Sunday, August 25, 2024
Published: Sunday, Aug 25th 2024, 05:20
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A referendum on the free trade agreement with China, the final spurt of negotiations with the EU and the financial imbalance of the rail infrastructure fund: this and more can be found in the Sunday newspapers. The headlines in unverified reports:
"NZZ am Sonntag" / "Le Matin Dimanche":
A referendum is looming on the free trade agreement with China. Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin's Department of Economic Affairs has already largely defined the direction of travel for the negotiating mandate with China, as the NZZ am Sonntag reported in an information note from the department. In the revised free trade agreement, the framework conditions are to be "further improved where necessary so that cross-border trade with this important partner can be further liberalized". Human rights aspects "related to economic activity" are to be part of the talks. The Greens have announced a referendum if the agreement does not include binding regulations on the protection of human rights. This was also reported by "Le Matin Dimanche".
"SonntagsBlick":
Negotiations on an institutional agreement with the European Union should be concluded by November. President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd in particular is pushing for speed, as "SonntagsBlick" has learned from diplomatic circles. She is using her direct line to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in parallel to the rounds of talks. The EU is also said to be on the home straight. According to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis supports his counterpart's goals. According to the newspaper, the head of the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport is also motivated by the fact that Karin Keller-Sutter will be President of the Swiss Confederation next year. The Finance Minister is considered to be far more critical of the EU.
"SonntagsZeitung":
According to an SBB executive, the railroad infrastructure fund is facing a structural deficit from 2028. Switzerland uses the fund to finance the operation, maintenance and expansion of the railroad infrastructure, as the SonntagsZeitung wrote. The total expenditure of the fund is growing faster than its income, the executive wrote in an internal document obtained by the newspaper. From 2025, expenditure on expansion projects will increase significantly. If the situation continues, the rail infrastructure will become dilapidated. The document was a personal assessment, an SBB spokesperson said. The analysis and conclusions are incorrect.
"SonntagsBlick":
Cracks in the new concrete and sulphurous water have caused further problems during the renovation of the Lötschberg summit tunnel. A spokesperson for the Bernese railroad company BLS told SonntagsBlick that it is not yet clear how serious the damage will be. The ballast track has been replaced by a concrete track since 2018. The concrete in the north portal shows cracks and crumbling on the surface over a length of 50 meters, the spokesperson said. The cause was being investigated. The investigation should be completed by October. Internal discussions are underway as to who is responsible and whether damage could have been foreseen due to the sulphurous water, the newspaper wrote.
"SonntagsBlick":
All cantons have spoken out against the voluntary admission of resettlement refugees from the United Nations. This was revealed by "SonntagsBlick" at the last meeting of the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Social Affairs (SODK). Switzerland has committed itself to accepting several hundred particularly vulnerable refugees every year. At present, no canton is in a position to take in UN refugees in addition to the already major challenges in the asylum sector, said Gaby Szöllösy, Secretary General of the SODK. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) showed understanding. It assumes "that this is a temporary interruption".
"SonntagsZeitung":
The Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) recently included 47 names of potential threats on its risk list. In addition, the FIS identified 43 new people within six months who spread jihadist ideas online from Switzerland or networked with like-minded people, as the SonntagsZeitung newspaper reported. The number of cases in the area of terrorism had "increased significantly", the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland announced. At the last count, one hundred cases were pending. Due to the increasing number of underage perpetrators, the juvenile prosecution offices of the cantons have reached their limits. The FIS has already called for more staff in the past. However, the Federal Council wants to save one million francs at the FIS, as revealed in the latest financial plan.
"NZZ am Sonntag":
Supporters of new nuclear power plants want to tap into the fund for renewable energies for their construction. "There is no need for a new financing instrument," said FDP National Councillor Christian Wasserfallen (BE) to the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper. SVP President Marcel Dettling argued that the federal government should promote all forms of energy equally. Nicolò Paganini, member of the St. Gallen Center National Council, also supports the idea that new nuclear power plants should be "more cost-effective and less damaging to the landscape when viewed as a whole". "What the conservatives are planning here is a brazen attack on renewable energies," said GLP President Jürg Grossen. This opinion was shared by SP National Councillor Roger Nordmann (VD).
"SonntagsZeitung" / "NZZ am Sonntag" / "SonntagsBlick":
Nestlé Chairman Paul Bulcke is said to have been skeptical about the company's former boss, Mark Schneider, for some time. "We have grown into this situation," said Bulcke in an interview with the "NZZ am Sonntag" newspaper. According to the SonntagsZeitung, the origin lay in the fact that Schneider liked to explain why Nestlé needed a breath of fresh air. As a former CEO, Bulke did not like hearing this. The "NZZ am Sonntag" wrote that a crisis had begun in the fall of 2023. Due to their age, Bulcke and Schneider's successor, Laurent Freixe, are unlikely to be at the helm of the company for long, the newspapers wrote. "Transitional solutions are never good," Bulcke told "NZZ am Sonntag" when asked about this. For "SonntagsBlick", one thing is certain: "If success doesn't come soon, Bulcke will be the next to go."
"SonntagsZeitung":
Prosperity in Switzerland has fallen in relation to population growth. Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita fell by 0.4 percent, as the SonntagsZeitung newspaper reported. The newspaper explained the calculation as follows: Switzerland's permanent resident population had increased by 1.7 percent. At the same time, however, real GDP adjusted for inflation increased by 1.3 percent. GDP per capita shrank for the first time in a favorable economic phase. "We will probably have to get used to the fact that this happens even in good times if migration remains high," said Mathias Binswanger, Professor of Economics at the Olten University of Applied Sciences.
"NZZ am Sonntag":
The SBB transport police have been using drones to combat sprayers since July. According to the NZZ am Sonntag, they are targeting people who enter railroad areas at night. Spray painting causes millions in damage every year. The Beehive video drone flies automatically and reacts to suspicious movements. For tactical reasons, the company did not want to provide any further details. The transport police received a permit from the Federal Office of Civil Aviation for "drone operations outside of direct visual contact". The video drone flies at an altitude of up to thirty meters.
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