According to his party colleague Christian Imark, Senior Vice-President of the Federation Council Gu Parmelin is talking nonsense.Image: trapezoid
Discussions about EU cohesion contributions, business with concerned relatives and the country's senior vice-president with a hatred of “his” Federal Council: these and more can be found in the Sunday newspapers.
How much coal is required for EU market access?
The Federal Council is due to discuss next Wednesday the amount of the contribution to the EU's future cohesion. According to NZZ am Sonntag, it should be determined how much Switzerland is willing to pay for access to the European internal market. The previous annual contribution of 130 million francs is likely to increase significantly; the 450 million francs paid by Norway are used as a comparison. Liberal Democrats national MP Simon Michel believes it is a smart investment and believes Norway is a realistic comparison. Critics, including senior vice-presidential state councilor Franz Grutter, have rejected payments to the EU and stressed that Switzerland would not join other trading partners in making such contributions. According to “NZZ am Sonntag”, the European Union is also pushing to open the Swiss rail network to foreign suppliers, but it has encountered resistance from the industry.
Home care is becoming a lucrative market—and health insurance companies are stepping in
Caring for Relatives has been reimbursed by basic insurance for four consecutive years. As SonntagsZeitung writes, companies specializing in kinship care have created a lucrative market. According to the health insurance association Santésuisse, this area is growing exponentially and by 2025 the costs borne by health insurance companies may exceed 100 million francs. Santésuisse warned that the increase in costs will have a direct impact on premiums. Research by “SonntagsZeitung” shows that the two largest health insurance companies CSS and Helsana themselves are involved in such a company. Through subsidiaries they support the company “Pflegewegweiser”, which is known for its intensive advertising. Experts criticized this as a conflict of interest because health insurance companies are actually supposed to control billing for care services. The health insurer defended its involvement in the newspaper report, saying the care industry needed innovative solutions.
Imark Senior Vice President Accuses Federal Council Senior Vice President of Lying
Senior Vice-President National Councilor Christian Imark has accused Economy Minister Guy Parmelin of “fake news” for his remarks about the Grafingen steel plant. Irmak criticized Pamelin's statement in the SRF “Review” in the “Sunday” as wrong, believing that more than 20 steel mills within a radius of 150 kilometers can easily meet the needs of Switzerland. In fact, there are only three factories in the region that produce concrete and steel bars like Gerrafingen, Irmak explained, threatening Palmyrin with consequences in the federal presidential election. However, Parmelin stood his ground. About 500 people demonstrated at Federation Square two weeks ago against threats to close the plant, but the Federal Council refused to provide financial aid because the steel plant was not classified as systemically important. It is said that steel is a globally traded commodity with many alternative suppliers.
VBS hopes to further investigate support for major civic events
The Department of Defense (DDS) has found deficiencies in the way military and civil defense support major civilian activities. As SonntagsBlick wrote citing the report, internal audits revealed that requirements for such operations were often not followed. First, people will criticize a commercially successful campaign for a lack of control over whether it pays its share of profits correctly. Military and civil defense officers serve more than 50,000 days a year at ski competitions and other major events such as the Federal Wrestling Festival, the report said. According to VBS, some events would not be possible without this support. As the “Sonntagsblick” continues, Defense Minister Viola Amherd ordered the organizers' control mechanisms to be tightened.
Spar stops facial analysis in stores amid customer criticism
Spar Switzerland has halted a project to analyze the faces of store customers. As NZZ am Sonntag writes, sensors should be installed at 147 locations to roughly record the age and gender of customers. This data will be used to display personalized ads on store screens. The system has been installed at several branches, but according to the company, it is currently being phased out. “Customer feedback prompted us to stop using personalized ads,” Spahr told the newspaper. Customer privacy is protected at all times. Monika Simler, professor of criminal law at the University of St. Gallen, disputes this view. She told NZZ am Sonntag that the profiling of suggestive characteristics such as age and gender already represented a violation of customers' fundamental rights.
Transgender woman Brenneman opposes early gender reassignment surgery
Tran's wife Nadia Brönimann will address the General Council of the Human Rights Convention in Geneva on November 7. As she told “Sonntagsblick”, she will be there to discuss the transition of minors. She regrets the gender reassignment surgery she had 26 years ago. “I demand that minors should not be prescribed transgender hormones and certainly should not undergo medical intervention,” the 55-year-old said. Pubertal development should be intact. Broniman denounced Switzerland's “experimental system” in which young people's self-diagnosis is given “absolute certainty”. “SonntagsBlick” cited data from the Federal Statistical Office and wrote that between 2019 and 2022, the number of gender reassignment surgeries increased from 248 to 525. Therefore, 24 people who underwent mastectomies (breast amputation) in 2022 were minors.
German car crisis also hits Swiss economy
The crisis in the German automotive industry, especially at Volkswagen, also affects Swiss suppliers. “SonntagsZeitung” and “Sonntagsblick” reported on this. “Swissmem” President Martin Hirzel explained that the industry's exports fell by 7.8% in the first nine months and by 14.8% in the third quarter. Due to the crisis, many companies have frozen hiring; some have implemented layoffs and short-time working. For example, “Feintool” is moving part of its production to the Czech Republic, “Komax” is closing its plants in Rotkreuz and Cham, and “Georg Fischer” is considering selling its automotive division. Swiss Automotive's Anja Schulze explains that Swiss suppliers have expanded their customer base in recent years but still rely heavily on German manufacturers.
Health insurance companies: Analysts believe there is huge potential to save administrative costs
Rising administrative costs for health insurance companies are putting additional pressure on premiums. According to “NZZ am Sonntag”, Silvia Fleischmann of consulting firm SEEG estimates that individual insurers can save up to 30% in administrative costs based on an analysis of annual reports. Felix Schneuwly, health insurance expert at Comparis, confirms this assessment and believes that one in four insurance companies has significant savings potential. However, health insurance association Santésuisse has questioned this calculation. The annual report does not show which services are provided internally or purchased externally,” spokesperson Irit Mandel told NZZ am Sonntag. She noted that health insurers are required by law to limit their expenses.
Rapists get lighter sentences than cocaine dealers
In 2023, a total of 75 rapists were convicted in Switzerland. According to the “Sunday” report, 41 of them were sentenced to unconditional imprisonment, while the rest were sentenced to conditional or partially conditional sentences, with an average sentence of 4.5 years, which may not have to be served. This means that the penalty for rape is lighter than for cocaine trafficking, which carries a penalty of five years in prison for 3 kilograms. In the past, it was widely believed that the male justice system was to blame for lenient sentences for sex offenders, but today, women make up the majority of prosecutors' offices. Daniel Josic, a criminal law professor and Socialist MP, said female lawyers judge rape offenses according to the same criteria as their male colleagues but often have a better understanding of the perpetrators.
Illegal construction in Verbier: 5 former municipal employees charged
The Valais cantonal prosecutor's office has concluded a criminal investigation into illegal construction in Verbier (VS). “Le Matin Dimanche” is an indictment. As a result, four former city representatives and the city secretary must be held accountable for management disloyal to the public interest and abuse of power. Prosecutor Cindy Kampf said in the 44-page indictment that the illegal building permits were issued “as part of a political and economic strategy aimed at developing upscale tourism and settling vast wealth.” The case was solved in 2015. Of the 248 illegal structures inspected, prosecutors selected 23 to support their charges. (sda/con)
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