Bern (awp / ats) – The file of the blackmail attempt against Alain Berset reopened, Uber in Geneva in the sights of the Seco or sectarian excesses which worry elected officials: these are some of the themes which appear in the Sunday press. The war in Ukraine and its consequences are also once again discussed, it is in particular a question of Russian oil which continues to be sold in Switzerland. Here are the main information, unconfirmed to Keystone-ATS:
SONNTAGSBLICK: After clearing Federal Councilor Alain Berset a week and a half ago, Parliament’s management committees intend to reopen the file of the attempted blackmail of which the minister was the victim. “That is what is envisaged, yes,” states councilor Daniel Fässler (Centre/AI), chairman of one of the subcommittees, in SonntagsBlick. This sub-commission wishes to investigate the fact that correspondence has been partially erased. It would be missing emails between the former secretary general of Alain Berset and the woman who blackmailed the Fribourgeois.
SONNTAGSZEITUNG: The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs intends to clarify whether in Geneva Uber is illegally circumventing the decision of the Federal Court (TF) at the beginning of June, according to the SonntagsZeitung. The TF had ruled that Uber drivers should be considered employees and not self-employed. Uber then indicated that the drivers would be employees of Swiss partner companies. Paid by the hour, however, they are only paid when they run a race, and not during waiting times, which contravenes the rules on the hiring of labour, writes the newspaper. Uber would also be accused of having carried out a collective dismissal by transferring the drivers to partner companies, without having consulted the persons concerned or proposed a social plan.
LE MATIN SUNDAY: Russian oil continues to sell in Switzerland, despite the context of the war in Ukraine, according to a survey published in Le Matin Dimanche. About 20 traders are said to have even increased their shipments of Russian oil since the war broke out, and a third of these players have strong ties to Geneva. The investigation points in particular to a company which would take care of part of the Russian-Chinese trade, which has increased the most since the start of the war. The company concerned says it honored long-term commercial contracts established long before February 24. “At the time when the big ones withdraw from the market, the clever ones, the opportunists, slip into the interstices”, explains a specialist. An opportunism for the moment legal, until the European sanctions targeting Russian oil do not apply completely, that is to say not before December or even February 2023, according to a lawyer quoted in the newspaper.
LE MATIN SUNDAY: In an interview with Le Matin Dimanche, former Councilor of States Filippo Lombardi (Centre/TI), current member of the Lugano executive, does not expect great progress at the Lugano conference which will address the reconstruction of Ukraine. For him, the conference has rather a symbolic significance, to show Ukraine that it is not alone. He also believes that Switzerland has chosen its side by taking over all the sanctions against Russia, which excludes Bern from playing a mediating role in the near future. But, “one day, however, we will have to sit down alongside Russia to find solutions”. Mr. Lombardi still finds that Switzerland must take advantage of the event and the arrival of Ursula von der Leyen to advance a few pawns in terms of European policy.
SONNTAGSBLICK: The security of electricity supply in Switzerland can be ensured through a strong development of photovoltaics, reports SonntagsBlick, referring to a study by the research institute DIW Berlin and the Technical University of Berlin on behalf of the Swiss Energy Foundation. This supply is guaranteed without the need for a cooperation contract with the EU if the production of solar energy is increased in such a way as to compensate for 16 terawatt hours of nuclear energy – the amount produced by the plants in Leibstadt (AG) and Gösgen (SO ). Without this and without an agreement with the EU, the electricity supply in Switzerland is not secure, even with a strategic energy reserve, the study concludes.
LE MATIN SUNDAY: Some sectors are taking advantage of inflation to inflate their margins and Switzerland lacks the means of control, writes Le Matin Dimanche. The price monitor admits that he does not have enough resources. The Fédération romande des consommateurs can only act on a case-by-case basis and does not have an overview. As a small country where competition is limited, Switzerland is more vulnerable, explains an economist quoted in the newspaper. The sectors concerned are in particular energy (with the war in Ukraine), tourism (the Swiss want to travel again after the pandemic) or even luxury (buying a watch or gold jewelery constitutes a safe haven during a crisis).
SONNTAGSZEITUNG: In Switzerland, 20 to 30% of people who fled the war in Ukraine live in collective accommodation. The SonntagsZeitung conducted a survey of ten cantons and cities. For those affected, it is difficult to find an alternative, which is why they often stay in these accommodations for a long time. The newspaper gives the example of a 59-year-old Ukrainian woman who has been living in Winterthur (ZH) for nearly four months with 150 other refugees.
LE MATIN DIMANCHE: Sectarian aberrations worry several elected officials, reports Le Matin Dimanche, which specifies that sects do not exist in the Swiss legal order. While the pandemic has brought to light several conspiratorial movements, such as QAnon, National Councilor Philippe Nantermod (PLR / VS) asked the Federal Council if an authority is responsible for monitoring these excesses and if it is a federal or cantonal task. A concern shared by the Vaudois socialist Benoît Gaillard, who challenged the city of Lausanne. In the Jura, PS deputy Patrick Cerf also questioned the government, which replied that certain therapeutic practices could not be described as sectarian aberrations. There is an Intercantonal Center for Information on Beliefs in Geneva, which has a mission of prevention through information and a position of neutrality, but no repressive vocation.
NZZ AM SONNTAG: Switzerland should soon have one million schoolchildren, according to the NZZ am Sonntag. Families favor well-served towns and suburban areas, as these generally offer good care for children. This development means that there is a shortage not only of teachers but also of premises. According to calculations made by the newspaper, the municipalities concerned must provide for 3,000 additional classes over the next ten years, ie 200 new school buildings and 250 new kindergartens. In reality, the needs could be even higher, since schools must also be able to offer midday meals and extracurricular supervision.
Note: This information has not been confirmed by the ATS.