THE MAGAZINE FOR T HE SWISS ABROAD JUNE 2014 / N O. 3 Drmic Seferovic Mehmedi Stocker Xhaka Gavranovic Inler Shaqiri Barnetta Dzemaili Lang Behrami Ziegler Schär Fernandes Von Bergen Lichtsteiner Senderos Djourou Rodriguez Benaglio Sommer Bürki Swiss abroad are the back- More and more Major Swiss bone of our national football popular initiatives – presence team – coach Ottmar Hitzfeld direct democracy at the Leipzig will bow out in Brazil pushed to the limit Book Fair International Health Insurance 61 11 Based on Swiss standards Lifelong private medical treatment Worldwidefreechoiceofdoctorand clinic www.ilgauto.ch Furthermore: 40 Modelle! Internationaldisabilityinsurance ab Fr. 550.-/MT. 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The platform also offers a comprehensive service for the Swiss abroad.” Network with other Swiss abroad Sign up for free membership Keep up to date on relevant news and events Find an apartment – or the best fondue in town www.swisscommunity.org Discover Switzerland SwissCommunity partners EDITORIAL CON TENTS 3 The Swiss people must provide clarity ootball fever is currently taking hold around the world. Millions 4 of people are excitedly looking forward to Brazil where the World Cup Final Mailbag will be played on 13 July. Ottmar Hitzfeld, the manager of the Swiss national F 5 team, will make his final major appearance with his squad at this World Cup. This Books: The eventful life of Alexandre Yersin team, as we have noted, is mainly made up of Swiss abroad: 16 players in the 23-man squad live abroad – the illustration on the cover page indicates in which countries. 6 To mark Hitzfeld’s departure, page 22 in the sports section features a profile of the Images: New and old paper cuts man who still faces doubts and fears despite being one of the most successful coaches in world football. 8 Great uncertainty and fears currently exist in Switzerland over immigration pol - Now here comes Ecopop – a new popular icy. After the “initiative against mass immigration” was approved in February, it is initiative on immigration becoming increasingly clear how the demands for restricting immigration contained in the Swiss People’s Party initiative are placing a strain on our relations with the 12 Swiss people reject new fighter jets international community. The Federal Council is frantically and resolutely attempt - ing to restructure our relationship with the European Union. However, as Foreign 13 Minister Didier Burkhalter (FDP The Liberals) explained at Federal Councillor Alain Berset plans major the beginning of May, the bilateral agreements with the EU pension reform cannot easily be amended. The electorate will therefore have to make a decision at the ballot box very soon as to whether it Regional news wants Switzerland to pursue a course of isolationism or to con - tinue along the bilateral path. However, before we reach that stage, we will have to vote on immigration restrictions again, 17 with the Ecopop initiative set to be put to referendum before Foray into Happiness – exhibition on the the end of the year. This popular initiative may be of particular significance to the Belle Époque at the Swiss National Museum Swiss abroad. Launched by environmental groups, the initiative calls for annual im- migration to be strictly restricted to 0.2 percent of the resident population. That 22 National team coach Hitzfeld – amounts to around 16,000 persons a year based on Switzerland’s current popula - caught between the desire to win and the tion. In practice, this would mean that if this quota were reached, even the Swiss fear of failure abroad would no longer be able to return home. More about the people behind this popular initiative and the political tug-of-war over immigration can be found in our 24 key focus article on page 8. Literature series: Philippe Jaccottet Finally, we have to say farewell to our colleague Alain Wey. He has been a mem - ber of the “Swiss Review” editorial team for ten years but will now turn his atten - 25 tion to new challenges. With his great interest in the mountains, his affinity with OSA news the cultural scene and his exceptional access to the world of sport, he has produced 28 some remarkable articles for “Swiss Review” and made a major contribution to the Notes from Parliament diversity of its content. We wish to thank Alain Wey most sincerely for his tremen - dous commitment and wish him every success in his new challenges. We are delighted 30 to welcome Stéphane Herzog, a journalist from Geneva with experience of various Echo media, as a new member of our editorial team. BARBARA ENGEL Cover image: Illustration by Wieslaw Smetek on the Swiss national football team IMPRINT: “Swiss Review”, the magazine for the Swiss abroad, is in its 41st year of publication and is published in German, French, Italian, English and Spanish in 14 regional editions. It has a total circulation of 400,000, including 140,000 electronic copies. Regional news appears four times a year. The ordering parties are fully responsible for the content of advertise- ments and promotional inserts. This content does not necessarily represent the opinion of either the editorial office or the publisher. ■ EDITORS: Barbara Engel (BE), Editor-in-Chief; Marc Lettau (MUL); Jürg Müller (JM); Peter Zimmerli (PZ), responsible for “Notes from Parliament”, Relations with the Swiss Abroad, FDFA, 3003 Berne, Switzerland. Translation: CLS Com- munication AG ■ LAYOUT: Herzog Design, Zurich ■ POSTAL ADDRESS: Publisher, editorial office, advertising: Organi sation of the Swiss Abroad, Alpen- ■ ■ W June 2014 / No. 3 W June 2014 / No. strasse 26, 3006 Berne, Tel.: +41313566110, Fax: +41313566101, Postal account (Swiss National Giro): 30-6768-9. EMAIL: [email protected] PRINT: Vogt-Schild IE ■ V Druck AG, 4552 Derendingen. All Swiss abroad who are registered with a Swiss representation receive the magazine free of charge. Anyone else can RE ■ subscribe to the magazine for an annual fee (Switzerland: CHF 30 / abroad: CHF 50). Subscribers are sent the magazine direct from Berne. INTERNET: ■ ISS www.revue.ch Copy deadline for this edition: 22.4.2014 SW ■ CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please advise your local embassy or consulate. Do not write to the editorial office in Berne. 4 MAILBAG Yes to initiative on mass with the policies of the 4th persons and EU treaties is Picasso and the immigration Reich – the EU. sooner overlooked. What now prostitutes of Avignon Mr Blocher has once again KLAUS WERNER WEGMÜLLER, after this disastrous referen- I had the pleasure to share used his wealth to force CHONBURI, THAILAND dum result? As a Swiss person the admirable work carried through an initiative in line living abroad, I once again out by Hildy and Ernst with his own agenda. It is cringe at the ever increasing Beyeler. In your article high time that the parties Cringe factor xenophobia in my native coun- entitled “A summer house for had to disclose their accounts The arguments put forward by try and hope that the ap- modern art”, I find the part just like every employee, em- the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) pointed working groups on on Picasso’s painting “Les ployer and association. prior to the referendum were both sides somehow still find a demoiselles d’Avignon” ALFRED STEINER, once again rather far-fetched. way to avoid a debacle. strange. The “rue d’Avignon” NEGOMBO, SRI LANKA There has been a housing crisis MARLENE LEIMBACH, in Barcelona was a street in the major cities for decades. GROSS-ZIMMERN, GERMANY heavily frequented by prosti- We should not forget the large- tutes in the last century and Waiting game scale riots during the 1980s they provided the inspiration I can hardly believe that we when the slogan “W! W! A majority? for the young Picasso. The as a sovereign state allow Wohnigsnot!” (H! H! Housing Another perspective for once – painting has nothing to do ourselves to be told what to crisis) resounded through the with a turnout of 55.8% and a with the Vaucluse region as it do by the EU. We are now streets of various cities. Com- 50.3% yes vote, only around is just a street in Barcelona waiting for the EU parlia - muter trains and access roads 28% of the Swiss people actu- that bears the name of this mentary elections to finish. to economic centres have ally approved the mass immi- French town. There are in fact an increas - rarely been uncongested.