse on the shore of the land purchased by the retired tennis star had been the subject of an outcry for some time. It had already led to four opposition procedures. The Rives Publiques association, committed to free access to the lakeshores, had been one of the main opposition parties.
Roger Federer’s purchase of a 17,000 m2 site on Lake Zurich in Rapperswil-Jona was announced in 2019. In the meantime, six buildings are under construction. Objections, zoning issues, a dispute over public access to the shoreline and the pandemic have repeatedly delayed construction.
Scientists explain Lake Geneva's unique carbon footprint
Swiss scientists have unlocked the carbon cycle of Lake Geneva, explaining why it releases CO2 despite containing little organic matter.
Traditional scientific theories previously attributed CO2 emissions from lakes to the massive input of organic material from the surrounding soils into the lake, as the University of Lausanne (UNIL) wrote in a press release on Wednesday.
This material from plant and animal residues in the soil is washed into the water by rainfall. As soon as it reaches the lakes, it is decomposed by the microorganisms living there. This produces CO2.
Lake Geneva works differently
Although this theory can explain the activities of some lakes, it does not work for Lake Geneva. This is because it receives very little organic material from its shores.
The CO2 balance of Lake Geneva over a year should therefore be neutral: With CO2 production in winter (through the decomposition of organic material and the recirculation of water) and CO2 uptake in summer (through photosynthesis by algae).
Mechanism deciphered
The reasons why this is not the case in Lake Geneva have now been deciphered by a team of scientists from UNIL in a study published in the journal “Science Advances”: According to the study, a large proportion of the emissions actually come from the natural erosion of the rock on the upper shore of the lake.
This is because the rainwater releases bicarbonate and calcium ions when it hits the rocks, which then enter the lake. In summer, the ions form micro-calcium particles due to the heat and algae growth. This is known as calcite precipitation.
Algae activities are not enough
This chemical reaction releases CO2 and gives the lake its milky blue-green appearance in the warm season. Although the many algae continue to absorb CO2, this is not enough to compensate for the massive production from rock weathering. The additional emissions are therefore the result of a geological process and not just a biological one, as previously assumed.
“These findings reveal a universal process that applies to several large, emblematic lakes around the world,” said Marie-Elodie Perga, Professor of Limnology at UNIL and co-author of the study, in the press release.
The team used the LéXPLORE experimental platform near Pully VD to observe the processes on a very small scale, model them and convert them into equations. These have now provided the missing piece of the puzzle to the conventional models of the carbon cycle. The new data could also help to properly combat global warming, UNIL wrote.
Experts pessimistic about the Swiss economic outlook
According to financial analysts and economists, the outlook for the Swiss economy remains bleak. Although they assessed the outlook for the Swiss economy in October as slightly better than a month ago, the index calculated by the major bank UBS remains in the red.
The UBS CFA indicator, which summarises the expectations of financial analysts and economists regarding the economy over the next six months, rose by 1.1 points to -7.7 points in October compared to the previous month. However, it remains in negative territory for the fifth month in a row, UBS explained in a press release on Wednesday.
The survey therefore continues to indicate a slightly negative outlook for the Swiss economy over the next six months, according to UBS. A deterioration in the economic situation is also expected in the eurozone and the US. However, the assessment of the current situation in the US is much more positive, which relativises the expected slowdown there.
The Chinese economy, on the other hand, appears in a new light: analysts have raised their previously pessimistic growth outlook for China. In UBS’s judgement, this is probably due to the comprehensive economic stimulus package announced by the central bank and the government.
However, if Donald Trump is elected US president, Chinese exports to the US could face significantly higher tariffs, UBS experts warn. This could have a negative impact on the country’s growth outlook.
Interest rates expected to fall
Interest rate expectations have also fallen. For Switzerland, for example, a majority of participants in the survey now expect inflation to fall below the 1% mark in 2025. Short-term interest rates in the eurozone and the US will also fall according to 85% of the analysts surveyed.
However, opinions are divided when it comes to exchange rates. A third of analysts expect the Swiss franc to appreciate against both the euro and the US dollar. This is less than in September. Conversely, around 20% expected the Swiss franc to depreciate against both currencies.
The survey was conducted between September 17-24 and 26 analysts from the Swiss financial sector took part.
One in eight Swiss households in payment arrears
More than one in eight people, or 12.1% of the population, lived in a household with at least one payment in arrears in 2022. Overall, 40.9% of the population had at least one form of debt in that year.
This is according to data published on Tuesday by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The most common arrears were tax bills and health insurance premiums.
The FSO also analysed mortgages (not main residence), vehicle leases, small or consumer loans, instalment payments, maintenance payments, debts to family or friends as well as overdrafts or unpaid credit card bills. Overall, 40.9% of the population had at least one debt.
Accordingly, 5.5% of the population lived in households with arrears to the tax office. A further 4.4% were in arrears with health insurance companies. The number of people struggling with at least one type of arrears in the reporting year fell with increasing age, level of education and income.
The family situation also mattered: 14.2% of people in households with children were in arrears, compared to 7.7% without children. Almost a fifth of people in a single-parent household had at least one payment in arrears in 2022.
The most common type of debt in 2022 was vehicle leasing: 14.5% of the population lived in a household with this type of debt. Mortgages on a second home accounted for 12.6%, while 37.6% had at least one type of loan, an overdraft or unpaid credit card bills.
The reasons for borrowing differed according to income. The top 20% earners were more likely to use a loan to finance a mortgage on a second home or home furnishings (26.8%) than the lowest-20% of earners (7.5%).
In the poorest fifth of the population, loans were more often used for everyday expenses, personal items or to pay off other debts.
Source: swissinfo.ch
