Sunday, March 31, 2023
Published: Sunday, Mar 31st 2024, 05:31
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The most favorable municipalities, Switzerland's diplomatic restraint and the high demands of patients: This and more can be found in the Sunday newspapers. The headlines in unverified reports:
"NZZ am Sonntag":
Medium-sized Swiss municipalities fared best in an evaluation of the cost of living. In addition to low rents and purchase prices for real estate, these municipalities also offer advantages in terms of taxes, health insurance premiums and local infrastructure, as the "NZZ am Sonntag" wrote based on an evaluation by the consulting firm Wüest und Partner. The best-placed municipalities were located in the agglomeration or on the Central Plateau along the A1 highway between Fribourg and eastern Switzerland. In German-speaking Switzerland, Ried near Kerzers FR came out on top. The accessibility of the place of residence was also included in the evaluation. Remote municipalities in the cantons of Graubünden, Valais and Ticino were at the bottom of the rating.
"SonntagsBlick":
Switzerland has refused to name Russian President Vladimir Putin as the person responsible for the death of opposition activist Alexey Navalny. All other EFTA states, EU states and the USA have endorsed a corresponding resolution text from the UN Human Rights Council, as SonntagsBlick wrote. For the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the text was too harshly worded. "We could live with the wording Russian authorities", it said in an internal paper. In its statements to the UN Human Rights Council, among others, Switzerland had called on the Russian authorities to conduct a transparent investigation into the death, the FDFA said.
"SonntagsZeitung":
According to three hospital bosses, the high demands of patients have led to cost increases in the healthcare sector. Premiums are still too low for what is being consumed, the heads of the hospitals in Baden, Biel and Chur said in unison, according to the SonntagsZeitung. "We can hardly cope with the demand in all our consultation hours," said Hugo Keune from the Cantonal Hospital of Graubünden. "We had headache patients in an emergency who threatened to sue if they didn't get an MRI immediately," Adrian Schmitter from Baden Cantonal Hospital. High electricity and food costs also got out of hand. The different cantonal handling of hospital deficits would also lead to inequalities: "In one canton, the government helps, in another, hospitals are closed," said Kristian Schneider from Zentrumsspital Biel.
"Le Matin Dimanche":
The cantons want to give cantonal minimum wages priority over collective labor agreements. In doing so, they are opposing the parliament's plan, which prioritizes collective employment contracts, as "Le Matin Dimanche" wrote. The draft law "encroaches heavily on the autonomy of the cantons" and "overrides certain decisions made by the people", according to statements from the cantonal conference of economics ministers and the conference of social affairs directorates. The draft is out for consultation until Monday. The national government has already called on parliament to reject the draft as it violates several fundamental principles of the Swiss legal system.
"SonntagsBlick": The Department of Defense has earmarked eight million Swiss francs for external lawyers over the next eight years. The cost ceiling includes legal support for the department in connection with upcoming procurement projects, as a spokeswoman for the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) told "SonntagsBlick". The amount does not have to be exhausted. By way of comparison, the Federal Administration spent a total of CHF 699 million on external consulting and services last year. Major projects require the rapid involvement of specialist lawyers with an independent outside view, said the DDPS spokesperson. The contract was put out to public tender. According to "SonntagsBlick", several specialized law firms were selected.
"SonntagsZeitung":
Swisscom is planning to tear up 3200 kilometers of roads due to a legal dispute. Under pressure from the Swiss Federal Competition Commission (ComCo), the telecoms provider adjusted its plans for fiber optic connections before a final decision was made, as the SonntagsZeitung newspaper reported. The Competition Commission demanded that every Swiss household should have a separate fiber optic connection instead of supplying districts as a whole. This should not distort competition. According to the newspaper, 3200 kilometers correspond to four times the distance between Bern and Hamburg as the crow flies. Experts anticipate additional costs of two billion Swiss francs. According to Swisscom, there is no additional benefit for end customers. According to the SonntagsZeitung, the legal dispute between the Competition Commission and Swisscom is likely to last for years.
"SonntagsBlick":
The Young SVP's strategy chief Sarah Regez took part in a secret meeting with the Austrian right-wing extremist Martin Sellner. The meeting took place in a small circle in May 2023, according to SonntagsBlick. Members of the far-right group "Junge Tat" were mainly present. Shortly before the secret meeting, the SVP Baselland put Regez on the main list for the National Council elections. Regez was successful in the elections: she would move up should someone from the previous SVP representation leave the National Council. Regez did not respond to several contacts from the editorial team.
"SonntagsZeitung":
The marina project by Egyptian investor Samih Sawiris in Isleten UR violates nature and heritage protection laws. The area is located in a protected landscape, as the SonntagsZeitung wrote. The legal situation is so clear that the project will never happen. The federal government and cantons must ensure that the natural and cultural landscape character of these areas is preserved. Interventions are only permitted if they are opposed by at least equivalent interests that are also of national importance. Neither Sawiris nor the cantonal government of Uri, which supports the project, had commissioned an environmental and building law report in advance. Two legal experts contacted by the newspaper assumed that Sawiris would not be able to implement his project.
"SonntagsBlick":
The project for a Holocaust memorial in Switzerland is to be put out to tender in a competition by the end of the year. In the coming months, a steering committee will define the key points of the project, as a spokeswoman for the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) told SonntagsBlick. Two representatives each from the federal government, the city of Bern and civil society are on the steering committee. The memorial is intended to set an example against genocide, anti-Semitism and racism as well as for democracy and the rule of law. The planned memorial is likely to be combined with an educational program, for example for school classes, as SonntagsBlick wrote.
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