What now for the nation’s metaphorical campfire? Decision day looms for public broadcaster Defence spending and the question of neutrality – how the Ukraine war has left its mark on Switzerland The odd one out – newly elected National Councillor Rudi Berli is the only Swiss Abroad in parliament The magazine for the Swiss Abroad FEBRUARY 2026
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When the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) broadcast, the whole of Switzerland used to watch or listen. From our favourite Saturday afternoon radio programme, to live coverage of the skiing – SRG SSR was the metaphorical campfire around which we all sat. Nowadays, the flame flickers behind a wall of interactive features. We consume media on the go, on the side, and in completely separate spaces. An emotive debate is raging over the future of SRG SSR. The “CHF 200 is enough” initiative aims to slash the annual radio and television licence fee for private households, but would effectively halve the SRG SSR budget in one fell swoop (more on page 4). SRG SSR is already going through the biggest upheaval in its history, with 900 jobs expected to be cut as the organisation becomes more streamlined and adapts its content. This also has implications for the “Fifth Switzerland”. All of us stand at the heart of this debate – a society looking for our own “campfire” while algorithms distract our attention and AI hallucinations are presented as fact. Today’s teenagers move effortlessly through digital spaces, but rarely with any guidance. How do we help them to develop media literacy, and how can we find high-quality content amid the overload? If the fire still burns, it does so in the form of podcasts in our pocket, live streams on the train, or our soundtrack in the kitchen. But one thing still matters: the desire for reliable information and stories that connect us. This is precisely the content that I hope to present to you in future in my role as editor‑in‑chief. I would not be who I am today were it not for this magazine, which used to be the only link I had to my father’s home country while growing up as a Swiss Abroad. All the more reason for me to thank my predecessor Marc Lettau for his outstanding work. Roman Häfliger will keep a low profile but play a valuable role as our new graphic designer. It is a new chapter for both of us. WALTER SCHMID, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 4 Focus The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation feels the squeeze 9 Report Visiting the Swiss municipality with the youngest population 12 Society The war in Ukraine has also had an impact in Switzerland More and more schools are banning smartphones 16 Images A climate exhibition minus the finger-wagging News from your region 19 Switzerland in figures Swiss birth rate hits an all-time low 20 Politics The popular initiative demanding significantly more money for climate action Inheritance tax for the super-rich emphatically rejected at the ballot box 25 Literature Author Dorothee Elmiger scoops three literary awards at once 26 Profile Rudi Berli is the only Swiss Abroad in the National Council 28 Notes from the Federal Palace Olympic timekeeping – another symbol of Swiss reliability Stories around the campfire Cover photo: by Max Spring, the “Swiss Review” cartoonist. www.maxspring.ch “Swiss Review”, the information magazine for the “Fifth Switzerland”, is published by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad. Photo: Danielle Liniger Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 3 Editorial Contents
SUSANNE WENGER The science programme on the radio? Cancelled. The society programme on the TV? Discontinued. When Swiss German television and radio cut programmes last year to save money, it was met with uproar. Researchers filed a petition, and creative artists expressed their concern. The angriest backlash, however, was triggered when SRG SSR stopped broadcasting in ultra-short wave (USW) in late 2024 and switched entirely to digital. Half a million listeners left and switched and streaming services, SRG SSR created shared, primetime experiences. Plays in dialect and news broadcasts on the radio used to empty the streets. Saturday evening shows and Swiss series saw families gather round the TV set. Today, media usage is fragmented and individual. “The focus is switching to online, mobile and non-linear consumption,” says Ulla Autenrieth, media scientist at Graubünden University of Applied Sciences. Initiative designed to lower taxes SRG SSR nonetheless remains an institution that stirs emotions. In 2018, a popular initiative aimed at abolishing the mandatory media tax, which Switzerland uses to fund its media service publicly, failed at the ballot box, with over 70 per cent of voters against. The right-wing conservative Swiss People’s Party (SVP), sections of the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland (FDP) and the Swiss Trade Association are now taking a new approach in their efforts to rein in SRG SSR. Their “200 Swiss francs is enough” initiative is aiming to reduce the current tax of 335 francs to 200 francs per household. SRG SSR, whose operating revenue was 1.56 billion francs in 2024, finances 80 per Media shift and spending caps: Swiss broadcasting is under pressure Changes in media usage, rounds of cost-cutting and job cuts: the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR), Switzerland’s publicly financed media company, is facing some major challenges. On 8 March 2026, the public will vote on an initiative that could halve SRG SSR’s budget. What would the ramifications be for our quadrilingual nation and the “Fifth Switzerland”? to private radio stations and foreign broadcasters. In a subsequent U-turn, the parliament decided to maintain USW broadcasting for longer than originally scheduled, at which point SRG SSR announced it was returning to the analogue radio waves. With its 17 radio and seven television channels SRG SSR still reaches a daily audience of several million people. However, 95 years after it was founded, it is no longer the “nation’s campfire”, the way it once was. Previously, in the time before the internet How much sport SRG SSR can and should continue to broadcast live is also a matter of intense debate ahead of the vote. Pictured here: the 2025 men’s downhill at Wengen. Photo: Keystone Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 4 Focus
landscape, argues the Federal Council. However, the Federal Council has resolved in its own right to lower the tax from 2027: households will pay 300 francs, and 80 per cent of companies will no longer pay. Media Minister Albert Rösti (SVP), once a co-author of the initiative, sees this as a compromise. He feels the initiative goes too far and the cut would be “drastic”. Rösti has, however, “pushed through a counter-project that will require considerable savings from SRG SSR”. SRG SSR must change without driving away private investors. Restructuring under new management Susanne Wille has been at the head of SRG SSR since November 2024. Shortly after taking office, she announced the largest restructuring in the history of the company. More deA family from Berne watch television together in 1957. Nowadays, we consume a varied range of media content on many different platforms around the clock. Photo: Keystone tails have subsequently emerged. A total of 270 million francs in savings is to be achieved by 2029. Some 900 of the 5,500 jobs are being cut, and administrative structures are to be centralised. Alongside lower taxes, falling advertising revenue is also plaguing SRG SSR. Just like private media groups, it is feeling the bite of advertising money moving to US tech giants like Google. The impact the savings package will have on programming remains unclear. For Wille it is a balancing act: she must make savings without alienating the supporters of public broadcasting, who want content over and beyond the pressure of ratings. She wants to digitise SRG SSR but cannot compete too fiercely with private media houses online. In any event, SRG SSR and publisher associations agreed on one thing last year: SRG SSR is to limit its online text contributions and focus on audiocent of its budget through this tax. If the initiative is approved, it is forecasting a drop in revenue of 800 million francs, not least because a reduced range of programmes would also bring in less advertising revenue. Revenue would halve. Opponents of the initiative describe it as a “halving initiative”, whereas the people behind it say that SRG SSR’s calculations are too pessimistic. Private local radio and TV stations, which also receive money from the tax, would be spared under the initiative. Federal Council itself imposes cutbacks The Swiss government and parliament are against the initiative. It would noticeably reduce the offering and have negative consequences for the economy, culture, society and Switzerland’s already beleaguered media Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 5
visual content. SRG SSR and private stakeholders want to work together more closely, for instance in their use of technology. Necessary or dangerous? The vote on the 200-franc initiative is piling more pressure on SRG SSR. Proponents say that the licence fees are the highest in Europe. Zurich SVP National Councillor Thomas Matter, speaking in parliament, called it a “forced SRG SSR tax” that hit young people particularly hard, since the latter hardly watch or listen to TV and radio at all anymore. He also described the tax as an “absurd burden” on companies, saying that SRG SSR should confine itself to a “core mandate”. What this mandate would look like if SRG SSR were 800 million francs short is still a matter of debate. The wording of the initiative mentions only “radio and television programmes that provide an essential service for the general public”. Currently, SRG SSR’s constitutional mandate encompasses cultural, educational and entertainment content in addition to news. Opponents of the initiative – a broad coalition of politicians from The Centre, FDP, the Green Liberals, the SP and the Greens alongside representatives of culture, sport and civil society – warn of far-reaching consequences. They claim that undermining an independent source of news at a time of growing disinformation from foreign platforms would threaten Switzerland’s security. Culture and sport would be losing a platform. And, above all, halving SRG SSR’s budget would mean it would be unable to maintain its federal structure and its four-language character, said coalition member and Centre National Councillor Martin Candinas of Grisons in parliament. Voices from the debate “Let’s finally trim down SRG SSR, with its unhealthily bloated headcount, finances and amount of power, to a sensible size.” Thomas Matter, Zurich, SVP National Councillor “The initiative would deprive SRG SSR of 800 million francs. That’s not a cutback; that’s razing to the ground. It would hit our rural regions.” Josef Dittli, Uri, FDP member of the Council of States “It’s hard to believe that, in spite of all the advances in technology, 850 million francs is not enough for a public-service broadcaster in a country of nine million inhabitants.” Lorenzo Quadri, Ticino, Lega National Councillor “Local reporting for even the smallest villages in Switzerland has not made financial sense for a long time now. Many editorial departments have vanished from rural and mountainous regions. We need SRG SSR as a regionally anchored, four-language media house.” Christine Badertscher, Berne, Green National Councillor “It is true that SRG SSR is important in the language regions that don’t have many options in terms of private media. But why should it finance such a lavish entertainment offering in German-speaking Switzerland?” Christian Wasserfallen, Berne, FDP National Councillor “Households contribute less than one Swiss franc a day in order to be able to enjoy radio and television. That is the minimum for high-quality content.” Valérie Piller Carrard, Fribourg, SP National Councillor Switzerland’s multilingual nature makes it misleading to compare the media tax with its international counterparts, opponents stress. Redistribution to linguistic minorities SRG SSR produces content for Switzerland’s four language regions, via SRF (German), RTS (French), RSI (Italian) and RTR (Romansh), and also produces content for the foreign market through swissinfo (SWI). An internal financial redistribution process ensures that linguistic minorities continue to be catered for: of the 930 million francs that the Swiss German business sector received from the media tax in 2024, 235 million went to Ticino, 115 million to the French-speaking part of Switzerland and 20 million to the Romansh-speaking part. If SRG SSR’s budget were halved, it would have to close most of its regional studios, the media department reports. It currently operates seven main and 17 regional studios. Reporting would more often take place from these centres: “There would be significantly less regional journalism.” Is Federal Councillor Paul Chaudet (1955–66) answers questions from a Swiss Radio International journalist. Archive photo: swissinfo/ provided Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 6 Focus
Uncertain future for swissinfo’s international offering on the issue on 2-20 March 2026. On 8 March, the Swiss will also be voting on the SVP’s SRG SSR initiative aiming to lower significantly the media tax – the second source of financing for swissinfo. SVP National Councillor for Valais Jean-Luc Addor, member of the Swiss Abroad parliamentary group, sits on the initiative committee. In his view, the foreign mandate forms part of SRG SSR’s “fundamental mission”. A year ago, he told “Swiss Review”: “Hands off swissinfo.” A spokeswoman confirmed in response to an enquiry that this was the committee’s position: “The offer is part of SRG SSR’s public service mandate. It should stay that way.” Opponents warn, however, that the initiative would leave only an “amputated” public service behind. The OSA also fears negative consequences for news for the “Fifth Switzerland”. swissinfo director Larissa Bieler believes that the foreign mandate “has been a quintessential bridge between the Swiss Abroad and their homeland since 1935”. Without this offer, Switzerland would lose visibility and understanding internationally. The announcement in November that Bieler would be leaving the SRG SSR management at the end of March 2026 made people sit up and take notice. SRG SSR justified this measure by saying that the management board was being streamlined as part of the austerity measures. (SWE) When political decisions deprive SRG SSR of money, this also affects its international offers: swissinfo, tvsvizzera.it and partnerships with broadcasters like TV5MONDE for the French-speaking world or 3sat for German-speaking areas. swissinfo reports news about Switzerland in ten languages internationally and in 2001 became the successor of the legendary Swiss Radio International. Just like the “Swiss Review” published by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), the platform targets the over 826,000 Swiss people living abroad. swissinfo furthermore sees itself as the “voice of Switzerland in the world”. However, the Swiss government is planning to scrap the annual federal contribution of just under 19 million Swiss francs to the foreign programming mandate as part of a savings package. Until now, SRG SSR and the Confederation have shared the cost of this, but the Confederation plans to bow out from 2027. This means that swissinfo in its current form is in jeopardy. Various organisations, including OSA, have submitted a petition asking parliament to safeguard federal funding arguing that swissinfo is a balanced, multilingual information source for the Swiss Abroad that strengthens their political rights. The Council of States, the small parliamentary chamber, defied the government during the 2025 winter session and came out in favour of maintaining the federal contribution. A narrow majority felt that Switzerland could not afford to give up this window to the world. Proponents of abolishing the contribution argued that information about Switzerland is now also available from other sources. If SRG SSR wants to maintain its current foreign offer, it must “reallocate” resources, according to Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter. The National Council, the large chamber, will vote the news for Ticino about to be produced in Zurich? The initiative’s sponsors see these warnings as exaggerated. The basic media offer for minorities is not in jeopardy, as the initiative would leave the financial redistribution intact, according to the “yes” committee. Programmes of “the same high value” will still be possible. “Shared media space” Media scientist Ulla Autenrieth sees the “structural reality”, however: in Switzerland, public service content is created not for a homogeneous national market but for multiple audiences differentiated by their language, culture and region: “Something that benefits from an economy of scale in other countries needs to be produced multiple times for us.” With so much less money, SRG SSR would be forced to reduce its offer. “But the idea of a shared media space depends on diversity,” she says. Notwithstanding fragmented use of media, the need for shared points of reference remains, according to Autenrieth. Younger people want reliable content, as do parents for their children, research has shown. Public broadcasting could play to its key strengths here by going where the interest is: “Many young people consume SRG SSR content via play platforms, social media or podcasts.” Any contemporary public service must be digital and flexible. Shared media experiences today no longer arise from one single “campfire”, but in many forms, from live events like the Women’s European Championships in football last year to collaborative formats. If SRG SSR takes this reasoning seriously, it could continue to act to bring people together. This article reflects the situation at the time of our editorial deadline on 18 December. Additional archive photos relating to SRG SSR are available in our online edition: www.revue.ch swissinfo is currently available in ten different languages, including Spanish. Whether it remains that way depends heavily on what the politicians decide. Photo: Roman Häfliger Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 7
Guy Parmelin chairs the Federal Council in 2026 Economy Minister Guy Parmelin (SVP) is chairing the Federal Council in 2026. This is after earning praise in November for negotiating a reduction in the punitive tariffs imposed by the US on Swiss imports. Parmelin was elected by the joint chambers of the Federal Assembly on 10 December, receiving 203 out of 210 valid votes – an excellent result that illustrates how much respect the right-wing conservative politician from Vaud also enjoys among the left-wing parties. This will be Parmelin’s second time chairing the Federal Council as President of the Swiss Confederation, having previously held the role back in 2021. (MUL) US tariffs – 39 becomes 15 A new deal could not have come soon enough for Swiss exporters after the Trump administration’s decision to slap a 39 per cent tariff on Swiss goods. After hard negotiation, Berne managed to get the tariff cut to 15 per cent in November. Hailed as a positive breakthrough, this lower rate is still less than ideal for both the Swiss economy and US consumers. Plus, there is the elephant in the room: a group of Swiss executives met Donald Trump in the Oval Office earlier in the month, bearing gifts that included a gold bar worth over 100,000 Swiss francs. Their audience with the US president has been decried at home as unseemly, undignified and verging on bribery. (MUL) Switzerland relaxes arms exports Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Switzerland has stuck to the letter of the law regarding its strict rules on arms exports, even stopping war materiel exported to Germany years previously from being delivered to Kyiv. But parliament now wants to relax these restrictions, voting in its December 2025 session to allow Swiss arms manufacturers to deliver weapons to certain Western countries even in times of armed conflict. The decision is mainly a boost for Switzerland’s arms industry, although the direct export of weapons to Ukraine remains prohibited. Voters are likely to have the last word, after a broad alliance of left-wing parties announced a referendum on the matter. (MUL) Fury over funding to protect women from gender-based violence Violent crime against women is high in Switzerland, even compared to other countries. The federal government has spoken of an “alarming number of femicides”. However, the National Council voted in December against increasing the amount of money set aside to tackle violence against women. This sparked public fury, with over 250,000 people signing an online petition within 24 hours as a flood of angry emails virtually paralysed the IT system in the Federal Palace. The Council of States subsequently endorsed the additional funding, prompting the National Council to vote in favour at the second time of asking. (MUL) Peter Lyner Working in a bakery is very fast-paced, says Peter Lyner, 60, who runs a family bakery in Winterthur. “Just leaving our loaves in the oven a little longer is not an option.” Each tray must be done at the right moment, so that you work to capacity as much as possible, he says. But bakers are used to time pressure. “This is when we come into our own.” Lyner’s eponymous bakery and confectionery is a fourth-generation business. The head baker never considered doing anything else for a living. “Bread is a staple food, and I love producing it.” Lyner also enjoys working with people and likes running a business. “You need to think on your feet – and think ahead.” Since the pandemic and in the wake of high energy costs, not to mention wheat shortages, bakers have had to contend with a race to the bottom by discount supermarket chains. At the moment, you can buy a standard loaf – or “Pfünderli” – for 99 cents at Aldi. “You barely cover your overheads at that price,” he laments, adding that it is simply a way for supermarkets to attract footfall. Lyner, meanwhile, is continually adapting the business to changes in the market. He now has three additional outlets and has also been running a café since 2020. Lyner currently has 53 employees and 13 trainees. But he and his staff still bake everything by hand. Unlike the big retail chains that churn out cut-price loaves en masse, Lyner is thinking more long-term. He focuses on quality – and quality does not come free. His speciality “Eschenbergbrot” sells for 4.90, while a Lyner croissant costs 1.60. “You need to know your prices and stick to them.” Only bakeries with clear strategies can survive, he argues. EVELINE RUTZ Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 8 Top pick News
STÉPHANE HERZOG Renens, a small town to the west of Lausanne with a major railway junction, is well-known in Switzerland. But does anybody know Chavannes-près-Renens? This municipality, which is the youngest in Switzerland, is just down the road from Renens station. The first building of note is the railway chapel, which is soon to house a bookshop and a literary gathering café, according to mayor Loubna Laabar. To the right is the Citadelle, a residential building dating from the 1960s. One of the entries to the building is in the municipality of Ecublens, which is home to the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne (EPFL). Some of its apartments are on the other side of the municipal border. The Rue Centrale, with its small houses and allotments set up by the SBB, bears witness to the town’s railway past. Sustained growth Chavannes is a welcoming place. Its population in 2000 was 6,000. It officially became a town in 2025, when it reached 10,000 inhabitants. Immigration here is largely European, with a mixture of blue and white-collar workers. The municipality houses over 110 nationalities; 56 percent of residents are foreign nationals and 40 percent are aged between 20 and 39. The number of schoolchildren in the area more than doubled between 1990 and 2024. The growth is due to two factors, the first of which is student accommodation. The Vortex, a circular building a stone’s throw from the EPFL (in Ecublens), houses over Switzerland’s youngest municipality is a satellite of Lausanne With an average age of 34.4, Chavannes-près-Renens (Vaud) is the youngest municipality in Switzerland. This hub to the west of Lausanne is attracting migrants from all corners and is seeking to preserve its quality of life. 1,000 students, out of an estimated total of 2,000. The other factor is immigration. “Between 2015 and 2035, the number of West Lausanne region inhabitants will have risen by 50 percent, with 40,000 people settling here, which is enormous for Switzerland,” remarks Benoît Biéler, director of SDOL (Stratégie et développement de l’Ouest lausannois [West Lausanne Strategy and Development]). Furthermore, these new arrivals are settling at the right time to start a family. The foreign population is therefore boosting the birth rate. “They still think having kids is worth it,” the mayor says with a smile. A town without a centre You can walk around Chavannes all day and never find an actual town Higher, farther, faster, more beautiful? In search of somewhat unconventional Swiss records Today: the Swiss municipality with the lowest average age The Vortex student residence, home to 1,000 people, is one of the reasons for such a low average age in Chavannes. Photo: Keystone Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 9 Report
Chavannes-près-Renens is the Swiss municipality with the lowest average age, at 34.4. It also holds the record for the youngest district in West Lausanne, which has an average age of 38.5, and in the canton of Vaud, where the figure is 40.6. This growth meets the urban planning objectives of the Federal Act on Spatial Planning, which seeks to tie in urban development with transport routes. “We are under pressure from the canton to achieve a high land use coefficient,” says Laabar, whose planned future in Chavannes is also centre. You will discover an area criss-crossed by major roads, a metro line and a motorway. You will also see forests and a massive sports complex owned by Lausanne City Council. “The hamlet of Chavannes (to the south) was undermined by Renens train station, which was built at some distance from it,” says Biéler. The entire history of this plot of land is summed up by the way it is divided between a rail and industrial zone to the north and marshy plains to the south. “In the past, the yokels from the south used to brawl with the louts from the north,” Christian Vernez, a local teacher, quips in his book about Chavannes, cited by town councillor Eduardo Camacho-Hübner. The latter, a Franco-Bolivian engineer who moved here as a student at EPFL in 1993, has since put down roots. His former apartment looked out over an emblematic location of the municipality’s industrial past: the Perrier plant, opened by the manufacturer in 1925, which used to produce “têtes de nègre”, the chocolate and marshmallow confectionary whose racist name was banned in 1992. Living nearby led him to devote a book to the subject. Contrary to other industrial sites in West Lausanne, which were destroyed to make room for activities or housing, the Perrier factory was transformed into a cultural and crafts hub. A welcoming place Buildings are being constructed left, right and centre. One particularly audacious project is a 36-storey tower with a planted roof in the Les Cèdres district, in the south of the municipality, on the other side of the motorway. This district should house 1,700 inhabitants. To the south-east, a medical campus is planned, hosting 4,000 students in 500 residences. On either side two new districts are being planned that will house around 2,500 people. With its excellent transport links, closeness to Lausanne and Lake Geneva and its affordable housing, Chavannes is an appealing location. Maintaining quality of life amid a burgeoning population is one of mayor Loubna Laabar’s biggest concerns. Photo: Stéphane Herzog Chavannes is a popular place to live for students (who often live in studio apartments such as this one in the “Vortex”). Yet affordable accommodation is also helping to attract new residents. Photo: Keystone linked to the EPFL, where her husband studied. This development involves ongoing effort to create infrastructure: water collection tanks, roads, schools and public facilities. Quite the challenge for a small municipality. Chavannes is home to plenty of students, but few wealthy taxpayers and only a handful of companies and has hardly any properties for sale. Intermunicipal equalisation is also heightening the financial imbalance. The mayor accepts the challenge, but the Chavannes administration is keen to preserve the region’s quality of life. A motorway with a 60 km/h limit For example, the municipality intends to set limits of 30 km/h on six of its major roads. Four already have this limit. It also recently decided to withdraw from a convention signed with the Federal Roads Office and the canSwiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 10 Report
ton of Vaud for the creation of a bypass road in Chavannes. It emerged that traffic on this road was lighter than anticipated. The municipality’s proposal was to abandon this bypass, divide the number of the motorway’s lanes by two (since it is a dead end) and reduce speed to 60 km/h. “This junction was the last straw: Chavannes is not a major source of traffic and has the lowest number of cars in the canton of Vaud,” the mayor explains. Not to mention the noise pollution affecting a large number of neighbourhoods. restaurant, such as a homemade chicken cordon bleu with a light cheese mousse and pickles. This draws in clients from far and wide. The need for a town square The municipality is aware of these needs. On the one hand, it does organise activities for its residents. For example, it runs a one-week summer camp – for 100 Swiss francs – attended by around a hundred children each time. On the other hand, it is also looking for urban planning Chavannes-près- Renens, a municipality covering a relatively small space, is situated in the greater Lausanne region, an area of strong economic growth. Map: Swisstopo Eduardo Camacho-Hübner moved to Chavannes to study, then decided to stay. He is now a member of the town council. Photo: Stéphane Herzog In Chavannes, urban density meets the vast sweep of Lake Geneva – a blue expanse framed by the Alps. Photo: Keystone solutions. Chavannes has invested ten million francs in building a bicycle and pedestrian walkway over the motorway, connecting Place de la Gare with the Les Cèdres neighbourhood. “This ties the north and the south parts of the territory together,” Loubna Laabar explains. The municipality also intends to create a large public square at the foot of its future tower. To do this, it will rely on a system of shared ownership that will allow it to create public squares or play areas whose management ultimately falls to the council. “Chavannes is a unique place where life is good,” concludes the socialist politician, who is originally from Morocco and came to the region in 2008. What is it like to live in the area? Lisa Bonard is the owner of the Café de Chavannes, located in the heart of the former village. She dreams of festive events, new bars, a cinema and a town square. “We build all these big apartment blocks but the population live their lives elsewhere,” she says. In fact, her restaurant acts like a kind of town square. Several populations rub shoulders there: students, teachers and factory workers. The Lausanne native is very active, organising artists’ markets and natural wine-tasting events and serving inventive cuisine in her Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 11
CHRISTOF FORSTER The Federal Council lifted the last Covid restrictions in mid-February 2022 – only to face a new problem one week later. Nonetheless the government found it hard to flick the crisis switch back on immediately. In front of the media, the President of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “sad day” and made vague reference to sanctions. The government appeared before the cameras one day later, now as a group of three, but once more it was still unclear where the Federal Council stood. Everyone had seen the shocking footage from Ukraine by then. Protests against the invasion drew crowds around the country. People in Europe had got used to peace after the Cold War and, again, after the Balkan wars of the 1990s. There has been fighting in eastern Ukraine since 2014. But it was not until the full-scale invasion and the battle for Kyiv that the conflict properly hit home in Switzerland. The tangible consequences came in the form of a wave of refugees Switzerland and the war in Ukraine Four years on, and the war in Ukraine continues to have an impact in Switzerland. Amid fierce debate over increased defence spending and the question of neutrality, the armed forces are enjoying renewed public support, while the flow of refugees from the war zone has stiffened Switzerland’s asylum stance. from Ukraine. Cars with “UA” registration plates soon became a common sight around Switzerland. Meanwhile, demand for Ukrainian flags surged. People stood with Ukraine. Defence spending increased. And parliament debated whether soldiers should again be allowed to keep ammunition at home – this, too, a consequence of Europe’s security landscape being reshaped by the war. The great neutrality debate By adopting European Union sanctions against Russia, the Federal Council sparked a fierce debate around Swiss neutrality that rumbles on to this day. Former Federal Councillor Christoph Blocher (SVP) wasted little time in announcing a popular initiative. He described economic sanctions as a “weapon of war”. Playing into the hands of an aggressor is not being neutral, Cassis countered. Blocher’s initiative advocates a strict interpretation of neutrality. Switzerland should no longer be able to imUkrainian refugees have largely melted into everyday Swiss life – but continue to take to the streets to denounce the Russian invasion. Archive photo: Keystone; Zurich, February 2025 Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 12 Society
instead think about how its commodity traders have filled Putin’s war chest and how Swiss manufacturing has contributed to Russia’s war machine.” Given that a lot of Swiss money and key materials are fuelling Russian aggression, Switzerland has a particular obligation to help Ukraine financially, he adds. However, relative to its economic strength, Switzerland has been one of the least generous European countries until now. Conservative politicians, for their part, called for higher defence spending in the wake of the Russian invasion. And their wishes have since been granted, with parliament increasing the defence budget and cutting foreign aid. The left-wing parties have accused the conservatives of military tub-thumping. The defence ministry now wants to increase VAT in order to cover the billions of francs in additional spending, according to reports in the media. The armed forces are set to receive a lot more money in the long term – again as a consequence of the war in Ukraine. Successful integration Beyond politics, the Swiss public has shown solidarity and support towards Ukrainian refugees, helping them with German tuition, administrative procedures, and the search for accommodation. In the first three months after the invasion, 80 per cent of Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland stayed with private hosts. Looking back, Miriam Behrens, the director of the non-governmental Swiss Refugee Council, says that Switzerland coped well with the influx, which saw the number of asylum seekers skyrocket from 20,000 to 100,000. The asylum system is stable but has reached its limit, she adds. As an example, Behrens notes that public officials have voiced criticisms that have then been picked up by politicians and dominated public debate. “This has paved the way for a lot of new restrictions, not only affecting protection status S but also the asylum system per se.” Refugees seem to be an easy target, she complains. Yet Behrens believes Switzerland can be proud that 45 per cent of people who arrived in 2022 are currently in work. Our country should take a great deal of credit for this, she says. Although the war in Ukraine has left its mark on Switzerland, Ukrainians themselves have largely melted into everyday life. pose sanctions on warring countries – United Nations sanctions constituting the sole exception, says Blocher. So how has the war in Ukraine changed Swiss attitudes to neutrality and the armed forces? According to an annual study by ETH Zurich that evaluates public opinion on foreign, security and defence policy issues, overwhelming public support for neutrality remains intact – with some 90 percent of respondents still in favour. Yet 28 percent say that Switzerland should also make its position clear in relation to military conflicts, despite its status as a neutral country. This view is much more popular since the war began, compared to the years that preceded hostilities. Seventy per cent also think it right that Switzerland adopt sanctions against Russia. Hubert Annen has been lecturing in military psychology at the ETH Zurich Military Academy for about 30 years. His professional activities had for a long time engendered responses in his private circle ranging from scepticism to outright disapproval, he says. He often found himself having to explain – or even justify – his work. This changed after Putin’s invasion. “Most people now agree that Switzerland needs an army, not to mention experts looking after the mental health of our soldiers.” ETH Zurich has also assessed the impact of war on public sentiment. Wars and conflicts are now seen as the biggest threat. Never in the past 35 years have so many voters felt that Switzerland is underspending on defence, while 82 per cent of those surveyed believe that the army is necessary – a marked increase. And something else has changed: as in previous conflicts, more people now want Switzerland to move closer to NATO, with the ETH Zurich study indicating a narrow majority in favour of SwissNATO rapprochement. The armed forces are now a little more popular than they were. Yet the public have less of an appetite to pick up the tab, says Annen. The vast majority of respondents say that they are unwilling to fund defence spending through higher taxes or any other additional commitment. Criticism from abroad Foreign pressure on Switzerland and the Federal Council mainly comes from European nations that wish to re-export their Swiss-made munitions to Ukraine but are prevented from doing so by the Federal Council. The countries in question criticise the strict interpretation of neutrality in this case and have threatened to stop buying from Swiss arms manufacturers. Berne has now responded, with the Swiss parliament voting in December to relax restrictions on arms exports that were introduced shortly before the invasion of Ukraine. Peace activist and former Green National Councillor Jo Lang calls the decision a smokescreen. Delivering munitions via third-party countries, he says, is legally unfeasible and militarily of little significance. “Switzerland should Read our lead article on Ukraine, published in July 2022: www.revue.link/ukr2022 Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 13
DENISE LACHAT Smartphones were never designed with children in mind – but they have reshaped childhood almost overnight. This is the view of Smartphone Free Childhood, an international grassroots movement of parents committed to delaying children’s access to smartphones for as long as possible. Smartphone Free Childhood believes that children are being pulled into a digital world designed to keep them hooked. Various studies have outlined the huge impact they have on children’s development, mental health and relationships. In particular, US academics Jonathan Haidt and Jean Marie Twenge have presented evidence that there has been a surge in teenage depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts since the adoption of smartphones, and that smartphones have severely undermined children’s ability to concentrate and learn. Smartphone bans Various countries have responded by banning the use of smartphones at school. Italy and France did so a while back, while the Netherlands followed suit at the beginning of 2024. Denmark is Europe’s most digitally advanced country, where schools provide pupils with access to computer tablets from an early age. But it, too, moved to ban mobile phones in all schools (up to age 16/17) in autumn 2025. In these and other cases, the argument put forward for banning mobiles is that, while school-provided computers and tablets can and should offer engaging access to learning content, privately owned smartphones prevent children from concentrating and are detrimental to the classroom (and playground) dynamic. Educational jurisdiction in Switzerland is a matter for the cantons, not the federal government. Hence, the approach to smartphones in the classroom varies from canton to canton. Nevertheless, there is a general trend towards banning devices at school. Vaud and Ticino have already had bans in place for quite some time, while the classrooms of Nidwalden, Valais, Aargau and Neuchâtel have been smartphone-free since the beginning of this school year. There are similar moves afoot in Zug and Thurgau. Other cantons have rejected a ban, albeit noting in some cases that responsibility lies with individual municipalities. Without explicitly banShould smartphones be banned at school? There have been calls in Switzerland for a blanket ban on smartphones at school. Others want clearer rules. At the same time there is the question of whether children should be banned from using social media altogether. ning smartphones, many schools apply their own rules – such as requiring children to hand in their phones for safe storage at the start of the day, where the devices then remain until home time. Voices across the political spectrum have called for smartphone bans. And a clear majority of the Swiss population agrees. According to a study by the Swiss-based Sotomo research institute, 80 percent of people in Switzerland want children to be barred from using their phones at school. Although Switzerland is still a long way from implementing a national ban, the Federal Council has been Mobile phones in the classroom are already a thing of the past in Valais, where school pupils place their devices into smartphone pouches at the start of the day. Photo: Keystone Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 14 Society
Smartphones are a distraction in the classroom but also an important part of children’s everyday lives, containing essential things like bus tickets. owns Facebook and Instagram, must now take steps to deactivate accounts used by under-16s. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also supports a social media age limit, and several EU states are currently considering whether to implement bans. This could also become an issue for Switzerland’s lawmakers, given that the initiators of both parliamentary motions in Berne not only want to know what the Federal Council thinks of banning smartforced to address the matter after the federal parliament approved two almost identical upper-house motions from the Green Party. The government must now produce a report outlining its position and setting out how the state can protect children and teenagers from excessive and damaging consumption of social media. The parliamentary motions in question applied arguments based on the studies mentioned above. Promoting a healthy relationship with smartphones But what do Switzerland’s teachers, school heads and youth experts think of banning phones at school? In short, not a lot. In 2024, the umbrella organisation of teachers in Switzerland, the LCH, noted that the aforementioned studies had shown quite a mixed picture. The success of smartphone bans in schools is heavily dependent on how well such bans are implemented and communicated, it says, adding that careful consideration needs to go into balancing the need to curtail smartphone exposure with promoting smart use of phones and other digital devices. Smartphones can be a source of distraction. They can also lead to addiction, cyberbullying and other risks. But they do offer an important medium for learning, the LCH argues. Banning them outright would be counterproductive, in its view. Pro Juventute, the Swiss foundation promoting child and youth welfare, also prefers a more reasoned approach that allows schools to retain the prerogative. But above all, it wants young people to be consulted. If they are excluded from the decision-making process, schoolchildren will more than likely try to circumvent any bans, it points out. “Schoolchildren will take a second device into school with them or use their phones secretly.” The needs of children and teenagers also have to be taken seriously, says Pro Juventute. Many of them use their phone on the way to school or before and after classes, because they need it to access their bus ticket or communicate with their parents for example. Pro Juventute believes that a blanket ban on smartphones is ill-advised and would make young people’s everyday lives more difficult. Schoolchildren should instead be equipped with the digital skills and literacy that they need to keep them safe online, it states. Social media ban? The association of school principals in German-speaking Switzerland shares this view. However, its chair Thomas Minder also wants politicians to do their bit. Minors should be banned from using social media in the same way that they are barred from voting and managing their own financial affairs until they reach the age of 18, he told Tamedia in a recent interview, saying that he struggled to understand why young people should be allowed on apps that were as addictive as cigarettes and alcohol. No more Instagram and TikTok? In December 2025, Australia became the first country in the world to enact a social media ban for children under the age of 16. Meta, the company that Minors should be banned from using social media, says Thomas Minder, chair of the association of school principals in German-speaking Switzerland. Photo provided Sotomo study (in German only): www.revue.link/handy Smartphone Free Childhood website: www.revue.link/phonefree phones in schools, but whether the government would also consider barring young people from social media. Fierce debate is likely to continue until any Federal Council report is forthcoming, not least because two school pupils in Australia launched a high court challenge to the under-16s social media ban shortly before the new law came into force down under. Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 15
Our planet has seen countless climate disasters. Telescopes take visitors billions of years back in time to an age when Earth was a desert. Earth’s history, condensed into a one-minute video. Humans only appear on screen seconds before the end. Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 16 Images
A climate exhibition without the lecturing How are we doing in the fight against climate change? Berne’s Natural History Museum will attempt to keep tabs on this over the next ten to 20 years in a fascinating exhibition that also has a message of hope. fuels.” The burning of coal, oil and gas still accounts for 70 per cent of global CO2 emissions. “Climate change is not politics, but physics.” The exhibition takes visitors far back in time but always keeps the connection to the present. Strahm: “We also want the exhibition to appeal to people who have zero scientific knowledge.” Walking with dinosaurs Nevertheless, anyone with existing knowledge will also learn plenty. For example, there is another cube structure, this time devoted to an event dating back 66 million years: the 14-km-diameter asteroid that slammed into what is today south-east Mexico. The impact spewed sulphur into the atmosphere, turning the Earth into an inhospitable place within seconds and sending the dinosaurs into extinction. But not all life was wiped out. Some birds that lived on the ground instead of in trees survived the catastrophe – probably because they relied less on habitats (trees) that were destroyed, say scientists. These birds are the dinosaurs that are still among us today. The new exhibition will run for an unusual length of time: it is scheduled to remain in situ for the next ten to 20 years. Some elements – including 12 short videos of people from different walks of life saying how they currently view climate change – will be continually updated during this period. The same 12 people will each record a new video every year. What we can or could still do The exhibition will also keep tabs on whether humanity is making progress or otherwise in the fight against climate change. A big diagram hangs on one display wall, with numerous columns depicting greenhouse gas emissions and the extent of global warming until 2050 – the year by which most countries aim to have delivered on their net-zero goal of no longer producing more CO2 emissions than they can offset. Every year, the next column will be updated. The data for the 2025 entry will soon be available. It is already safe to say that CO2 emissions JÜRG STEINER Slobbering, croaking and splashing all around. You find yourself in a dripping swamp as a monstrous dragonfly hurtles through the air. Beside a rotting tree stump, a white, eyeless thing – possibly a worm or a caterpillar – drags itself forward, its feelers outstretched. You automatically look down to make sure that your feet are not sinking into the quagmire. This is a rainforest scene from a new exhibition at Berne’s Natural History Museum called “Earth, folks! – The changing climate”. The tropical swamp sits within a wooden cube that shows the world as it looked 300 million years ago. Long before humans. Twenty years ago, during the excavation of the Lötschberg Base Tunnel, evidence came to light that the region now forming the mountainous canton of Berne was once a hot, swampy environment. Workers not only found granite but also came across a layer of rock containing the carbonised remnants of prehistoric plants. What has this got to do with climate change? The answer is that the remnants are a fossilised reminder of the vast quantities of carbon that intact wetlands were able to capture over centuries. By burning fossil fuels, modern civilisation has released this trapped carbon as CO2 within a matter of decades and driven climate change. Fanning the flames This is how the Natural History Museum uses visual language to powerful effect, underscoring that climate change and natural disasters have been constant factors throughout the Earth’s history. But humans, relative newcomers on this planet, are now setting immense forces in motion. Still, unlike meteorite strikes or volcanic eruptions, we can (or could) still do quite a lot to avert catastrophe. Dora Strahm, the exhibition curator, explains this accessible approach to the subject matter: “We want to return to the underlying facts that often fade into the background but are far less complicated than people make out.” Strahm condenses Earth’s underlying problem into one succinct sentence: “We are still burning fossil Three hundred million years ago, Switzerland was a marshland where the fossil fuels we burn today were formed. Photos: Danielle Liniger Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1 17
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