Switzerland is increasingly rejecting applications for protection S filed by Ukrainian refugees, notes the Sunday newspaper. Their acceptance rate is currently 87%, compared to almost 99% in 2022. The procedures have become more complicated and now last on average 80 days. Ukrainians must prove that they were living in Ukraine at the time of the Russian invasion and did not obtain protection in another European country. Switzerland is being more restrictive than neighboring European states and sending refugees back to countries where protection has already been granted to them, according to the newspaper.
Threat to the asylum system
The director of the Association of Swiss Municipalities Claudia Kratochvil warns in the NZZ on Sunday against the threat of a collapse of the Swiss asylum system. She points out the high burden that the system places on municipalities, in particular due to the lack of accommodation possibilities and the decline among the population in acceptance of welcoming refugees. Lack of qualified personnel is another theme, she adds. She also criticizes the Confederation for its poor communication during the closure of nine temporary federal asylum centers, recalling that 22,000 asylum applications are still pending.
American presence in Davos
If the current US President-elect Donald Trump comes to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos (GR) between January 20 and 24, his advisor Elon Musk “will also be welcome”, indicates in Sunday Morning WEF President Borge Brende. Two years ago, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX said the forum was boring, the newspaper recalls. “Maybe Trump will talk to him about his rich experience,” replies Mr. Brende. “He told me one day that the annual meeting had been one of the best trips” of his first presidential term (2017-2021). Mr. Trump, who is the only American head of state to have come to Davos twice, must, for the second time, be inaugurated president of the United States of America on January 20.
Digital delay in the army
Additional delays from suppliers and the complexity of the project leading to adaptations are at the origin of the delays in the schedule of the new digital platform of the Swiss army, indicates the NZZ on Sundaywho obtained a confidential note. Further complicating matters was the fact that key people, such as project leader Darko Savic, had left their positions. The digital platform costs 1.6 billion francs. It is central to many other IT projects, such as the new French airspace surveillance system Skyview, the introduction of which has already been postponed by two years.
After the Graz incident
Aeronautics expert Christoph Regli blames the Sunday newspaper the air distribution system of the Airbus A220, after a Swiss airline plane had to make an emergency landing in Graz, Austria, on December 23. The link between the air distribution system and cabin smoke is obvious, he adds. The system supplies the cabin with air from the engine, allowing contaminated air to enter in the event of a breakdown, the newspaper writes. Although it has not yet been proven that the engine failure triggered the smoke, it is “unlikely that it happened at that precise moment for any other reason,” Regli said. A 23-year-old steward from Swiss died a few days after the incident in intensive care. His brain had been severely damaged by a lack of oxygen.
Starlink, not a threat
Elon Musk’s Starlink company, which allows unlimited high-speed Internet access anywhere in Switzerland, does not threaten Swisscom’s business model, says the Swiss operator in Sunday Morning. Many other players are “rapidly gaining ground” and Swisscom has already integrated satellite services into its portfolio, adds the Swiss company. Starlink services are also not yet able to replace terrestrial telephone or Internet offers, due to regulatory and technical limitations, adds Swisscom, citing “the lack of coverage inside buildings, the SMS-only services and very limited streaming capabilities.
Quitter X
Several parliamentarians launched into the Sunday View a call for the Confederation to leave the social network /SO). Describing The Federal Chancellery intends to stay on X for the moment, its spokesperson Urs Bruderer responds in the newspaper. An information application is being developed to better protect the Federal Council’s communication against actions aimed at influencing, he adds.
Taxation and contributions
High earners save hundreds of thousands of francs each year in Switzerland by buying back years of second pillar contributions from pension funds and deducting these amounts from taxes, calculated the Sunday newspaperreferring to new tax data from the cantons of Bern, Geneva and Zug. Married couples in the highest income class save on average 153,000 francs in taxes in Bern, for example. When paying the second pillar pension, taxes are low, around 5% depending on the place of residence, notes the newspaper. Economics professor at the University of Lausanne Marius Brühlhart calls in the newspaper to limit contributions for the second pillar.
