Nzz on Sunday: The project to revise rural land law should lead to complications in the acquisition of agricultural land for public actors and environmental defense organizations, reports the NZZ on Sunday. For the cantons and municipalities, it will be “significantly” more difficult to acquire land, which poses “big challenges” in terms of fighting against floods, indicates in the pages of the newspaper the president of the Swiss Conference of cantonal directors of public works, land use planning and the environment, Jean-François Steiert. The Friborg Socialist State Councilor also criticizes the fact that the cantons were only consulted “very late” and “on an ad hoc basis” by the working group set up by the OFAG as part of the partial revision of the rural land law. The bill to revise the law runs until January 10.
Sunday Morning/Sonntagszeitung: Switzerland is facing a record number of terrorism-related proceedings, says Federal Attorney General Stefan Blättler in an interview with Morning Sunday and to the Sunday newspaper. Around 120 are ongoing, which is twice as many as in 2022. The cases concern in particular terrorist propaganda on the Internet, money paid from Switzerland to terrorist organizations and people going to wage jihad. “We must prepare for an increase in terrorist activities in Switzerland,” believes Mr. Blättler.
Sunday view: The management of Lindt&Sprüngli sold shares in the company in 2024 for a value of 122 million francs, an exceptionally high value compared to Nestlé, Roche or Novartis, reports the Sunday View. According to a company spokesperson, the sales are justified by an employee options program, but analysts suspect other reasons. They point to the decline in the company’s shares over the past three years. Already in 2023, shares were sold for an amount of 87 million francs, a large part of which was sold by Chairman of the Board of Directors Ernst Tanner. The latter had justified this decision by mortgage repayments and real estate investments. Also in 2024, it is mainly Mr. Tanner who may have sold shares. The annual report published in two months will provide the final figures.
Sunday newspaper: The legal proceedings targeting the head of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Klaus Schwab could overshadow the major international meeting, estimates the Sunday newspaper. The complainant having obtained a delay, Mr. Schwab will be invited to respond to the accusations of discrimination before the American courts on January 17, three days before the opening of the WEF in Davos. He has already indicated that he rejects them. Although Mr. Schwab no longer has an operational role at the WEF and is participating this year for the first time simply as chairman of the board of directors, he should once again be very present during this 55th edition, estimates the newspaper .
Sunday view: Switzerland would be forced to arrest the head of the Israeli government Benjamin Netanyahu if he went to the WEF in Davos, says international law specialist and former FDFA diplomat Didier Pfirter in an interview with Sunday View. As a state party to the International Criminal Court (ICC), Switzerland must unconditionally execute the latter’s arrest warrants. But the expert believes that the Israeli leader would not come to Switzerland without first receiving assurances that he will not be arrested. The former diplomat is also critical of Parliament’s decision to ban Hamas, a break with current Swiss practice of banning acts and not organizations. “We will now be under pressure to also ban other organizations, such as the Kurdish PKK, and we will have difficulty arguing if we do not do so,” said Pfirter. (ATS)
