Switzerland

National Council does not want to deal with Sky Shield – refusal to work?

by politbeobachter.ch

(17 January 2025) “What happened so far ...”: On 7 July 2023, the head of the DDPS, Viola Amherd, signed the declaration of intent to join Sky Shield and the additional declaration by Switzerland and Austria at the D-A-CH meeting in Bern. The security policy commissions learned of the signing of the declaration of intent from the media. After the Federal Council approved the declaration of accession on 10 April 2024, the Security Policy Commission was informed of the Federal Council’s decision on 14 May 2024 and consulted on it.
Switzerland

The Federal Council waves through framework agreements 2.0 with the EU

Is the Federal Council squandering its most precious asset?

  • Switzerland’s most precious asset is the voters’ trust in the federal government. The Federal Council is acting by waving through the framework agreements with the EU according to the principle “press on regardless”.
  • This agreement forces Switzerland to adopt laws “made in Brussels” unreflected – or to take into account sanctions. For the economy, this means preparing for more bureaucracy.
  • autonomiesuisse calls upon Parliament and people to save the Swiss success model, and upon the Federal Council to listen more to the citizens of Switzerland than to the bureaucrats in Brussels.

The charade with the EU continues

Swiss chief negotiator produces fake news – federal councillors allow themselves to be patronised

by Carl Baudenbacher*

(2 January 2025) In Switzerland, the year 2024 will go down in the history books. The federal councillors, the country’s directorate government consisting of seven members with equal rights, approved a framework agreement with the European Union without knowing its exact content.
Switzerland

NATO-turbos at the ETH Zurich

The “Center for Security Studies” is calling for Switzerland to become more involved in NATO. Concerns about neutrality? None whatsoever.

by Michael Straumann*

(2 January 2025) Every year, the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich [Federal Institute of Technology Zurich] publishes a bulletin dealing with Swiss security policy and the current challenges it faces. The security policy research centre was founded in 2002. Since 2004, it has maintained a “strategic partnership” with the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (DDPS). It is therefore a think tank that is very close to the Swiss government.
International Health Regulations

Amendment or rejection

WHO regulations are designed to protect us – but do we want them?

by Dr. med. Sabine Vuilleumier-Koch

(29 November 2024) (CH-S) In May 2022, the WHO’s “World Health Assembly” (WHA) decided to adapt – or “strengthen” – the WHOs “International Health Regulations” (IHR). The reasoning attracted attention: The “corona pandemic” had revealed weaknesses in international “cooperation”, gaps that now had to be closed. Immediately, broad resistance formed. While the Federal Council and the “Federal Office of Public Health” (FOPH) see no problem in the amendments to the IHR adopted by the WHA on 1 June 2024, a strong opposition is calling for an “opting out”, a rejection of the amendments. The decision must be taken by 19 July 2025 at the latest.

Shrink UBS to size! Critical comments on the Swis

Critical comments on the Swiss mega-bank

by René Zeyer*

(22 November 2024) There is a lot that speaks for it, but one thing speaks against it: The greed of the Kelleher-Ermotti duo. Or are the two of them making a cucumber salad out of the state? UBS has become a monster bank after the incorporation of Credit Suisse at a bargain price. It is not only “much too big to fail”. With total assets twice the size of Switzerland’s GDP, it poses the greatest threat to the existence of the Swiss Confederation since the Second World War. Evidently, there is no awareness of this problem at the top management level – or it is being ignored deliberately.