Bern (awp/ats) – Measures to prevent a shortage of electricity this winter, Swiss neutrality and AVS pensions make headlines in the Sunday press. Here are the main information, unconfirmed to Keystone-ATS:
SONNTAGSZEITUNG: After the Swiss Union of Arts and Crafts (usam), it is the turn of economiesuisse and the Greens to call on the Minister of the Economy Guy Parmelin to act in anticipation of a lack of electricity. The Greens will file an intervention with the Environment Committee next week. “We must finally get Economy Minister Parmelin to quickly define an electricity saving plan and immediately implement the first measures,” said national councilor Bastien Girod (Greens / ZH) in the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. . The party is supported by economiesuisse. “We need savings measures in the private sector before the economy is strangled”, commented Christoph Mäder, president of the umbrella organization.
SONNTAGSBLICK: National Councilor Roger Nordmann (PS/VD) is also critical of the Federal Councillor. While the shortage is “imminent”, the department of Guy Parmelin has not yet offered anything, risking causing avoidable social and economic damage, commented the socialist in the SonntagsBlick. “Guy Parmelin must finally do his job,” he added. For Roger Nordmann, the Federal Councilor must define concrete measures in an ordinance by the end of August in order to present clear plans to companies in particular. Compensation is also to be considered, according to the Vaudois.
SONNTAGSBLICK: Ignazio Cassis’ “cooperative neutrality” is taking shape. The President of the Confederation had asked the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) to draw up a report on Swiss neutrality following the start of the war in Ukraine. The document proposes an “evolution of the status quo”, indicates the SonntagsBlick, which has obtained a copy of the report. The document must be validated by the Federal Council by the end of the summer. The export of arms to countries at war would remain prohibited, but Switzerland could make an exception by allowing other countries, such as Germany, to sell Swiss war material to Ukraine. Cooperative neutrality would also allow Bern to collaborate more with the EU and NATO. Switzerland would thus be “ready to assume greater co-responsibility for security in Europe”, it is stated in the document.
SUNDAY MORNING: Former Federal Councilor Pascal Couchepin is critical of the initiative project on the neutrality of his former colleague Christoph Blocher. He judges the concept of strict neutrality of the Zurich man “totally unrealistic”. “This initiative will not pass. I even think that, if Christoph Blocher is reasonable, he will continue to talk about it but he will not launch anything”, indicated the Valaisan in a long interview given to Matin Dimanche. The former Federal Councilor and SVP tribune announced the proposed initiative after Switzerland took over the economic sanctions imposed by the EU against Russia.
SUNDAY MORNING: The Swiss would be ready to save energy, according to a non-representative poll carried out this weekend on the tdg.ch and 24heures.ch sites. The majority of the 4,000 respondents say they are in favor of banning nighttime advertising displays (96%). They are also largely in favor of reducing heating by one degree with 92% in favor. Readers are also in favor of forgoing baths (87%) and turning off devices on standby (81%). On the other hand, there is no question of touching the ski lifts in the ski resorts. No less than 52% of respondents said they were opposed to this measure against 34% in favor. They are also not ready to give up accessory household appliances such as the dishwasher or the freezer with more than 75% saying no.
SUNDAY MORNING/NZZ AM SONNTAG: The PLR Women’s initiative on the individual taxation of spouses may succeed. The group obtained the necessary 100,000 signatures. “According to our last count, we have 128,000, including 104,500 already certified by the municipalities”, explains Johanna Gapany, vice-president of the PLR, at Matin Dimanche. The deadline for submitting the text is set for September 9. With this initiative, the first in their history, Les Femmes PLR is thus relaunching a file known to federal Bern for decades. The group wants the tax to remain individual, whether you are married, civil union, divorced or cohabiting. The aim is to prevent some married people, mostly women, from giving up their jobs or reducing their working hours, this additional income currently being eaten up by taxes.
SONNTAGSBLICK: The purchasing power of pensioners is declining in a context of high inflation, according to estimates by the Swiss Trade Union Union (USS). By 2024, an average retired couple could lose 450 to 500 Swiss francs, or 8% of their income, in purchasing power. The forecasts take into account the evolution of inflation and the increase in health insurance premiums by 7.5% next autumn. The result is frightening, USS chief economist Daniel Lampart told SonntagsBlick. The USS wants AVS pensions and the second pillar to be automatically adjusted to inflation. The unions have also launched an initiative demanding a 13th AVS pension.
NZZ AM SONNTAG: Raising the retirement age for women alone is not enough to guarantee them a good retirement, according to former Federal Councilor Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf. Most employed women work part-time. The occupancy rate is on average around 50%. Every woman should work at a rate of at least 70%, said Ms. Widmer-Schlumpf, president of Pro Senectute Switzerland, in an interview with German-language newspaper NZZ am Sonntag. This call is not unanimous. According to SVP national councilor Monika Rüegger, a woman should be able to decide freely in which phase of her life she wants to work and at what occupancy rate. According to PS co-chair Mattea Meyer, the framework conditions for such high occupancy rates are lacking.
SONNTAGSZEITUNG: Women invest their savings in a bank account while men invest their money based on performance. This is shown by a new study by the Sotomo polling institute in collaboration with the Geschlechtergerechter association and Zurich insurance. This difference in investment behavior only reinforces the wealth differences between women and men, writes the SonntagsZeitung. The gap widens in particular for the old-age forecast. A lack of capital, a search for security and a lack of knowledge motivate non-investment, according to the study.
SONNTAGSZEITUNG: Demand for the morning after pill has doubled in four years. This is shown by the figures of the Pharmasuisse association, consulted by the SonntagsZeitung. In 2021, pharmacies reportedly sold more than 105,000 morning-after pills, compared to just 52,000 in 2017. Young women are increasingly using natural contraception and resorting to methods that are significantly less reliable, the newspaper says. Germanic.
Note: This information has not been confirmed by the ATS.