Pfrunder's original winning 2005 entry for the new CHF50 note; the SNB says the final version will differ from this and will be unveiled shortly before production
Swiss bank note, early design (final will differ)
ZURICH/ BERN – New Swiss bank notes, tentatively scheduled to make their appearance towards the end of 2012, are being delayed for a year.
The Swiss National Bank says that “unexpected technical problems were encountered in an early production stage” and that it will announce the issue date “as soon as the first banknote denomination is ready for distribution.”
The delay does not pose significant problems, with the current banknotes considered to offer a high standard of security and they can be produced in sufficient quantities, so “the supply of high-quality banknotes to the economy is guaranteed at all times.”
The central bank has not yet unveiled the final designs of the new notes. It held a competition in 2005 for the design and published the 12 finalists’ submissions.
It announced in January 2007 that the winner was Swiss graphic artist Manuela Pfrunder. The bank said at the time that “In the SNB’s competition for the artistic design of a new banknote series, back in November 2005, Manuela Pfrunder was placed second.
When the designs of the three award winners were developed further, Manuela Pfrunder’s work proved to be particularly suitable for a new banknote series. Nevertheless, her designs will have to be thoroughly reworked – both artistically and technically – before they reach production stage.”
The project has been delayed previously. Philipp Hildebrand, then vice-chairman of the bank, announced in late 2008 that “Manuela Pfrunder, the graphic artist, has further developed her drafts and completed the design for the CHF 50 note, taking the technical aspects of banknote production into account. At its meeting of 29 August 2008, the SNB Bank Council approved the design of the new CHF 50 banknote and gave the go-ahead for the further work that is to be done.”
Hildebrand noted that “A particular challenge is posed by the security features that will be used in the new banknote series for the first time. Based on the progress of work to date, the SNB is confident that the first banknote in the new series will be ready for production within the planned time period. The CHF 50 banknote will mark the beginning of the new series of banknotes and is scheduled to be issued in autumn 2010. The appearance of the new banknote and the security details for the entire series will be presented shortly before the scheduled issue date.”
Photo: Swiss Federal Customs Office
BASEL / GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Lower prices across the border in France thanks to the high Swiss franc don’t always mean the Swiss lose out: the Swiss Customs Office says that in 2011 its revenues rose thanks to import declarations, from CHF28.7 million to CHF39.8m.
Imported border goods remain nevertheless a small part of customs revenues, only 0.2 percent of the CHF23.47 billion, which is more than one-third of all Swiss federal revenues.
The 30 percent increase in declared goods was accompanied by revenues from those who couldn’t resist the temptation to buy more without declaring the goods, as the number of contraband merchandise cases rose by 36 percent.
Customs offices and border guards say that while contraband goods are brought in by amateurs and professionals, they focused on the second group last year and uncovered 5,800 cases, some 400 more than in 2010.
They delivered 2,960 people to the police and discovered 1,477 falsified or illegally used documents and 1,308 illegal arms.
They seized, among other drugs, 208 litres of KO drops, more than triple the quantity found in 2010 and equal to 100,000 doses. It has no smell or taste and is “regularly used in kidnappings and sexual crimes”, notes the federal office.
Seized in Bardonnex, 2011
The most popularly imported illegal drop was Viagra-type erection drugs and the most popular source country was India.
Foods remain high on the list of illegal imports: fruits and vegetables (818 tons), cereal for human consumption (41 T), spirits (32 T), Wine (24 T), Meat and meat products (28.5 T), Olive and other consumable oils (20 T), Milk and cheese products (3 T).
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Swiss unemployment rose from 3.3 to 3.4 percent in January 2012, but there were still 9.7 percent fewer people out of work than in January 2011, figures published Wednesday 8 February show.
Young people accounted for a large part of the increase, with a one-month increase of 3 percent for the 15- to 24-year-old group, but compared to a year earlier, the jobless rate for this age group is down by more than 13 percent.
“Americans in Switzerland Working Group” is a new partnership initiative launched jointly by the US Embassy in Switzerland and leaders of American clubs and political organizations in Switzerland, together with other scholars, entrepreneurs and members of the private sector overseas American community. U.S. Ambassador Donald Beyer and consulate, embassy staff taking part
Location: Webster University, Bellevue
Link out: http://www.aca.ch/nu/nu202.pdf
Date: 8 Feb 2012
Start time: 18:00
End time: 21:00
Pack your thermal underwear!
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – We’re heading for the slopes shortly, so this will be short and sweet: a great weekend of skiing and snowboarding is out that for those who are ready to brave the cold.
Weather forecast, avalanche conditions, snow depth
Snow whipped off rooftops and swirled around village streets near Lake Geneva, Friday morning
From now until Tuesday: sunny skies with icy temperatures. Everywhere. Wild winds that are already whipping up Lake Geneva are likely to continue through the weekend, “adding to the impression of fierce cold”, says the national weather service, MeteoSwiss.
Temperatures of -10Cwith a high of -8 in Geneva Friday will keep falling, to -12 with a high of -6 by Sunday, and only -7 Tuesday.
Southern Alps areas and the Jura will be some of the cold spots, with La Chaux-de-fonds and Zermatt having overnight lows of -21C Saturday.
Strong winds, up to 55 and 65 kph over the weekend will build in strength, reaching 75kph in many areas and 95kph in Eastern Switzerland at the start of next week.
Snow depth
Small amounts of new snow have fallen in most mountain areas in the past three days. The depth at 2,000 metres throughout the Alps remains more than 200cm and will remain that way given the cold spell. The depth in the Jura is 20-50cm even at 1,200metres.
Avalanche risks are relatively low, 2/5 in most areas except northern Ticino, where it is 3/5.
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
Although the snow conditions are superb, it is extremely cold up on our local hills and the temperatures are due to drop every day until Sunday when we might expect a very slight rise, from the predicted -20C to minus 17! The bise wind is due to strengthen.
If you enjoy feathery light snow and extremely cold weather, this is the time to head for the Jura – but wrap up well and plan lots of stops for hot wine or hot chocolate. The cold is fearsome! As always, I recommend that you check the webcams and the website at Monts-Jura.com before you load up the car.
Alps report: sun and cold weather should provide some perfect skiing, but check resorts for wind closings before you head out, given that the wind is likely to pick up as the weekend goes on. Check our previous winter weekend snow and winter sports reports for links to a number of resorts.
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Data privacy concern is increasingly raising its head in US-Swiss talks over taxes, visas and banking. The latest incident is linked to Switzerland’s decision to continue participating in the US visa waiver programme.
Parliament will have its say in US data demands for visa waiver programme
The Swiss Federal Council Wednesday 1 February made it clear it intends to move ahead with negotiations with the US in order to remain in the US visa waiver programme. Switzerland has been part of the programme since 1986 but in October 2009 the US announced that partners in the programme would have to observe two new rules, says Bern. They were told that “partner countries will be required to increase police cooperation. This will entail the conclusion of agreements about the automatic exchange of DNA and fingerprint data to prevent and to combat serious crime (PCSC) and the exchange of data about known and suspected terrorists.”
Swiss media and politicians have been speculating in recent weeks that the US has been pressuring the Swiss government to agree to the new rules and that, given Switzerland’s penchant for privacy and data protection, the Swiss government would refuse. Some 340,000 Swiss travel to the US every year and the visa waiver programme means they can visit as a tourist for up to three months without first obtaining a visa.
But Bern now says it plans to go ahead with the negotiations, noting, however, its own ground rules. The US “requires that two agreements in the security area should be finalized. The Federal Council has instructed the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) to formulate a negotiation mandate in this area. Parliament and the Cantons will be consulted before the final granting of the mandate. Data protection aspects will be duly taken into account in the negotiation of the agreements.”
Double taxation treaty talks bring up data release questions
Bern gives green light to send thousands of e-mails, but they remain encrypted
The sensitive issue comes up just as the lower house of parliament’s tax commission announced, 31 January, that Swiss President and Finance Minister, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf had brought it up to date on US-Swiss double taxation treaty negotiations. Details were not provided except to say that the discussion covered interpretations of “judicial assistance”, a sticking point in the negotiations, and “recent demands by the US”, without elaborating on these.
Swiss-German public radio DSR reported, however, that some 4 to 6 million e-mails, mainly correspondence about banks’ commercial affairs, were being offered to the US by at least some of the 11 banks currently under investigation by the US Department of Justice—but that the correspondance is encrypted and will not be decrypted until the two countries reach an agreement. The e-mails contain the names of client advisers. The banks are suspected by the US government of helping US citizens evade taxes.
Encryption until “global solution” found
Spokesperson Roland Meier of the Federal Finance Department then confirmed to journalists the information published by DSR. He noted that until a “global solution” is found with American judicial authorities, names that are encrypted may not be released unless a legal request is made to Swiss authorities, repeating what Widmer-Schlumpf said on television, “We will only decode when we have found a solution with the United States on all the banks that are under discussion.”
A legal request would need to respect the existing Swiss-US treaty and specifically state that the actions of the person whose information is being requested is punishable under both Swiss and US law. Details, TSR, French
Analysis, in French: Martin Naville, president of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce, analyzed the situation in a video interview with RSR radio, “Les choses ont changé” (6 minutes, free but registration required)
Switzerland’s vocal Americans joined by even louder Canadians
Americans in Switzerland, meanwhile, are expressing growing concern about their ability to maintain bank accounts for their daily living expenses, mortgages and pensions, with Swiss banks growing more wary of them as clients given US demands for information. A particular sticking point is the Fatca (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) law that starting in 2014 will penalize financial institutions around the world that don’t comply by revealing the accounts of US persons to the IRS and collect tax withholdings for the IRS from them.
Switzerland’s Americans were some of the first US citizens abroad to become aware of the problem, because of Swiss data protection issues and US efforts to obtain information from Swiss banks. But Americans living in Canadai are becoming increasingly vocal in their resistance to US efforts to obtain data. The larger US expat community in Canada recently formed the Isaac Brock Society, named after Sir Isaac Brock, who prepared Canadians for war with the United States and gave his life in repelling a US invasion in 1812, according to their site.
Electric power station in Valais; mountain dams feed the Swiss energy system
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Switzerland will be testing its alarms, all 8,200 of them, throughout the country Wednesday 1 February, from 13:30 to 15:00.
The initial test consists of all the national alarms going off for a minutes at 13:30.
These may be tested again until 14:00 if there is a need. After 14:00 alarms are tested in areas below all of Switzerland’s dams.
Sticky business but there is a method to removing your old Swiss autoroute “vignette”
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A reminder to motorists who use the Swiss autoroutes: you must have your new sticker on the car today, correctly displayed and the old one must be removed. The fine for not observing the regulations has doubled to CHF200, and the highway patrol will be checking autoroute exits this week, so don’t take the risk of driving with just your old sticker.
How to remove your old one: the most effective method, according to several car forums in Switzerland (and this driver), appears to be using a hair dryer to dry out the glue, and a plastic window scraper to remove most of the remaining gummy bits. These can then be removed with a bit of gasoline on a rag, used with caution.
The Swiss customs office warns that to be correctly displayed the sticker must be placed on the windscreen, on the inside of the car, near the edge of the windscreen. All old stickers must be removed.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The Prix de Lausanne dance competition is now underway, and as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations it is turning firmly to the future with new multimedia coverage and opening its doors more widely to the public to show that it has come of age.
The basics for 2012: 79 candidates, 19 different nationalities, selected from 226 applicants on the basis of the videos they submitted. They compete in Lausanne for a week for 20 places in the finals Saturday 4 February. Of this group, eight will be selected for year-long scholarships to one of the 65 Prix de Lausanne partner schools and dance companies, among them some of the top names in the world.
The competition was created in 1972 by Philippe and Elvire Braunschweig and it has developed, particularly in the past five years, into a major international competition in the dance world.
Japanese students are the largest group, with 15 dancers this year, followed by 6 each from South Korea and the US, and 3 from China. Their work sessions are followed closely by the Prix de Lausanne’s videoblog, available on YouTube.
Two young but internationally renowned choreographers who are known to Swiss audiences have prepared works for the competition: Cathy Marsten of Bern Ballet and Didy Veldman, who is working with Geneva’s Grand Theatre.
This year, for the first time, the finals will be commented live on the web in four languages by four prize winners, a lucky move for ballet lovers because seats for the finals have been sold out.
Events open to the public
Lecture demonstration: Tuesday 31 January 17:00-18:15, free of charge.
Selections: Tuesday 31 January, from 09:15 to 13:00 and 14.15 to 16.00, contemporary classes
Selections: Wednesday, 1 February, from 0 08:15 to 09:30, 11:30 to 12:45 and 13:45 to 15:00,
classical classes
Selections: Thursday, 2 February from 08:45 to 20.00, coaching of classical variations
Selections: Friday, 2 February, classical and contemporary variations in front of jury (15-16-year-olds,
09.45 to 12.00, 17-18-year-olds, 13:15 to 16.30)
Finals: Saturday, 4 February, 15:00 to 18:30 (20 finalists: classical and contemporary variations in front of jury), “Interlude Performances” by the London Royal Ballet School and the Danish Royal Ballet School. sold out
Gala: Sunday, 5 February, at 17:00 pm
Zurich airport
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – More morning and evening flights, but fewer flights over southern Germany from Zurich: this is the tradeoff agreed to by Switzerland and Germany, which announced Saturday 28 January they have signed an agreement to reduce noise.
The new accord is expected to go into effect in the summer of 2012.
Noise reduction in the southern German air corridor has been a contentious issue for a number of years and the two governments said in announcing the agreement that they also hope new developments in airplane technology will ease the situation.
Swiss, one of the main airlines using the corridor, has said it will be replacing half of its fleet there by 2020, according to TSR.
Switzerland has said it needs more flexibility for flights in and out of Zurich, particularly in the morning.
Zurich Airport had 20,911 “movements” of planes in December 2012, up 1.7 percent from a year earli.
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Ireland and Switzerland announced Thursday morning 26 January that they have signed a protocol to amend their double taxation treaty, in the area of taxes on income and capital. Under the terms of the new agreement, which must be approved by both parliaments, each country can withhold up to 15 percent on gross dividend amounts, with some significant exceptions: if “a company holds a stake of at least 10 percent in the capital of the distributing company, the dividends will be exempt from withholding tax. Moreover, there will be no withholding taxes on dividends paid to the national banks of the two countries or to pension funds.”
The amendment also includes a OECD administrative assistance clause. Since the OECD insisted in 2009 that Switzerland revise its treaties to match OECD international standards covering judicial assistance in cases of tax avoidance, Switzerland has revised more than 30 double taxation treaties. Switzerland has proposed in some cases to maintain bank secrecy laws at home while helping other governments collect taxes by using withholding taxes that allow holders of assets to choose if they will declare their accounts in order to recover the tax at home, or not. Such agreements have been signed with France and Germany, but the European Union has said it opposes these on the basis that numerous bilateral agreements are not in line with EU rules.
©2012 Chappatte, distributed by Globe Cartoon. More cartoons on Chappatte’s web site. Geneva-based Patrick Chappatte works for the International Herald Tribune, for Geneva newspaper Le Temps, and for NZZ am Sonntag. All cartoons reproduced with permission.
Aerial view of the Graubuenden resort Davos, where the World Economic Forum 2012 is meeting (photo: ©2012 WEF / www.swiss-image.ch, Andy Mettler
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Rich versus poor appears to be the emerging theme used by journalists covering this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos. The WEF opened Wednesday morning 25 January with 2,600 participants, mainly heads of state and ministries, and corporate leaders, with some 700 journalists in the wings. The official theme, unveiled a week ago, calls for a new face for capitalism.
This is the 42nd such annual gathering organized by the Geneva-based organization, and it remains the group’s key activity, even though it has branched into organizing other events and it publishes several reports, including the annual Global Competitiveness and Global Risks reports.
Angela Merkel opens the event official Wednesday afternoon.
Journalists have very limited access to the celebrity participants and partly as a result of this much attention was focused in the days leading up to the event on protesters sitting outside, some of whom are living in Mongolian-style tents or igloos. Some but not all appear to be part of the Occupy movement that has protested against capitalism in a number of places in recent months, including near Wall Street in New York.
Reuters talks about the spirit of hope, while Al-Arabiya talks about the gloom; Bill Gates, for his part, is talking about his charity work.
Links to other sites, WEF opening coverage: Al-Arabaya, Aljazeera, BBC, CNN, New York Times, Reuters
13-year high in car sales in Switzerland in 2010
New cars in Switzerland: December 2011 registrations were all-time record
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss Automobile Importers Association has come out firmly against Bern’s announcement last week that the autoroute sticker (road tax) price will jump from CHF40 to 100. Its argument, in aligning itself with truckers associations, is that some of the road tax money will be used to finance the country’s rail system starting in 2030, but the group also argues that the federal coffers have a reserve of 1.7 billion for roads and the tax should not be increased until this falls to CHF0.5 billion.
The rationale for the announced increase is to speed up road improvements that are needed as the number of cars on the road grows quickly. The importers association has just published figures showing that the past two years have seen a significant hike in the number of cars imported into Switzerland, which does not have a major car manufacturing company of its own.
The Swiss Automobile Importers Association notes that in 2011 the country imported and sold 318,958 and by comparison in 2010 the figure was 294,239 cars. The 2011 sales show a 10.6 percent increase in the past two years, with a year-on-year increase of 8.4 percent in 2011 alone.
Last year was the first in a decade when more than 300,000 new cars were registered in Switzerland and the only previous years when sales were higher were 1988, 1989 and 1990. December 2011 is the best sales month that the importers association has ever recorded.
The association points out that new Swiss CO2 reduction regulations for cars go into effect in May 2012 and must be applied to all new cars registered as of 1 July 2012. The change aligns Switzerland with European Union regulations. The one exception is cars brough in from abroad that were registered abroad at least six months before they are imported.
Mountain roads alert – very icy
Pressure builds on the metre-high fence as more snow arrives in the Alps (here, at 1,100 metres)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Snow again, and plenty of it throughout Swiss and French mountain regions. The roads were very icy Friday night and, very exceptionally, we needed chains at 800 metres, for the slippery surface rather than deep snow. Snow has been falling steadily since Friday afternoon and the wind has picked up from central to eastern canton Valais resort areas. Be sure to carry chains if you’re driving to the mountains.
Weather forecast
Snow expected through Tuesday in the Jura and the Alps, although Jura areas can expect it to turn to rain in the afternoons this weekend.
The snow line will move up and down between 600 and 1,400 metres and by Monday in canton Valais it will start to be drier, with intermittent sunshine and temperatures rising to 8C at lower altitudes.
Expect sunny slopes again Wednesday, says MeteoSwiss.
Ski report, Alps
Several lifts are closed Saturday morning due to a mix of snow and high winds, with local situations varying considerably. At 10:00 Saturday:
Crans-Montana Entire area closed due to high winds; next update at noon Saturday.
Gstaad Snowing and winds of 45kph and 32 of 57 lifts open. La Vidamanette and Glacier 3000 area closed.
Morgins La Crete and La Tuche closed, but the rest of the lifts are open, 20cm of fresh snow; snowing.
Verbier About 50 percent open, with Mont Forte and Gentiane closed. Winds at 15-35kph, snowing. Snow depth now at 330cm at Col des Gentianes.
Villars-Gryon Mostly open but Glacier 3000 area closed and link to Diableret opening at 11:00, 30cm of fresh snow.
Zermatt Three Furi lifts open but the rest closed. Snowing, but should end by afternoon, with snow Sunday morning and sun/partly cloudy weather in the afternoon.
Avalanche bulletin
Considerable risk, level 3, in most areas and notably for back country skiers and ski touring, although a large swath north of a line running from the Upper Goms Valley in canton Valais to Andermatt and over to Chur in canton Graubuenden has a high risk, level 4.
“The bonding of the new fallen snow and snowdrift to the surface of the old snowpack is generally unfavourable. The old snowpack is favourably structured far and wide. Particularly on the Main Alpine Ridge and in the Upper Engadine on north facing slopes above approximately 2500 m, the snowpack layers near the ground are weakly bonded. Numerous avalanche corridors are filled to the brim with snow or have been effectively obliterated by earlier avalanche releases,” reports the national avalanche research centre’s daily bulletin.
Jura ski resorts
by Shirley Curran
Conditions in the Jura resorts have been exceptional. The very cold weather has permitted the making of vast mounds of artificial snow at Crozet and Lélex to fill bare spots later in the season. Sadly, the long spell of clear cold weather broke on Thursday. Three or four days of snow and rain are now predicted. As usual you are encouraged to go to the website of MontsJura.com to see for yourself what the conditions are like on the slopes.
NEUCHATEL, SWITZERLAND – Freight carried by road and rail increased by 2 percent in 2010, showing some recovery after a 9 percent drop due to the faltering economy in 2009.
The new figures are the most recent annual ones for the industry, published by the Swiss Statistical Office in Neuchatel.
Major Swiss highway programme changes announced
Annual highway tax/sticker to jump from CHF40 to 100 by 2015
GENEVA / LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The roadworks weren’t welcome at the time, but the switch in Morges from two to three lanes during rush hour, using emergency lanes, has been such a success at reducing traffic jams that the Federal Highway Office plans to set up the same system in Geneva and Lausanne.
The measure is part of a series of highway improvements announced by Bern Wednesday 18 January, with the focus on shifting 378km of cantonal roads to the national highway system by 2014, to better needs today that are the result of a series of urban developments over the past five decades.
Morges again has special treatment, with the office adding a Morges bypass to the list of projects to be developed sooner rather than later, to ease the growing congestion in the Crissier area. The cost: CHF220 million. Details of a likely bypass, published in 2009, call for a larger loop from Morges Ouest (west) to Ecublens.
The A1 around Morges was given three lanes in 2009, for rush hours
The package includes traffic flow improvements for Coppet-Le Vengeron, at a cost of CHF175m.
The number of kilometres driven on Swiss autoroutes has doubled since 1990. Recent studies show a 34 percent increase in 2010 in the number of hours of traffic jams, to 15,910, compared to 2009 In the next 18 years, some 400km of autoroute will regularly suffered congestion.
The Morges area switch to three lanes during rush hours has improved traffic flow, the highway department says, lowered the accident rate by 15 percent in general and 80 percent locally, and it has also brought about a 20 percent reduction in pollution next to roads: CO, CO2 and NOx emissions.
Bern and Winterthur will see their emergency lanes changed in the near future, with Geneva and Lausanne, but also several other areas including stretches along Lake Zurich, scheduled for later.
Automatic signals to reduce speed for better traffic flow to go from 85km to 400km
Emissions created by traffic in Switzerland have risen, not fallen
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Switzerland is turning to energy certificates from outside the country to make its CO2 quota for 2008-2012, and environmental group WWF is not happy about it.
The Swiss Federal Council announced Tuesday 17 January that it is signing a new contract with the Climate Cent Foundation to increase its engagement by one ton. The foundation as a result will be reducing CO2 by a total of 5 tons, allowing Switzerland to meet Kyoto objectives by financing CO2 reduction projects outside the country. The WWF reacted angrily, with energy and climate director Patrick Hofstetter calling the federal energy reduction plan “a disaster from start to finish” and qualifying the government’s new move as “maddening, dishonest and incomprehensible”.
Bern notes that without the new agreement Switzerland would not meet its objectives, mainly as a result of increased traffic: statistics for 2010 show CO2 from traffic at 12.9 percent above figures for 1990, when Switzerland is committed to decreasing this by 8 percent.
For the WWF, the move means that Switzerland is not only not meeting emission reduction goals because Bern is not applying the law, but it is also not respecting the spirit of Kyoto by buying more certificates than are authorized. In addition, argues the WWF, important sums are being spent abroad, using money that could be applied to reducing CO2 at home and to reducing Swiss dependence on oil, while creating jobs.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A number of Swiss trains, including Intercity trains between Zurich and Basel and Zurich and Bern, have been running late for most of the day due to a break in the line at Deitikon, in canton Zurich. Trains have had to alternate on the same line in some areas, causing delays of up to 30 minutes. The main Geneva-St Gallen trains have been affected.
CFF rail company authorities say cold may be the culprit, affecting some electric lines. Monday night was Switzerland’s coldest night to date this winter.
Chinese tourists admiring the view and learning about Switzerland's first weather station at Saentis
NEUCHATEL, SWITZERLAND – Figures for the Swiss Hotel industry in November, published 16 January, confirm the likely impact of the high Swiss franc, with the number of overnight stays down by 0.2 percent. Swiss visitors increased, up 2 percent, while foreign visitors diminished, with their stays down by 2 percent.
The total of overnight stays was 1.8 million, with a drop of 3,000 overnights for the month, with foreigners having 19,000 fewer overnight stays.
Update, 15 January weather forecast for the week, for skiers:
Dawn in Zermatt 12 January (photo ©2012 William Olenick)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – If you’re able to ski during the week, concentrate on getting up to the slopes at the start of this week, with temperatures hovering around zero, some cloudiness mornings but clear skies and sunshine in the afternoons.
By late Wednesday some rain is likely in warmer areas, with intermittent light snow in the mountains and the snow line at 1,000 metres, highs of 4C.
Thursday: expect winds to pick up, rain and snow with the snow line moving up to 1,500 metres before falling to 600 metres on Friday, with the high Friday around 1C and gusting winds.
Jura skiing, 13 January, a half-hour from Geneva
The huge piles of snow dumped on Switzerland and neighbouring France are turning ski resorts into winter wonderlands and there is an amazing mix of things to do.
Our Jura correspondent, Shirley Curran, was skiing on the mountains you pass over as you fly into Geneva, Friday afternoon, and she says the weather was good (just a few clouds), the snow fantastic, and too few people in Geneva seem to realize that fast chairs, excellent snow and very good slopes are just 20-30 minutes from home.
Weather forecast should send you to the hills
Temperatures hovering around 0C with some cloudiness in the mornings in the mountains and on the plains, sun in the afternoon Saturday and Sunday in the Alps. Gusting winds are a possibility in the Jura.
For those interested in Swiss mountain life, two bits of news are worth checking out.
Avalanche update
President, head of bankers’ association, say road ahead rough for bank competivity
Swiss President and Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss financial industry is facing tough times which are not likely to soon be easier, two financial leaders said at separate press conferences Thursday.
Swiss President Eveline Widmer-Sclumpf, who is also the country’s finance minister, met with journalists 12 January in Geneva to talk about the future, but the press conference not surprisingly turned to her hectic first 12 days in office.
The Swiss National Bank’s chairman resigned following a scandal, parliament moved into its new session, tax treaty talks with the US are back on the agenda after a holiday break and diplomatic posts were assigned as new ambassadors, including the European Union one, arrived to present their papers.
The financial sector will be a 2012 priority for the government
Widmer-Schlumpf says one of her top priorities is to ensure the stability and sound reputation of the financial sector. The resignation Monday of Philipp Hildebrand as central banker also left Switzerland without its important seat on the Financial Stability Board, an international body of key central bankers who have great influence over world financial policy.
Germany and the UK initialed tax treaties with Switzerland in 2011, as did several other countries (Uruguay and Taiwan in the past two weeks), and one is under discussion with Italy. The European Union opposes such bilateral agreements and has threatened to fight them. The Swiss president said Thursday that Switzerland is ready to review some of the technical issues.
US tax treaty talks: main points sorted out, more discussion needed
The most difficult discussions may be those with the US. Little information has come from either side about the status of the talks, but Widmer-Schlumpf said today that while the main points have been sorted out more discussions are needed. She qualified the talks today: “They are not easy partners, we know that, but still they are constructive.” She added that she hopes the situation can be resolved while respecting Swiss law.
The US Department of Justice is currently investigating 11 Swiss banks for possibly helping wealthy Americans in the US hide money from the IRS (tax arm) and it appears the US is putting pressure on Swiss banks in other ways, with the latest twist reportedly, according to some Swiss media, a demand for the names of all Swiss bankers who have had dealings with US citizens.
The tax talks are taking place in parallel with another Swiss-US set of negotiations, over American requests for access to Swiss police records as part of the US fight against terrorism.
Private bankers and clients face “tsunami of regulations”
Meanwhile, in Bern, the Swiss Privates Bankers Association held its annual day with the press, where President Nicolas Pictet noted that the financial industry in general and wealth management in particular are facing a “tsunami of regulations” that will increase costs and create a number of problems. Penalizing the entire profession “for the mistakes of a few” must come to an end, he argues. “We must stop making it impossible for clients to have room to breathe” – they are the first to suffer when an excess of regulations exists, with the pretext of protecting them.
Pictet did not comment on the specifics of the bank cases under review by the US. He emphasized, however, that while Swiss banks, like any other, must respect the laws of the countries in which they operate, “applying these outside a country is an unacceptable threat for a small export nation” such as Switzerland.
He was echoing concerns voiced by Widmer-Schlumpf 31 December, on the eve of her presidency, who in a radio interview offered a reminder that while banks the Swiss banks embroiled in problems with the US have not broken any Swiss laws, nor committed any moral wrong-doing, those that have broken US law will have to deal with the consequences of that. Part of discussions between the two countries involves clarifying the legal situation.
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Switzerland will soon have full-service 24-hour shops and restaurants at gas stations on roads “with heavy tourist traffic”. The law currently differs for shops and restaurants on main tourist routes, with shops closed between 01:00 and 05:00 at stations that are open non-stop and that have cafes, but changes to the law will end the shop sales bans.
The ruling Federal Council agreed to back a parliamentary initiative that will simplify the situation for the petrol stations and end confusion for consumers. The rationale has been that the stations should only offer “essential” services, but in reality managing the distinction has been a problem, the council concedes, and the full service in a limited number of areas will provide night workers, for example, with an important service.
The council insisted, however, on adding “with heavy tourist traffic” to the phrase “along major traffic routes” to avoid conflicts with laws governing Sunday and night work, laws the council says must remain in place.
The law applies only if cantonal law allows night and Sunday openings.
Swiss citizens could need US visas if American demand is met, foreign affairs committee confirms
BERN, SWITZERLAND – The foreign affairs committee of the upper house of Parliament said late Tuesday 10 January that it must be informed if the Federal Council intends to sign an agreement with the US to provide access to police files in the American fight against major crime. It notes that Switzerland, “in the light of recent developments”, must look more closely at the existing crime reduction Operative Working Arrangement II, signed by the two in 2006, to see if from a Swiss legal point of view it needs revision.
The committee did not specify what it mean by recent developments, which could be a reference to US investigations of Swiss banks and reported but unconfirmed threats to indict a Swiss bank, the country’s oldest private bank Wegelin, that have appeared in US media.
Wegelin Tuesday issued a statement that raised the question of the legality of such a move, without confirming that it is being targed by the US Justice Department.
Switzerland has participated since 1986 in the US visa waiver programme, which has given Swiss citizens the right to remain in the US for 90 days without first asking for a visa. The US now envisages, says the commission, signing an agreement with Switzerland as part of the former’s anti-terrorism and major crime fight and it is possible that the US will insist that Swiss citizens need visas to enter the US if Switzerland refuses.
The commission’s remarks appear to confirm Swiss media reports in early December that the US was pressuring Switzerland to sign a “Preventing and Combating Serious Crime” (PCSC) agreement, although the embassy in Bern told GenevaLunch that there is no deadline, but rather ongoing negotiations.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – The head of the Swiss National Bank may have been pushed to resign by the governing board of the bank, Swiss media, particularly in German-speaking Switzerland, are suggesting Tuesday. Philipp Hildebrand handed in his resignation Monday afternoon, after a two-week scandal sparked by information about his wife’s purchase of dollars in August and profit from their sale two months later.
TSR carries a roundup in French of what several media are reporting today, noting that conservative Christoph Blocher, former head of the UDC People’s Party appears, for now, to be the winner in the political brouhaha surrounding the scandal.
Questions remain about whether or not Hildebrand will take legal action against anyone in the case, which involved private bank data being published by Swiss magazine Weltwoche, and what role Blocher played.
Background stories, GenevaLunch
Reuters profile of Hildebrand and his tenure, 10 January
Retail shopping was relatively brisk in November (photo: Schilliger Garden Centre, Gland, Novembr 2011)
NEUCHATEL, SWITZERLAND – Swiss prices fell at an annual rate of 0.7 percent in 2011, show figures published Monday 9 January by the Swiss Statistical Office. The November inflation rate was -0.5 percent.
Full-year consumer price index figures will be available in a month.
Retails sales figures for November 2011 were also published Monday and show a 1.8 percent increase over November 2010, with the non-food sector showing positive growth, while food, drinks and tobacco slipped slightly.
The jobless rate rose, from 3.1 percent to 3.3 percent, with 2,100 fewer new jobs posted but the unemployment rate for the year of 2011 was one of the three best in the past nine years, at 3.1 percent.
Editor Ellen Wallace shot this view out her kitchen window Thursday night, dimpled snow lit by a farmer's tractor headlights - by morning there was an additional foot of snow and the surface was smooth and white
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Friday 14:30, 6 January: snow has been falling steadily and heavily in many parts of Switzerland for the past 36 hours, with Crans-Montana and other resorts recording 100cm of fresh snow at 3,000 metres in the past 24 hours.
Most resorts are closed due to very high winds and heavy snow.
Canton Valais police say they received 1,200 phone calls between 08:00 Thursday and midnight, with flooding and fallen trees as well as electricity out in some areas. St Niklaus in the Goms Valley was without electricity and phones for several hours.
Main roads in Valais remain open but local road-clearing services are pushed to their limits and side roads above about 1,000 metres are closed or not completely cleared in many areas.
The CFF rail company says most trains are running, but several smaller trains up to mountain areas are not running, including Montreux to Rochers-de-Naye, Aigle to Diableret, Martigny-Le Chable, the funiculaire from Sierre to Crans-Montana, several Interlaken lines (Murren, Grindelwald, Kleine Scheidegg, Jungfraujoch) and the Valais-Bern train for cars is operating irregularly, with no stops at Goppenstein since the road between there and Goppel is closed.
Kloten airport had several delays due to and snow, but mid-afternoon Friday most flights are back on schedule. Geneva airport has not been affected by the weather in the rest of the country. Zurich and central Switzerland had winds up to 120kph, reports swissinfo.
The Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, WSL, has issued a bulletin showing the avalanche risk at 4/5 (high) in eastern Vaud, most of Valais and Graubuenden:
More en route, so don't put the shovels away yet (Valais, January 2012)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The weather people have given it a name already: winter storm Andrea is en route and we can expect snow down to 400 metres in the Jura and Lake Geneva regions.
Snow should fall down to the plain in canton Valais, with high winds in mountain areas.
The Jura can expect gusts of up to 180kph from Thursday morning to Friday.
Ski slopes are likely to be closed for much of Thursday and Friday due to high winds; check local conditions and openings. Alpine areas are likely to have 40-60cm of fresh snow before the weekend.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Swiss consumers are increasingly ordering groceries online using their mobile phones, reports LeShop.ch, the Migros online store.
Sales coming in via iPhones, Androids and tablets more than doubled, to 11 percent of sales at CHF15 million. The rate of growth of mobile phone sales has been far higher than for computer-based sales shortly after they were introduced, says Switzerland’s largest grocery store chain, and it expects cell phone orders to continue to rise strongly.
LeShop says in a press release 3 January that its largest group of customers is families with small children. The average order is CHF285.
The post office’s Express service in 2011 delivered 39,000 tons of food to more than 106,000 households for LeShop. Growth was strong, 7 percent, in the first half of the year but stalled in the second half, leaving LeShop in the black, but with sales at virtually the same level as in 2010.
Coop’s younger online shop, coopathome.ch, saw 10 percent growth in 2011, TSR reported Monday, with total sales of CHF85 million, compared to LeShop’s CHF150m.
Clearing the roof, 30 December 2011, near Crans-Montana, Valais
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Too much of a good thing, with more and more snow falling, means that many lifts in the Swiss Alps are not open Friday: more than a foot fell overnight, more is expected Friday night and Meteoswiss is predicting strong northwest winds throughout the Alps Saturday.
Alps and avalanche reports
Check directly with resorts as the situation is rapidly changing for piste closings and openings, due to weather:
Anzere, Crans-Montana, Leysin-Aigle, Verbier, Villars-Gryon, Saas-Fee, Zermatt
The Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, WSL, bulletin concludes with: “On Saturday, continuous and intermittently intense snowfall is anticipated in all regions of the Swiss Alps except the furthermost south. The northwesterly wind will be blowing at strong velocity. The snowfall level is expected to ascend towards 1800 m over the course of the day. On Sunday, the precipitation will taper off in northern regions. In southern regions it will be sunny. The avalanche danger will escalate significantly on Saturday, presumably giving rise to increasingly frequent naturally triggered avalanches.”
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
With more snow falling, we look set for a good season. The cold weather and snow are expected to continue until Saturday when milder conditions are expected with some sunshine. The start of January promises to be warmer than recent days and our resorts will have a fine covering of snow, with the fresh that is falling now. Crowds will have diminished. Now is the time to enjoy ski-ing less than half an hour from the Swiss frontier!
Ed. note: at noon Friday the ski runs were open - check for updates
Great weather for snowshoes, ski touring, ice skating and sledding!
Snowshoes in canton Valais: perfect way to get around 30 December
