Keystone-ATS
Italian themes were also present in the Swiss press in the week just ended. Among these, the works that will make life difficult for those traveling from Valais to Milan again next summer, the farewell of UniCredit to Switzerland, the mandatory helmet for electric scooters, the mafia's income and the return to nuclear power.
This content was published on
December 20, 2024 – 11:54 am
Marija Miladinovic
Journalist based in Lugano with a name that reveals my family origins. I worked for the Corriere del Ticino and the Giornale del Popolo, in politics and news, on paper and digital media. I like to bring a bit of Italian Switzerland to the rest of the country and the world. Initials: MaMi
Eurocity stopped again between Domodossola and Milan
The Valais portal pomona.chExternal link warns of future rail disruptions on the Italian-Swiss border. Next summer could in fact be just as problematic as last summer for Eurocity travelers between Domodossola and Milan.
This also implies problems for those who leave by train from Brig, in the canton of Valais, towards Milan. This route normally takes about two hours. Last summer, from June to September, all Eurocity trains between Domodossola and Milan were cancelled. The lengthening of travel times was then aggravated by the fact that the seats available on the replacement buses (which in any case take an hour more than the train) were not sufficient.
The suppression of the lines due to maintenance work on the Sempione section will also be repeated in the summer of 2025 from 8 June to 27 July and from 31 August to 12 September and the scenario will probably be the same in the following years too (until 2028 ).
Trenitalia and the Swiss Federal Railways (FFS) are currently working to offer a better alternative service. An FFS spokeswoman said it was evaluating the possibility of running some trains through Novara next year.
Geneva operations will be moved to Monaco.
EPA/LUCA ZENNARO
UniCredit says goodbye to Geneva and Switzerland
After having dealt with, in an article two weeks ago, the New Zurich newspaperExternal link, of UniCredit's public exchange offer on Banco BPM, the Swiss press continues to keep the spotlight on the international banking group based in Milan.
From the columns of TimeExternal link in fact we read about the closure of the Geneva branch of UniCredit. According to journalistic sources, the second Italian bank will close its headquarters in the canton and will therefore put its Swiss company into liquidation since it also ceased its activities in Zurich two years ago. In Geneva, its five employees specialized in commodity trading financing, an activity that the structure will not stop, but will carry out from Monaco, where one of its main offices is located.
“I don't know why UniCredit is leaving, but the situation is starting to become complicated for Swiss banks,” says Florence Schurch when asked by the Geneva newspaper. The general secretary of the non-profit commodities organization Suissenégoce, of which UniCredit was a member, believes that the Crédit Suisse disaster has pushed the Swiss financial authorities to apply very strict rules that hinder a sector that requires a lot of liquidity.
However, UniCredit is also being talked about on other portals in relation to the acquisition of the German CommerzbankExternal link.
Fines of 50 euros for those without helmets.
Keystone/Christian Beutler
“Total chaos” and anger over the mandatory helmet on electric scooters
This is the title of an article from the last few days Daily GazetteExternal link. The Zurich newspaper notes that the first fines are already arriving in large cities such as Rome, Florence and Milan following the entry into force of the new controversial highway code.
Among the main innovations, one concerns electric scooters, the rental of which, even for very short periods, has become very popular in recent years. According to the new rules, however, anyone who is stopped on an electric scooter without a helmet is fined 50 euros. Many people complained of not being informed, especially female and foreign tourists. The many companies that provide this freight service are meanwhile worried about their business model, the newspaper reports.
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The mafia in Italy has a turnover of 40 billion a year
Another topic concerning Italy that has been written about a lot in recent days concerns the economic activities deriving from mafia activities. From the online portal of Basel newspaperExternal link a watson.chExternal linkpassing through CSRExternal link: Swiss media report how the various Italian criminal organizations have a turnover smaller only than the energy giants GSE, ENI and ENEL.
A study by the Association of artisans and small businesses CGIA Mestre, based on data from the Italian Central Bank, shows that the mafias have a turnover of 40 billion a year, i.e. over 2% of the GDP. of the country.
The Swiss media highlight how, according to the study, there are around 150,000 companies involved in organized crime, especially in large cities: more than 18,000 in Naples, more than 16,000 in Rome and more than 15,000 in Milan .
The Swiss nuclear power plant in Beznau.
Keystone/Alessandro Della Bella
The potential return of nuclear energy
In an in-depth analysis, the New Zurich newspaperExternal link focuses on the Italian Government's relaunch of nuclear energy, justified by high energy prices and geopolitical uncertainties.
After a 30-year hiatus, notes the NZZi.e. since the farewell to nuclear energy decided following the Chernobyl accident, an Italian startup could mark a significant change in the Italian energy strategy in the coming years. We too had written about the topic and the comparison with the situation in Switzerland in recent months.
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