Sunday, August 11, 2024
Published: Sunday, Aug 11th 2024, 05:20
العودة إلى البث المباشر
Outdated figures for federal calculations, the proposal of secret agreements with NATO and the rise in nominal wages: this and more can be found in the Sunday papers. The headlines in unverified reports:
"NZZ am Sonntag":
The federal government used outdated figures in its forecasts for the expansion of the highway network. According to the "NZZ am Sonntag" newspaper, the Confederation had budgeted CHF 5.3 billion for the expansion, which will be decided by the Swiss electorate on November 24. The annual economic benefit should therefore amount to 184 million francs. According to critics, the positive consequences are overestimated. The Federal Roads Office (Astra) based its calculations on a standard from 2009. The approach for calculating the financial effect of the saved congestion time is currently being adjusted. Astra is aware of this. However, the new approach will not apply for another six to twelve months.
"SonntagsBlick":
In a report, the Department of Defense has proposed greater cooperation with the EU and NATO as well as a revised neutrality. The report by the Security Policy Study Commission of the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) is to be published on 29 August, according to SonntagsBlick. In the view of the EU and NATO, Switzerland must not form a security gap. One option would be to reach secret agreements with NATO, the commission wrote. Whether Nato would be willing to do so is still open. The committee also suggested that members of the militia should be obliged to attend refresher courses abroad. It also advised that the discussion on adapting neutrality should be resumed quickly.
"NZZ am Sonntag":
The KOF Swiss Economic Institute at ETH Zurich expects nominal wages to rise by 1.6 percent in 2025. After deducting inflation, this is likely to result in an increase of 0.6 percent, as the NZZ am Sonntag wrote based on a KOF survey. According to the survey, 4,500 companies took part. The KOF expects the highest increase of 2.7 percent in the hospitality industry. The trade unions are not satisfied. With reference to the Swiss Confederation's wage index, real wages are below the 2016 level. The unions will present their wage demands in a week's time, the newspaper wrote. The Kaufmännische Verband has already demanded an increase of 5 percent.
"SonntagsZeitung":
Banks have not lowered mortgage rates enough. Interest rates on long-term fixed-rate mortgages should be lower, as experts involved in brokering mortgage loans told the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. The margins that banks add to the interest rate have risen since the beginning of 2024. A comparison of the average interest rate for a ten-year fixed-rate mortgage with the swap rate at which banks refinance themselves when granting mortgages would show the unjustified margins: The difference between the two interest rates has risen since the end of 2023, according to the newspaper.
"SonntagsBlick":
Last year, there were fewer court rulings than ever before. There were a total of 7946 verdicts, as SonntagsBlick wrote based on figures from the Federal Statistical Office. In 2015, there were still 9051 verdicts. In contrast, summary penalty orders were issued more frequently last year, averaging 260 per day. Three quarters of all defendants sent to prison were sentenced by summary penalty order - without having stood trial. Marc Thommen, professor of criminal law at the University of Zurich, told the newspaper. A trend reversal is not in sight. The justice system is still overburdened.
"SonntagsZeitung":
A mafia-like network of alleged tradesmen has made millions in Europe and defrauded over a thousand people. The network spans several countries and leads to young entrepreneurs from a Moroccan clan, as the SonntagsZeitung newspaper reported. The network set up websites for work such as a key cutting service with local numbers. A tradesman would then come by and take a look at the problem. "Adventurous prices" and "steep surcharges" were charged for the services, the newspaper wrote. In Switzerland, it is not illegal to charge an unusual amount of money for your work.
"SonntagsBlick":
Dozens of farmers and residents in Spain are threatened with expropriation because of a solar project by the Swiss energy company Axpo. The company has tried to find an amicable solution through negotiations, Axpo told SonntagsBlick. The company emphasized that it had taken into account "the priorities and expectations of the local population". Anyone who speaks to those affected will notice that this is lip service, the newspaper writes. "A few" had rejected the offers, the company announced. In these cases, the expropriations were carried out in accordance with legal requirements. The solar plants were declared by the state to be important for security of supply. Axpo will install 365,000 solar panels on 307 hectares of land. They will supply electricity for 76,000 households.
"SonntagsZeitung":
The head of the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO), Stéphane Rossini, is at risk of being transferred following the calculation error in the AHV financial outlook. There is a fear in the Federal Department of Home Affairs that Rossini will no longer be taken seriously in future discussions, as well-informed people told the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. The FSIO did not answer the question as to when Rossini knew about the calculation error, referring to ongoing investigations. The newspaper received a complaint from the SP about the error. The party based its argument that the expected "gain" of the AHV Reform 21 had an influence on the vote on an appearance on the SRF program "Arena", where it was said that FSIO calculations are always reliable.
"Le Matin Dimanche: The company responsible for the scaffolding that collapsed in Prilly VD said it had complied with the regulations. The company had recorded the obligatory checks and informed the site management in writing, said the managing director of Roth Gerüste, Philippe Wingeier, to "Le Matin Dimanche". An external safety company had also "regularly checked" the steel structure erected in mid-March as part of the general site inspection. Three people were killed and ahct people were injured in the collapse. Wingeier assured the authorities of his full cooperation, but did not want to take part in speculation about the cause of the collapse.
"NZZ am Sonntag":
The Swiss Climate Protection Association has discussed limiting the domestic cat population in Switzerland. An internally proposed moratorium envisages a ban on the import and breeding of the animals, as the "NZZ am Sonntag" wrote. On the one hand, the production of cat food causes climate-damaging emissions. On the other hand, domestic cats kill an estimated 30 million birds and half a million reptiles and amphibians every year. It has not yet been decided whether the association will launch a corresponding initiative. Politically, the discussion is a hot potato, according to the NZZ am Sonntag. Politicians have been very cautious when asked.
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