Tag Archives: 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy

The Ukrainian funds available to the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for 2022 will not affect projects elsewhere, an official said on Thursday. Before the Russian invasion in February, the SDC had earmarked CHF25 million ($26 million) for development and cooperation projects in Ukraine; parliament has since boosted this by CHF61 million, SDC director Patricia Danzi said on Thursday. On top of this, various other ministries have sent development...

The Swiss authorities have vetoed Denmark’s request to send Swiss-made armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) recently rejected Denmark’s bid to provide about  20 Piranha III infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, Swiss public television, SRF, said on Wednesday. SECO said the ban was in line with Switzerland’s policy of neutrality of not supplying arms to conflict zones, according to SRF. Neutral Switzerland...

Switzerland wants to update its 2014 free trade agreement with China, but Beijing refuses to talk, owing to criticism of its human rights record, report the NZZ am Sonntag and SonntagsBlick newspapers. Bern wants to reduce customs duties for more Swiss products and introduce sustainability aspects into the agreement, but Beijing has been refusing to talk since 2018, writes the NZZ am Sonntag. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) confirmed to the paper...

The overwhelming majority of products with packaging designed to appeal to children contain too much sugar, salt or fat, report Le Matin Dimanche and SonntagsZeitung newspapers. This is according to a survey conducted around Easter by the consumer organisation Fédération romande de consommateurs (FRC) and its counterparts in the German and Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland. These consumer groups analysed 344 goods targeting children aged over three years sold in...

Switzerland is considering emergency stockpiling of plastic packaging as the Ukraine war brings a world shortage of packaging material, reports the NZZ am Sonntag. Up to now the government has only stockpiled plastic to be able to produce disinfectant bottles. “With the experiences from the pandemic as well as the changed availabilities and strong price developments, the needs are being reviewed,” the Federal Office for National Economic SupplyExternal link confirmed...

In canton Zug in central Switzerland, the richest 10% earn almost half of all income and provide 88% of all cantonal tax revenue. Keystone / Urs Flueeler While the gap between rich and poor has been steadily widening in many countries, the situation in Switzerland has remained stable over the past decades, according to recent statistics. Yet while income distribution in the Alpine nation is relatively egalitarian, wealth is more concentrated in the hands of the...

A major conference on cyber security took place in Switzerland last month with participants from the US government. © Keystone/Anthony Anex Defence Minister Viola Amherd has held talks with United States government representatives on international security cooperation. Amherd said the Russian invasions of Ukraine made it clear that Switzerland should seek closer cooperation, including the US, she told a news conference in Washington on Friday. But she reiterated that...

The Swiss government is committed to the rapid expansion of a 5G network. © Keystone / Peter Klaunzer Swiss opinion over the expansion of the 5G telecommunications network is still split down the middle, according to the latest survey on the subject. The Swiss government is convinced that the new technology poses minimal health risks and is committed to the rapid erection of 7,500 5G antennae. Some 42.5% of adults support this strategy, but 41.7% are against,...

Organic farming yields can be up to 50% lower than non-organic farming, depending on the product, claimed the Syngenta CEO. © Keystone / Peter Schneider Erik Fyrwald, the CEO of the Swiss agrochemicals group Syngenta, has called for an end to organic farming to avoid a worsening food crisis. The president of the Swiss Small Farmers’ Association meanwhile dismissed his arguments as “grotesque”. Rich countries should increase their agricultural production in order to...

The Swiss National Bank is not prepared to release any further reserves. Keystone / Martin Ruetschi The Swiss National Bank (SNB) continues to beat off demands to fight inflation by raising interest rates and to distribute more reserves to cantons and other causes. SNB president Barbara Janom Steiner showed signs of frustration in a speech on Friday that defended the policies of the central bank. “There are ever more varied proposals – and indeed, increasingly,...