Swiss army clueless about large drones; MPs allow more Sunday shop openings; Switzerland's biggest admirer is Germany

News for 28 January, 2025

Drones have been spotted circling over military bases in Switzerland. As one soldier based in the Bronschhofen military base in St. Gallen said recently, “three large quadcopters [drones with four rotors arranged in a square] suddenly appeared and began to circle about 40 or 50 metres above the site."

“They hovered over us and were watching us,” he added. This was not just a figment of the soldier’s imagination. “The army is aware of this incident,” army spokesperson Stefan Hofer confirmed, adding that “nothing is known so far about the intent or the origin of the drones.”

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Swiss labour legislation forbids Sunday shop openings, with the exception of small family-operated shops, stores located in tourist areas, major train stations and airports, and petrol stations. The main reason for this is to give retail employees time off from work, because Sunday is generally considered in Switzerland as a ‘day of rest’, when much of the country shuts down.

But now both chambers of the parliament are in favour of allowing cantons to open shops up to 12 Sundays each year —  that is, one Sunday per month. With this move, the National Committee for Economic Affairs and Fees wants to give "greater freedom to cantons and municipalities to decide whether, and how often, Sunday work is possible in shops, without requiring authorisation."

However, the Swiss Trade Union Federation is firmly opposed to this move, calling it “antisocial and dangerous to the health of sales staff." Ultimately, before this change can go into effect, it would to be put to a referendum in each canton that seeIn recent weeks, many words of praise toward Switzerland came from its northern neighbour. First, daily newspaper Die Welt, urged Germans to move to Switzerland, calling it "a dream destination for skilled workers." Now two other German media outlets, Die Zeit and ARD Tagesschau, have highlighted everything that's wrong in Germany but right in Switzerland.

Firstly, the political system: "Switzerland is characterised by its stability and culture of compromise. The Swiss Federal Council is organised like a team in which the strongest parties from left to right work together," German media reported. "This consensus system forces politicians to reach agreement instead of blocking each other. And although the political conflicts are often heated, the most important decisions continue calmly and efficiently."

And on the economic front, Swiss economy is doing better than Germany's due to robust industries, strong currency, and flexible labour market.ks to adopt the measure.

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In recent weeks, many words of praise toward Switzerland came from its northern neighbour. First, daily newspaper Die Welt, urged Germans to move to Switzerland, calling it "a dream destination for skilled workers." Now two other German media outlets, Die Zeit and ARD Tagesschau, have highlighted everything that's wrong in Germany but right in Switzerland.

Firstly, the political system: "Switzerland is characterised by its stability and culture of compromise. The Swiss Federal Council is organised like a team in which the strongest parties from left to right work together," German media reported. "This consensus system forces politicians to reach agreement instead of blocking each other. And although the political conflicts are often heated, the most important decisions continue calmly and efficiently."

And on the economic front, Swiss economy is doing better than Germany's due to robust industries, strong currency, and flexible labour market.