The magazine for the swiss abroad

February 2013 / No. 1

Meret Oppenheim – homage to mark 100th birthday

Poor prognosis for Swiss healthcare system

Luc Hoffmann – a life dedicated to conservation ORGANISATION OF THE SWISS ABROAD

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Fragile international relationships eli maurer takes over the presidency of switzerland this year. 5 ­Parliament half-heartedly elected the Head of the Federal Department of De- Mailbag Ufence to the office in December. Even Maurer himself does not appear par­ 5 ticularly enthralled by the honour and responsibilities of serving as President of Books: Love stories from Switzerland ­Switzerland. He asked colleagues close to him whether there was any way of forgoing office. Ueli Maurer, who, together with his Swiss People’s Party, advocates a policy of 6 isolationism in foreign affairs, is now Switzerland’s figurehead in the international arena. Images: Alpine delicacies The question of whether that is beneficial to our nation has to be raised. This is espe- 8 cially valid in view of the fact that Switzerland’s relations with the international com- Our healthcare system – very expensive munity are fragile and we increasingly find ourselves in the pillory on the world stage and ill-equipped for the future due to the disgraceful conduct of our banks, our tax policy and for showing a lack of solidarity, to name but a few reasons. Maurer nevertheless seems to have a degree of 12 insight into the different issues although he has asked foreign minister Didier Burkhal- Environment Arena in Spreitenbach – ter to represent Switzerland in his place at various meetings abroad. You can read more a cocktail of conservation and commerce about Ueli Maurer’s profile and career in the article on page 14. 14 One issue of major concern to Switzerland’s people and politi- Swiss President Ueli Maurer – cians is the healthcare system. Costs are continuing to rise, which a complex politician is explained by a range of factors. Any proposal put forward to curb spending has to date been fought tooth and nail by one fac- 16 tion or another - doctors, insurance companies or the pharma- Literature series: Cilette Ofaire ceutical industry - and with a high degree of success. In contrast to his predecessors Didier Burkhalter and Pascal Couchepin, Fed- Regional news eral Councillor Alain Berset, who has been Head of the ­Federal Department of Home Affairs for over a year now, appears to be intent on finding so- 17 lutions and does not shy away from conflict. Our focal article on page eight provides Meret Oppenheim – portrait of an artist an insight into the problems facing Switzerland’s healthcare system and the solutions proposed, as well as a fascinating interview on the ethical aspects of possible cutbacks 20 Luc Hoffmann – a man with a mission in medical services. Finally, I would like to say an official farewell to René Lenzin as a member of the 23 ­editorial team. He has worked for “Swiss Review” for 20 years, initially as the ­managing Didier Défago – our reluctant great hope editor and later as the Swiss political affairs editor. René Lenzin accepted a new posi- tion on the home affairs desk at the Zurich “Tages-Anzeiger” last year, which will re- 25 OSA news quire all his journalistic energy. We wish to thank him for everything he has done for “Swiss Review”. He will most certainly be missed by the editorial team. ­Lenzin’s 27 ­successor is Jürg Müller, a well-known and prominent journalist who possesses an in- Notes from Parliament depth knowledge of Swiss federal politics. He was a journalist on the Bernese “Bund” newspaper until three years ago and now works as a freelance journalist and lecturer. 30 Echo We are delighted to welcome our new colleague onto the editorial team. He has made his debut in this issue with his profile of Swiss President Ueli Maurer. Barbara Engel Cover image: Meret Oppenheim, international figurehead of Swiss art, photographed by Peter Friedli. Source reference: SIK-ISEA Zurich 1 IMPRINT: “Swiss Review”, the magazine for the Swiss abroad, is in its 40th year of publication and is published in German, French, Italian, English and Spanish in 14 regional editions. It has a total circulation of 400000, including 140000 electronic copies. Regional news appears four times a year. The ordering parties are fully responsible for the content of advertisements and promotional inserts. These contents do 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); Alain Wey (AW); Jean-François Lichtenstern (JFL), responsible for “Notes from Parliament”, Relations with the Swiss Abroad, FDFA, 3003 Berne, Switzerland. Translation: CLS Communication AG ■ LAYOUT: Herzog Design, Zurich ■ POSTAL ADDRESS: Publisher, editorial office, advertising: Organi­ sation ­of the Swiss Abroad, Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Berne, Tel.: +41313566110, Fax: +41313566101, Postal account (Swiss National Giro): 30-6768-9. ■ E-MAIL: [email protected] ■ PRINT: Vogt-Schild Druck AG, 4552 Derendingen. ■ CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please advise your local embassy or consulate. Do not write to Berne. ■ All Swiss abroad who are registered with a Swiss representation receive the magazine free of charge. Anyone else can subscribe to the magazine for an annual fee (Switzerland: CHF 30 / abroad: CHF 50). Subscribers are sent the magazine direct from Berne. wiss Review February 2013 / No.

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Great shame Alternative pilgrimages Love comes. Love goes. And anyone who invites seven- To my great surprise, there was I enjoyed reading the article teen authors to write about love sees love come and no mention of the 20th anni- on pilgrimages in the Decem- go in many different ways, blossoming and founder- versary of Switzerland’s rejec- ber issue of “Swiss Review”. I ing, sometimes growing slowly and sometimes lasting tion of accession to the EU in have been living in Sweden for forever. In “Amami – Liebe mich”, the carefully pro- the December 2012 issue of two years as a Swiss abroad. duced publication by the recently established “Abend- “Swiss Review”. The vote held As a born Catholic theologian, stern Edizioni” publishing house in Ticino, the au- on 6 December 1992 was a mo- I have taken on the task of thors do not simply attempt to explain love. They mentous event in our nation’s raising the profile of the pil- provide accounts of it. They relate the most intimate history. I believe that this ‘no’ grimage routes and destina- of all emotions. They explore what love does to us and has had detrimental conse- tions of the north in German- what we do with love – and how we also sometimes quences for our country. It speaking Europe. When you mistreat it. forces us into bilateral agree- talk about pilgrimage destina- The seventeen accounts, many written especially for ments that are costing us dear tions in Central Europe eve- the anthology, include the angry, rebellious love of Love stories from Switzerland and which we are compelled to ryone thinks of Santiago de two teenagers (by Martin R. Dean), calculating, sign. They prevent us from par- Compostela (which really is feigned compassion for a dying person (by Charles Lewin- ticipating in Europe’s develop- very overcrowded). Few peo- sky) and tender affections that outlast death, as in Daniel ment and from contributing ple are familiar with Trond- de Roulet’s tale where an elderly widower tries to scatter our wealth of experience in the heim in Norway or Vadstena the ashes of his deceased love in the wind only for the wind cohabitation of diverse ethnic in Sweden despite the fact to blow them back in his face: “I feel your ashes on my lips and linguistic groups. We are that Trondheim was the third but dare not lick them. Is that not your farewell kiss?” obliged to take European laws most important pilgrimage Containing just under 200 pages, the book reveals subtle into account in our legislation destination in Europe in the inner reflections from the complex realm of love experi- but have no say in European Middle Ages. enced by people living in Switzerland. But what actually legislation. Switzerland is in Pilgrimages here in the north makes “Liebesgeschichten aus der Schweiz” (Love stories fact a passive member of Eu- are calmer and less commercial. from Switzerland), which is the book’s subtitle, a Swiss rope and this is a great shame. The vastness of the countries is book? All the authors are obviously of Swiss nationality. Max Plattner, ideally suited to pilgrimages. But, that aside, they are all very different. They speak dif- Lucinges, France Sibylle Hardegger, ferent languages, use contrasting writing styles, represent Uppsala, Sweden different generations and, in some cases, have dissimilar A network of temperaments. Yet, the compilation of literary gems pro- pilgrimage routes Persona non grata duces a cohesive picture of lovers in a very small country, I have also walked 900 kilome- Swiss abroad face insur- which, despite its size, still breaks down into different liv- tres along the Way of St James mountable hurdles in securing ing environments and linguistic regions held together not and would like to point some- housing, employment and a least by love. Or, at any rate, they remain fatefully en- thing out. The Way of St James decent standard of living twined through love stories. is not the only pilgrimage route. when returning to Switzer- From that perspective, the book is also something it does There is an entire network that land to stay and live here. Un- not set out to be – a declaration of love to Switzerland. In stretches across Europe, includ- fortunately, they do not get any case, the role played by the small publishing house is ing through Germany and any support from the com- to be commended. It is contributing to new Switzerland. Many of these munes they originally came emotional ties by bringing together in one routes are not very well devel- from. It seems as though they work authors who write in Italian, such as oped and you can walk the en- are not welcome. But at elec- Giovanni Orelli, German-speaking writers like tire day without seeing another tion time they are told that Anne Cueno, Eveline Hasler, Pedro Lenz and LIEBESGESCHICHTEN soul and only meet other pil- they are fully fledged citizens AUS DER S CHWEIZ Peter Stamm, authors with their roots in the grims in the evening at your ac- with the same duties and Romansh region, including Oscar Peer, and lit- commodation, which is hope- rights as everyone else, which erary talents from French-speaking Switzer- fully available. Many volunteers unfortunately is not the case. land, such as Sylviane Chatelain and Daniel de keep these routes and lodgings A communal official told my Roulet, thus counteracting the trend where one Swiss lin- in good condition and expressly daughter when she returned guistic region barely recognises the literature produced in 1 o. welcome leisure-time pilgrims. to Switzerland that she should the other Swiss languages. The book is therefore also an af- Many a pilgrim has not just have stayed where she was! fectionate contribution to the miracle of this tiny nation found himself or herself, but What is that supposed to with its many national languages, but above all it simply has also made new or first en- mean? It means you are a per- contains stirring literature. Marc Lettau w February 2013 / N counters with God and faith. sona non grata! evie “Amami – Liebe mich”, 17 Liebesgeschichten aus der Schweiz; Vivian Fröhlich-Kleinschmidt, Anonymous, by e-mail iss R Abendstern Edizioni, 2012; 195 pages; paperback; available in German Sw Photo: ZBG Photo: Aurich, Germany and Italian; CHF 25; EUR 20. 6 Images

sible answers – but only visually, unfortunately. The journalist Alpine delicacies Dominik Flammer and the photographer Sylvan Müller have spent years researching and collecting rarities, from the “Acker­ What does our homeland taste like? What are the flavours and bohne” bean to the “Zuger Rötel” fish. The book does not focus aromas of the alpine region? The book “Das kulinarische Erbe on luxury products but instead on those delicacies and special­ der Alpen” (The culinary legacy of the Alps) provides many pos­ ities that are only found in small quantities and are therefore

Silvia Bossard from Althäusern in the Reuss Valley grows Aargau saffron 1 erlag ss Review February 2013 / No.

Swi Photos: Sylvan Müller – AT V Pierangelo Re is a rice miller in Albano Vercellese, Piedmont, Italy 7

not on sale at every deli counter in the world. Examples include pike liver, Lake Constance caviar and bacon seasoned with herbs in chestnut wood containers. It also features exceptional peo­ ple – the farmers, growers, amateur biologists, hunters and col­ "Das kulinarische Erbe der Alpen"; lectors who have achieved outstanding things thanks to their Dominik Flammer and Sylvan Müller; AT Verlag, Aarau; volume: 368 pages, tremendous commitment and, in some cases, their obstinacy. weight: 2,645 g; price: CHF 98

Angela Tognetti makes Formaggio d’Alpe Monda cheese in Monte Carrasso, Ticino

Johannes Gruber, a beekeeper in St. Magdalena, Austria, produces buckwheat honey 8 Focus

Healthcare – always a work in progress Switzerland provides its citizens with a very high standard of medical care. Everyone is covered by mandatory insurance, there are few bottlenecks and medical professionals deliver outstanding services. Despite this, the Swiss healthcare system is ill-equipped for the future. For instance, who is going to provide care for the 220,000 dementia patients anticipated by 2030? By Seraina Gross

The Swiss healthcare system is a reflection have to bear themselves in the event of ill- tion of mandatory health insurance in 1996. of Switzerland itself – good quality but ex- ness. 10 % of treatment costs are paid by pa- There are various reasons for the impasse pensive. “The Swiss healthcare system in tients, though only up to an amount of in healthcare policy. One is the lack of con- one of the best in the OECD”, according to CHF 700 per year. Each insured person sensus on one key issue. What does the the Organisation for Economic Co-opera- must also cover treatment costs of CHF 300 healthcare system need? More market or tion and Development and the World to CHF 2,500 at the beginning of each year, more state control? The predominantly Health Organization (WHO) in 2011. The depending on the insurance model, before conservative Parliament tends to favour verdict was: “The population has access to the health insurance fund is liable to pay. competitive models, but the Swiss people local healthcare services, a wide range of ser- Even in wealthy Switzerland far from are clearly sceptical, as evidenced by the de- vice providers and insurance companies and ever­yone is able to pay their premiums feat of the managed-care bill drawn up by extensive coverage of basic medical services themselves. Low-income households are Parliament last June. In contrast, there is a and medicines.” High life expectancy is an therefore entitled to financial support. reasonable chance that the Social Democra- indication of the outstanding quality of the ­Almost one in three of those insured now tic Party (SP) initiative for a unified health healthcare system. People live longer in makes use of premium reductions. These insurance fund will be approved by the Switzerland than in almost any other coun- subsidies cost federal and cantonal govern- Swiss people. Political failings have also try in the world. In 2011, a 50-year-old man ment four billion Swiss francs in 2010. played a part. In recent years, politicians could expect to reach the age of 83 and a have not succeeded in establishing an effec- 50-year-old woman had another 35.9 years More market or more state control? tive distribution of risks between the health ahead of her on average. The Swiss healthcare system is still in good insurance funds. Only the insured party’s But quality comes at a price. In 2009, shape for now. But the healthcare expenditure stood at 11.4 % of future prospects are less gross domestic product. By international bright. There are in- comparison, that puts Switzerland on a par creasing signs that Swit- with Canada in seventh place among OECD zerland is unfit to meet countries. The number-one spot, by a clear the great challenges of margin, is occupied by the USA at 17.4 %. the future. Switzerland The Federal Statistical Office calculated is one of the most rapidly Switzerland’s healthcare expenditure at ageing societies in the CHF 62.5 billion in 2010. With a population world. The OECD and of just under eight million, that is the equiv- WHO have been warn- alent of CHF 661 per capita per month. ing that reforms are nec- essary for years. But The burden of premiums is increasing Switzerland struggles High health insurance premiums are there- with reforms. Politicians fore a constant political issue. The Swiss have made little head- people have a significant burden to bear de- way since the introduc- spite the relatively moderate rates of in- crease in recent years. Those insured have spent an average of CHF 353.10 per month on health insurance since January. The in- habitants of Nidwalden have paid the least 1 (CHF 172.10), while the people of Basel have had to dig deepest into their pockets to find CHF 461.40. According to the OECD, a middle-class family with two children spent 9.8 % of their household budget on premi- High-tech, state-of-the- ss Review February 2013 / No. ums in 2007, compared to 7.6 % in 1998. art medicine is extremely

Swi AdrianPhoto: Moser This does not include the costs that patients expensive 9

age and gender are taken into account, not from Geneva, has given the doctors a voice fairs after just two years to return to the De­ their state of health. As a result, competi­ in the National Council. partment of Foreign Affairs without really tion between the health insurance funds is getting to grips with healthcare policy. primarily limited to going after the “good Shared responsibility risks” – the young and healthy. That does Shared responsibility for the healthcare sys­ Alain Berset’s first steps not generate savings for anyone. On the tem has also proven an obstacle to reform. Alain Berset, a Social Democrat from Fri­ contrary, every change of insurance fund Health insurance is a federal issue, while bourg, has now been responsible for the con­ produces costs, and the money for advertis­ healthcare provision is a matter for the can­ stant work in progress that is healthcare for ing health insurance funds also has to come tons. They decide, for example, on hospital over a year. The Federal Councillor, who is from somewhere. provision. However, only around half the just 40 years old, is regarded as a quick- The political gridlock is a consequence of costs incurred in the hospitals are covered thinker and a courageous pragmatist. It is the many individual interest groups, which by the cantons. The remainder is paid for by still too early to assess whether he will be include doctors, the health insurance funds, health insurance. Shared responsibility has able to resolve the major issues. The first the pharmaceutical industry and patients, produced a situation of “muddling through”, projects he has initiated nonetheless appear to name but a few. In no other policy area according to observers such as the ethicist to be heading in the right direction. Berset are so many different players involved in Ruth Baumann-Hölzle from Zurich (see in­ is finally dealing with the issue of the lack of consultation as in healthcare. The two main terview). The verdict of the OECD and general practitioners. Rural regions have interest groups, the health insurance funds WHO on the Swiss decision-making mech­ been affected by this for some time. GPs and the doctors, have even had a voice in anisms is not quite as harsh. They even con­ have for years struggled to find successors Parliament in recent years. The funds have sider the “local flexibility” of the 26 cantons for their practices before entering retire­ been represented in the Council of States to be one of the system’s strengths. The role ment. As a result, retirement often means in the form of Christoffel Brändli (SVP) of direct democracy is also viewed positively: the closure of the practice. from Grisons as president of the health in­ “The uniquely high degree of direct political However, in more recent times, people in surers’ association Santésuisse and Eugen involvement at all levels of government pro­ urban areas and regions close to cities can David (CVP) from St. Gallen as president vides Swiss citizens with the opportunity to also consider themselves fortunate to find a of Switzerland’s largest health insurance have an impact on the direction of health­ good general practitioner. There are six GPs fund, Helsana. The president of the Swiss care policy.” Both organisations neverthe­ for every 10,000 inhabitants on average in Medical Association, Jacques de Haller (SP) less warn that “differences between the can­ Switzerland. By comparison, there are 16 in tons in terms of funding France. Experts say that Switzerland trains and access (...) may mask around 400 fewer GPs each year than it ac­ disparities”. tually needs. The Swiss Health Observatory, Healthcare has a politically neutral organisation, estimates brought little good for­ that Switzerland will be without a third of tune for the Federal the GPs it requires by 2030. Councillors responsible for it in recent years. 300 more doctors per year Pascal Couchepin, a vol­ Three hundred extra doctors are now to be atile Free Democrat trained each year from the 2018/2019 aca­ from Valais, found it dif­ demic year onwards. The number of gradu­ ficult to perform the ates at Switzerland’s five medical schools task of ensuring a bal­ (Zurich, Berne, Basel, Geneva and Laus­ ance of interests. Neu­ anne) is to be increased gradually to 1100 per châtel’s Didier Burkhal­ academic year by then. Even the establish­ ter, another Free ment of new medical schools is under discus­ Democrat, left the De­ sion. It is not yet clear who will bear the partment of Home Af­ costs, amounting to CHF 56 million a year, for training the extra doctors. The training of doctors, as with most educational matters, is in fact the responsibility of the cantons. However, federal government is also ex­ 1 pected to make a contribution this time. Only, federal government is hardly likely to write out a blank cheque for the cantons. If Far too few young it is to make a contribution to funding, it doctors want to become may well also want to have a say. general practitioners ss Review February 2013 / No. today – the job is stress- The training of extra doctors alone does

Swi Keystone Photo: ful and poorly paid not resolve the issue, as too few doctors are 10 Focus

opting to train as general practitioners. The end of 2011. However, nobody is really satis- culated the average income of GPs, subject shortfall in doctors actually only affects the fied with this solution. The li­censing restric- to old-age and survivors’ insurance contribu- basic care providers or, in other words, gen- tions will therefore only apply for three years. tions, at CHF 197,500 in 2009. By contrast, eral practitioners, internists and paediatri- This period of time is to be used to bolster a neurosurgeon earned more than twice that cians. There is no shortage of specialists. On the ranks of general practitioners. Federal amount at CHF 414,650, an eye specialist re- the contrary, Switzerland has too many. The Councillor Alain Berset’s GP master plan en- ceived CHF 345,150 and a gynaecologist Federal Council therefore decided once ables prospective general practitioners to CHF 236,000. again at the end of last year to restrict the li- join local practices as junior doctors. They censing of specialist doctors. From April, the have until now primarily ­undertaken their 300,000 Alzheimer’s patients by 2050 cantons are to be allowed to refuse specialist junior doctor training in hospitals like the With the bolstering of GP ranks, the reintro- doctors a practice licence if they believe that specialists. A key factor will nonetheless be duction of the licensing moratorium and the the demand is not there. The Federal Coun- whether efforts to make a career­ as a GP improvement in the distribution of risks be- cil has thus responded to the sharp increase more financially attractive succeed. GPs in tween the health insurance funds, Federal in specialist practices following the expiry of Switzerland earn much less than specialist Councillor Berset is pursuing a policy of the first medical licensing moratorium at the doctors. The Swiss Medical Association cal- small steps after the failure of large-scale re-

issue of over-treatment primarily exists “The question of allocation should not be among those who are privately insured. This delegated to the sickbed” is because the treatment of privately insured patients is extremely lucrative. Ruth Baumann-Hölzle is one of Switzerland’s leading experts on ethical issues ­relating to healthcare. She is vehemently opposed to individual patients being Which patients do not receive ­refused medical treatment on cost-saving grounds. She instead argues that the sufficient care? ­services themselves need to be scrutinised. This is the case for patients who primar- Interview by Seraina Gross ily require nursing care rather than medical care. These are multi-morbid patients suf- “Swiss Review”: The maxim standard of someone’s educa- fering from several illnesses and patients for that you cannot put a price on tion, the better their state of whom the medical treatment options have health has long applied in Swit- health or, in other words, pov- been exhausted. As a general rule, it is true zerland. Is that still the case today erty and poor education result that the higher the level of care required, the in view of the costs of CHF 661 in ill health. higher the risk of rationing. An issue also ex- per person per month? ists with people suffering from rare diseases. Ruth Baumann-Hölzle: Switzerland has one of the Too little research is carried out here still. That maxim has never held true. best healthcare systems in the The pharmaceutical industry has made Every service has always come at world. But what are its some effort in this respect in recent years, a cost. This attitude has none- Ruth Baumann-Hölzle shortcomings?­ but not enough. theless resulted in a failure in We have good basic care and Switzerland to address the issue of the finan- guarantee access to top medical services. The “reformiert” newspaper, a Reformed cial limitations of the healthcare system. But Shortcomings exist in the distribution of re- Church publication, recently conducted a sur- Switzerland too must tackle the question of sources, which is unfair. vey on the issue of ra- how much to spend on healthcare. tioning. A narrow ma- In what way? “That puts us in the jority were in favour of What is the answer? We have both over- middle of a debate refusing alcoholics a I’m not in a position to put that into fig- treatment and a shortage liver transplant. What ures for you. What is important is to look of care services. There about whether or not a

1 is your view on that? at healthcare costs in relation to other so- are patients who are life is worth saving” I am strongly op- cial costs, such as spending on education. over-treated and others posed to addressing the Education needs to be improved, not just who do not receive the issue of rationing in at university level but basic schooling as care they actually require. We know, for ex- terms of individual patients or patient well. We know that there is a direct corre- ample, that lots of unnecessary operations groups. I absolutely reject that. That puts us

ss Review February 2013 / No. lation between the standard of education are carried out in Switzerland. There is good in the middle of a debate about whether or

Swi donated Photo: and the state of health. The higher the money to be earned from operations. The not a life is worth saving. Such a debate is 11

forms in recent years. Whether he succeeds patients needing care and of the chronically on the effectiveness of treatments is vital in tackling one of the greatest challenges of ill – will prove decisive. The Swiss Alzhei- to “knowledge-based” policy, say the the future – the increase in the number of mer’s Association estimates that there will OECD and WHO. They are addressing the be 220,000 dementia patients by 2030, with lack of transparency here, a point that is that figure set to reach 300,000 by 2050. constantly raised in Switzerland as well. Tens of thousands of German, Polish and This lack of transparency means that de- French nursing staff are already working in bates on healthcare policy are always a bit Switzerland. They are in short supply in their of a fumble in the dark. It would be good home countries, just like the thousands of to know, and frankly it is very important foreign doctors working in Swiss hospitals that we know, exactly what we are getting and practices. The OECD and WHO are for the large sums of money that we spend calling for a national nursing staff plan. on healthcare. The two international organisations are Seraina Gross is a correspondent for the “Basler The proportion of elderly people in the also critical of the lack of healthcare policy Zeitung“ in French-speaking Switzerland and a ­population is rising all the time data available in Switzerland. Information freelance journalist.

beneath human dignity and history shows No, if a service is efficient then it can also miums have also gone up by more than the where that leads: to a loss of humanity. be expensive because its cost-benefit ratio rate of inflation in recent years. is right. By contrast, the cost-benefit ratio But doesn’t Switzerland have to address of a cheap but ineffective service will be Why aren’t services subjected to close scrutiny? the issue of rationing? poor. Because there is no will for transparency Yes, but not in terms of individual patients as this would reveal the interests of the var- or individual patient groups. It is a question This means that agreement would be ious players. Hardly any other area of poli- of how we set priorities. We must avoid fo- reached on the services to be covered by tics is so dominated by strong individual in- cussing on whether or not alcoholics should health insurance and if they are included in terests and intense lobbying on the scale be granted liver transplants. We must in- the list, then they would be made available found in healthcare. stead assess whether the cost-benefit ratio to everyone. of the services currently paid for by the Exactly. I like to compare it to a library. Focussing on a more fundamental question, health insurer is right. Does a new cancer The decision on whether a book will be what is the purpose of a healthcare system? drug launched on the market really justify made available to users is made at the time There is often talk about a healthcare market the additional costs incurred compared to of purchase. Once the book is on the shelf, in the political debate. existing treatment? Top-quality research is you do not suddenly turn around and tell The healthcare system is not simply a mar- required to determine this. Switzerland someone that they cannot borrow it now. ket because a healthcare service is only an lacks such cutting-edge research, which is We must look at the make-up of the health- elastic commodity to a limited extent. A one of the Swiss healthcare system’s great- care “library”. I strongly believe that there treatment is not like a car where you can de- est shortcomings. are tremendous sav- cide for yourself whether ings to be made here. you want to buy one and, What do you think about the QALY (Quality “The lack of cutting- if so, what model. If you Adjusted Life Years) concept where an amount But would that also edge research is one of are in an emergency ward is agreed for the cost of an additional year in mean assessing who suffering from a bilious good health? earns what from the ser- the Swiss healthcare attack, then you are no There are currently no real alternatives to vices? system’s greatest short- longer the one making the QALY as a measure for assessing the effec- The issue of margins decision; others make it tiveness of medical services. However, QALY is also an ethical one. comings” on your behalf. should not be used to assess the value of a per- We know that the mar- 1 son. The question of allocation should not be gins are extremely high in some cases. The Is making money from healthcare unethical? delegated to the sickbed. On the other hand, prices for medicines, implants and hospital No, the players involved in healthcare it is vital that we apply the concept of QALY beds, for example, are very high in Switzer- should, of course, earn money and be remu- to the cost-benefit analysis of services. land. Wheelchairs for which the Swiss social nerated appropriately. But turning a profit insurance schemes pay several thousand is not the healthcare system’s raison d’être.

ss Review February 2013 / No. Even at the risk that expensive services are Swiss francs can be purchased online for a The priority must be to provide care for

Swi Keystone Photo: ­excluded from health insurance cover? fraction of the price. Health insurance pre- sick people. 12 Report

A temple to sustainability The new Environment Arena in Spreitenbach cost 45 million Swiss francs and was paid for by the Zurich-based construction entrepreneur Walter Schmid. It primarily deals with the ­issue of how the energy turnaround can be achieved. The message from Spreitenbach is that this is feasible without dispensing with luxury items. A look at the world of eco-shopping. By Reto Wissmann

It is situated in a business park surrounded project, according to its creators. Solar pan- ment Arena’s slogan is “Nachhaltigkeit zum by giant shopping malls, retail outlets and els were assembled on portable buildings Anfassen und Erleben” (sustainability made furniture stores where growth, prosperity and a wind turbine erected on the crane. real and tangible). Visitors can get behind the and the apparently limitless availability of The excavators and trucks ran on biodiesel wheel of the latest electric cars, communicate resources are celebrated. But those behind and natural gas. A photovoltaic plant has with people on the floor below via video con- the Environment Arena have something been installed in the Environment Arena’s ference, generate their own electricity on a very different in mind – they are aiming to roof, which is expected to generate 40 % toboggan or learn how packaging can be re- provide a “world of experience for energy more energy than the building consumes. cycled at the drinks machine. The impact of and environmental issues” and to achieve a However, this figure does not include the ex- modern window insulation technology on “milestone in environmental commitment”. hibitions held on the site. Solar power is also room temperature can be experienced first- When the futuristic building was officially used for heating and air conditioning, and hand and a comparison made between energy opened at the end of August, Doris Leuthard, leftover food from the restaurant does not loss in old and new buildings at a house built Federal Councillor for the Environment, end up in the refuse but is instead converted within the main structure. Visitors also dis- Transport, Energy and Communications, into biogas by an on-site fermenter. The cover how organic meat and organic cotton proclaimed: “Reconciliation between ecol- arena profiles itself as a model structure for are produced in a replica supermarket. ogy and economy has finally been achieved.” large plus-energy buildings. “Our aim is to ensure people are better in- The media acclaimed the project as “a cen- formed about environmental technologies”, tre of expertise for tomorrow’s world” and a Toboggan power plant explains the head of marketing at the Envi- “new star in ecology’s sky”. Inside, around 100 companies are currently ronment Arena. It is not idealistic visions of Even the structure itself is absolutely cap- displaying their eco-friendly products at 40 the future that are on display here but prod- tivating. The external design with its black interactive exhibitions. There is also an ucts that are ready for the market. While shimmering roof symbolises a giant dia- events arena for up to 4,000 visitors. The many things will be familiar, there are still mond. The entire building site operated on Swiss Solar Awards, attended by the then plenty of interesting discoveries to be made, a CO2-neutral basis during the construction Swiss Presi­dent, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, such as a hybrid collector, which produces stage – a world first for such a large-scale were hosted here in October. The Environ- electricity and heats up water simultane- 1

Federal Councillor Doris Leut- hard with Walter Schmid, the founder of the Environment Arena, at the grand opening and, ss Review February 2013 / No. pictured right, the building in

Swi donadet Photos: Spreitenbach from above 13

ously, or a full-surface induction hob that ­attracting 300 to 400 visitors on the four lutely nothing wrong with making money only gets hot under the pan base. Visitors days a week that it is open. from environmental technologies, he says. will enjoy not being approached immediately However, if the “energy turnaround palace” by salespeople and being able to look at and The new style is met with scepticism is leading people to believe that climate test out the exhibited items in peace. The “Energy saving must become an experience”, change can be kept at bay solely with new displays are largely self-explanatory and declared Walter Schmid at the opening cer- technologies and without any change to be- nothing is sold. The advertising of the par- emony. He firmly believes that an energy havioural patterns, then “the wool is being ticipating companies nevertheless has a turnaround is achievable without sacrifice. pulled over their eyes”. strong presence. The German weekly news- This outlook and conviction are omnipres- Environmentalists and climate protection paper “Die Zeit” very aptly described the ent in the exhibitions. An energy-saving campaigners have long distanced themselves Environment Arena as a “mixture of trade tumble drier, for instance, is available, while from their image of cantankerous, woolly- fair and technorama”. there is no mention of drying washing in the sock-wearing advocates of community com- open air, which also saves a lot of energy. posting. Walter Schmid has certainly set new Revenue from the sale of Kompogas There is also no talk of switching to public standards with his Environment Arena. His Walter Schmid constructed the Environ- transport at the Environment Arena, while creation can barely be distinguished from the ment Arena without any public funding. the display of electric and hybrid vehicles bright lights of unbridled commercialism in The Zurich-based businessman became takes up half a floor. The fact that tap water terms of aesthetics and size. “We are not used well-known in the 1990s as the founder of in Switzerland is on a par with bottled water to people thinking big rather than small when the company Kompogas and the inventor of is not highlighted anywhere either. The fo- it comes to the environment”, replies Buri systems that produce biogas from green cus is instead on promoting PET recycling. from the Energy Foundation when ques- waste. Schmid has a good track record in The message is that every issue can be re- tioned about the new style. It remains to be demonstrating his pioneering spirit for en- solved by technology and that there is no seen whether it can make a broader spectrum vironmental issues with geothermal drilling need for changes in behaviour. Environmen- of the public aware of conscientious consump- and the construction of Minergie houses. He tal organisations say politicians also like this tion. A married couple from Berne who came has since sold Kompogas to the energy group standpoint as it is more appealing than call- to Spreitenbach just to visit the Environment Axpo and invested 45 million Swiss francs of ing for restrictions. Federal Councillor Arena say: “It’s great that it’s not just aimed at the proceeds in the Environment Arena. He Leuthard believes that the Environment highly committed environmentalists.” is financing its operation through revenue Arena has achieved a small miracle by mak- The Environment Arena may well enliven from exhibition and sponsorship partners, ing “the energy turnaround tangible”. the debate on climate change and sustainabil- which include many international corpora- Jürg Buri, Director of the Swiss Energy ity in Switzerland. What the outcome will be tions. Though, visitors also make a contri- Foundation, has mixed feelings about the En- is unclear. Somewhere in the halls of the En- bution, with adult entry tickets costing eight vironment Arena. He agrees that Walter vironment Arena, the expression “saying is francs. 300,000 visitors a year are antici- Schmid has noble intentions. Buri remarks: one thing, doing is quite another” can be read.

pated. However, ­according to its media “He is a progressive and successful individual RETO WISSMANN is a freelance journalist living spokesperson, the arena is only currently who believes in sustainability.” There is abso- in Biel 1 iew February 2013 / No. v e wiss R S 14 Politics

A new role for a figure who polarises opinion action. He severely restricted the lavish use of chauffeur-driven limousines by senior Rising from humble beginnings to become president – Ueli Maurer, President of army officials. With the help of former the Swiss Confederation in 2013, has had an extraordinary career, though he has Swisscom boss Jens Alder, he also brought yet to replicate the huge success he enjoyed as President of the Swiss People’s order to the IT department of the DDPS, Party in his position as Minister of Defence. which had apparently been in a terrible state. By Jürg Müller Maurer has also continually proven himself to be a clever tactician. With the army loans issue, for example, he publicly conveyed his Few Swiss politicians have been lampooned office when he declared that he wanted to complaints in a highly effective way without as much as Ueli Maurer. For many years, create “the best army in the world”. But his going over the top. This approach might the media, politicians and satirists por- achievements have been unremarkable even well see him achieve his objectives. trayed him as a buffoon who did little more if we ignore the high bar he set. The noto- Those close to him say that Maurer is than take orders from Christoph Blocher, rious critics on the left accuse Maurer of courteous and obliging. He relies on a very the father figure of the Swiss People’s Party. lacking clear ideas, and experts reproach small circle of trusted confidants to run the Yet he has been one of Switzerland’s most him for clinging onto a nostalgic, tradition- DDPS. At the top of the list is the head of successful party leaders ever. Maurer was alist view of the army. Hans-Ulrich Ernst, the army, André Blattmann, whom Maurer the man who turned the Swiss People’s for example, the former Secretary General has known since his youth. Maurer is also Party (SVP) into the best-supported of the Federal Military Department, regu- regarded as being extremely well-informed. ­political party in the country between 1996 larly voices his trenchant opposition to the He does not generally require speaking and 2008. current procurement of fighter jets. There notes – summaries produced by his staff – He is full of energy, with a proven ability is no sign of the furore over the new fighter and even refrains from using them when ad- to learn. Even at a young age, his teacher in jets abating. The Federal Council has al- dressing extensive and complex issues. One Hinwil, Zurich, recognised his qualities ready approved the transaction, and the Na- insider describes his attitude towards na- and recommended him for grammar school. tional Council and Council of States will tional government and his personal involve- But he came from the poorest family in the have their say this year, as in all likelihood ment as “committed and extremely loyal”. village and his parents had no interest in will the Swiss people after that. Great scep- He appears to have managed the change of higher education. So, Ueli Maurer com- ticism exists and not just on the left. The role from brash party leader to Federal pleted a commercial apprenticeship and evaluation of the Swedish Gripen, about Councillor supremely well. subsequently obtained federal accountancy which there are technical concerns, went Maurer actually slips up less frequently qualifications. Now he is the President of badly for Maurer. The Defence Minister and less publicly than Christoph Blocher Switzerland and the figurehead of the made himself vulnerable by publicly mak- did during his time on the Federal Council. ­nation. ing contradictory statements (see “Swiss His election on 5 December last year was Review”, issue 5/2012). not entirely plain sailing. Andy Tschümper- Ueli Maurer’s term of office has so far lin, head of the Swiss Social Democratic seen a catalogue of setbacks in other areas, Party (SP) faction, launched an attack to too. Maurer had to improve the “Security disrupt Maurer’s campaign in summer 2012. Policy Report”, which is submitted every ten Tschümperlin proclaimed that anyone who years, several times before it was granted did not respect their political opponents Federal Council approval. In spring 2012, was not electable. But the condemnation of the army had to concede that it did not know the Defence Minister was nothing more whether 27,000 former servicemen had than a story for the ‘silly season’. Even the handed in their weapons because 27,000 SP dutifully backed Maurer for election in data records had gone missing. And, in au- the end. Nevertheless, the election was a tumn 2012, a scandal erupted in the Federal lacklustre affair, with Maurer only receiv- Intelligence Service. An employee had been ing 148 out of 202 votes. copying hard disks containing secret data over a long period of time. This incident also Major turmoil caused tremendous damage to the credibil- Ueli Maurer still polarises opinion today, ity of the Swiss secret service internation- 1 just as he did when he was party leader. He ally. There were calls for the axe to fall, but has not performed exceptionally well in his Maurer stood by the head of the intelligence first four years of office as Federal Coun- service, Markus Seiler. cillor and Head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport Courteous and well-informed

ss Review February 2013 / No. (DDPS). It is unfair to keep on judging him But there is another side to Ueli Maurer –

Swi Keystone Photo: on the statement he made upon taking up that of the politician willing to take tough 15

He manages the balancing act between usually cycles to Berne from Münsingen, FATCA agreement: party politician and Federal Councillor ex- where he lives, in all weathers and often tak- tremely well. However – in contrast to his ing a slight detour, which means he covers a ­Switzerland – USA predecessor, Samuel Schmid – he also distance of 15 to 20 kilometres depending on In early December 2012, Switzerland avoids keeping his party at a distance or the route. and the USA concluded an agreement to even entering into confrontation with it. Maurer’s professional career was very av- facilitate implementation of the US tax Maurer adopts a subtle approach when put- erage and unremarkable, as was his politi- legislation FATCA. Swiss abroad with ting party opinion above that of the Federal cal one prior to his election as President of bank accounts in Switzerland are also Council. In a public speech made last No- the Swiss People’s Party in 1996. He was the affected by FATCA. vember, for instance, he unambiguously dis- director of an agricultural cooperative and tanced himself in terms of substance from later the Zurich Farmers’ Association, a lo- With the “Foreign Account Tax Compli- the Federal Council’s official policy on Eu- cal councillor in Hinwil and a member of ance Act” (FATCA), the USA is aiming to rope but chose his words carefully. He Zurich’s Cantonal Council before being ensure that all income obtained by per- harshly criticised the EU itself. He com- elected to the National Council in 1991. It sons liable to taxation in the USA pared it with the Holy Alliance of 1815 when was not until he became President of the through accounts held abroad can actu- the monarchies of Europe joined forces Swiss People’s Party that he really shone. ally be taxed in the USA. FATCA essen- against the libertarian efforts of bourgeois His recipe for success in strengthening the tially requires financial institutions and nationalist groups. party was hard graft and provocation. He abroad to conclude an agreement with toured the whole country, tirelessly visited the US tax authorities obliging them to A history of outbursts SVP sections and helped with setting up report on identified US accounts. The EU is undoubtedly the new Swiss Pres- new party strongholds in parts of the coun- The agreement provides for simplified ident’s number one enemy. He sometimes try where the SVP was not very well estab- procedures for large sections of the Swiss adopts the wrong tone here. In summer 2012, lished. Twelve new cantonal parties and 600 finance industry: he fired a shot across the bows at Brussels local sections were founded. He shaped the ■ Social insurance institutions, private and the EU-friendly factions in Switzerland. party into a right-wing, conservative pension funds and property and indem- “Nobody in their right mind would still want group – the party of simple, provocative and nity insurers are exempt from the appli- to join the EU today”, he ranted. Such gaffes populist messages. The poster campaigns cation of FATCA; and rhetoric were characteristic of Ueli launched under Maurer, such as the knife- ■ Collective investment schemes and fi- Maurer during his term as party president. man poster, which also caused outrage nancial institutions with a primarily lo- One such example was when Maurer pro- abroad, were extremely contentious. cal client base are deemed compliant with nounced Samuel Schmid “as good as clini- FATCA, subject to certain criteria, and cally dead” to the Swiss People’s Party when Almost a Swiss abroad only have a registration obligation; Schmid, the remain- Maurer now faces a challenge of a very dif- ■ The diligence obligations for identify- ing SVP Federal ferent kind. As President of the Swiss ing US clients, to which the remaining Councillor, swore Confederation, qualities are required that Swiss financial institutions are subject, himself in against the the Defence Minister has yet to demon- have been drawn up in such a way as to will of the party fol- strate, such as the ability to integrate, keep the administrative burden within lowing the deselec- clever diplomacy, skilful presentation, a reasonable limits. tion of Federal Coun- desire to represent and a certain sophisti- The agreement ensures that accounts cillor Christoph cation. His performance may yet prove held by US persons at Swiss financial insti- Blocher in 2007. surprising as nobody can say that Maurer tutions are reported to the US tax authori- Ueli Maurer is said is not worldly wise. As a young man, he ties either with the account holder’s con- to have been rather hitchhiked his way around Europe. He sent or by way of administrative shy as a child. He won then went to the USA, following in the assistance through group requests. In the respect through footsteps of his grandfather who worked event that consent is not granted, infor- sporting achievement, as a gold-digger in Alaska. And even the mation is not exchanged automatically but particularly in climb- beginnings of the enduring love story be- instead only on the basis of the adminis- ing, ski jumping and tween Ueli and Anne-Claude lie beyond trative assistance provision in the double cycling – he reached Swiss borders. He met his wife-to-be at an taxation agreement. US persons also in- the rank of major in a airport on a trip to the USA. And the clude Swiss abroad residing in the USA bicycle infantry bat- Maurers almost became Swiss abroad. In and persons in Switzerland with dual talion. The Minister 1992, they considered emigrating to Swiss-American nationality. for Defence and ­Canada where they planned to establish a The agreement is subject to the approval Sport has retained his life for themselves as farmers. of the Federal Assembly and the optional interest in sport. At referendum on treaties. the age of 62 and a fa- The agreement is due to enter into force ther of six, he still JÜRG MÜLLER is an editor at “Swiss Review” at the beginning of 2014. (SIF) 16 Literature

Between two worlds: books and literary figures among the Swiss abroad By Charles Linsmayer

From the narrow Val-de-Travers across the rivers and seas of Europe – Cilette Ofaire

“I was a pale little girl brought up by a stepmother who did not enjoy Ofaire – after Charles had run off and she had obtained her captain’s having me, to say the least. If circumstances had allowed me to live licence by teaching herself – put to sea in May 1932. On one of its according to my natural disposition, I would have spent my entire many adventures (usually without paying passengers!), the “Ismé”, life squatting by a warm oven shivering and jumping out of my skin captained by Cilette Ofaire and manned in the engine room by an each time the sound of an opening door jolted me out of my day- Italian called Ettore, sailed along the coast of Portugal and Spain dreams.” But circumstances did not permit this stay-at-home exist- into the Mediterranean, reaching Ibiza in 1936 where it fell victim ence. Cécile Houriet, who was born in Couvet on 13 January 1891 to a bombardment during the Spanish Civil War. and graduated from commercial college before becoming a glass painter, fled Val-de-Travers forever in 1914 and married the artist A ship as a symbol of freedom Charles Hofer in Paris. However, he then volunteered to go to war In Sanary-sur-Mer, where she sought refuge, Cilette Ofaire resur- and left her behind starving and freezing by the Seine. As secretary rected the ship and her experiences aboard it in the novel “L’Ismé” to the author Cuno Hofer, she travelled based on her comic-style illustrated ex- to Hungary in 1919 and discovered her pedition diary. The Lausanne-based talent as a diarist. After returning to “Guilde du Livre” initially published Paris, she contracted tuberculosis and 4,000 copies of it in 1940. The royalty visited a sanatorium in Leysin, where was 250 francs (6 Swiss cents) per copy! she produced her first independent Cilette Ofaire, who spent the rest of publication in 1922, the illustrated se- her life as a Swiss abroad, had further ries “Joies des pucerons” about Parisian books published before she died on nightlife. 11 December 1964 in her small home in Sanary-sur-Mer at the age of 73: the An artistic tour of Europe novel “Silvie Velsey” (1938) and the no- Having regained reasonable health, she vellas “L’Étoile et le Poisson” (1949), returned to her husband, who was now “Un jour quelconque” (1956) and living in Hamburg and, together with “Chemins” (1945), the poignant story of him, happened upon an idea in 1923 that a disappointing visit to her home town would define her life. They bought an of Couvet. Her most impressive work old houseboat, christened it “San Luca” was nevertheless the seafaring novel and sailed in it on rivers and canals to “L’Ismé”, which depicted the courage Prague, then on to Amsterdam in the and undaunted spirit of a brave woman summer and finally Paris, painting pic- in a world dominated by men and, with tures all the while, which they sold on Quotation its warm and compassionate humanity, the quayside. When “Edition Stock” “Having a small boat, crossing the oceans was received by French people as the published her novel about these jour- aboard it and feeling like a free citizen of symbol of a better, freer world when it neys in 1934, her name appeared above the world – that is not enough to make you appeared in bookshops in occupied the title “Le San Luca” spelt as the Pa- wise. For that above all you need a heart ca- Paris in 1943. risians pronounced it – Ofaire. pable of loving, a soul that can still feel won- The couple had purchased a seawor- der and a conscience that constantly and thy steamboat in England in 1931 that vigilantly reminds you that you are one per- CHARLES LINSMAYER is a literary scholar they named “Ismé” and which Cilette son among many and have a connection with and journalist in Zurich

1 the universe.” (From “Nachruf auf Georg Dibbern”, 1959)

w February 2013 / No. Bibliography: The following titles are available in French from “Plaisir de Lire”: “Silvie Velsey”, evie “Un jour quelconque” and Catherine Dubuis’ biog-

iss R raphy of Cilette Ofaire entitled “Les chemins Sw Photo: donated Photo: partagés”. Culture 17

“Freedom is not gifted, you have to earn it” She was a rebellious child from a good home and a multitalented artist who defies categorisation. Meret Oppenheim enjoyed international success but remained true to her Basel dialect. The “grande dame” of Swiss modern art would have celebrated her 100th birthday this year, which provides a good opportunity to look back at her life. By Alice Henkes

writer Hermann Hesse, also encouraged Meret’s creative talents.

Sharp observer and the silly goose Only her father was unimpressed by his daughter’s dreams of becoming an artist. “Women have never achieved anything in art”, was his view. Nevertheless, he allowed his eldest child to gain an education in art. Meret wanted to move to Paris to join the surrealists, the most innovative and auda- cious artistic movement of the 1930s. She enrolled at the Academie de la Grande Chaumière, which she only attended occa- sionally. She preferred to teach herself. Her first oil painting “Sitzende Figur mit ver- schränkten Fingern” (Sitting Figure with Folded Hands) from 1933 depicts a silent lis- tener in an imaginary circle and represents the outlook of the artist who is interested in the creations of others but always re- mains a loner. Through the Swiss sculptor Alberto ­Giacometti she became acquainted with ­André Breton’s circle. Breton, the intellec- Oppenheim’s famous “Portrait with Tattoo” from 1980 tual of the surrealist movement, preached the overthrow of all values and was intrigued by the hidden landscapes of the soul. That Meret Oppenheim was just 18 when she crosser at a young age, distinctively appealed to the rebellious young woman, but left Basel for Paris in May 1932 deter- speaking the Basel dialect, which she re- she had no desire to subject herself to the mined to become an artist. Her friend tained her entire life. dogmas of surrealism entirely. As the only Irène Zurkinden, who also made a career She was named after the beautiful young female artist in the surrealist circle, she in art, accompanied her on this great Meret who did not want to pray in Gott­ sought the freedom to follow her own path. journey. They took a bottle of Pernod fried Keller’s novel “Der Grüne Heinrich”. She tackled female subjects in her early work. with them, which they drank for courage. Meret Oppenheim soon demonstrated that “Ma gouvernante, my nurse, mein Kinder- On arriving, they headed straight for the she too was a headstrong character. At the mädchen” (1936) shows a pair of upturned famous Parisian cafés, which were the age of 16, she drew the nonsensical formula white pumps on a silver tray. Paper frills gateway to the art world at the time. X=hare. This original renunciation of math- adorn the heels. This piece brings to mind a Who was this girl with such zest for ematics, which she detested, is regarded as roast chicken or a “silly goose”. life? Meret Oppenheim was born on 6 the artist’s first surrealist work. Meret Op- It was this determined young Swiss October 1913 in Berlin-Charlottenburg. penheim received encouragement from an woman of all people who produced surreal- 1 Her father, Erich Alfons, was a German early age, especially from her grandmother, ism’s cult object, the fur teacup, at the age of doctor and her mother, Eva Wenger, was Lisa Wenger. This author of children’s 23. The idea was born in a Parisian café in Swiss. Meret lived with her grandparents books was the first woman to attend the 1936. Meret Oppenheim was wearing a fur- in Delémont during the First World War Academy of Art in Düsseldorf during her coated bangle that she had designed herself. ienna before alternating between southern youth. Her grandfather, Theo Wenger, who Picasso inspired her to cover other objects BK, V

ss Review February 2013 / No. Germany, where her father had a medical was interested in art, and her aunt, Ruth with fur. She then produced “Déjeuner en

Swi Photo: V practice, and Basel. She became a border Wenger, who was briefly married to the fourrure”, which was purchased by the Mu- 18 Culture

“Evening Gown with Bra-Strap Necklace” from 1968 “Centaur on the Seabed” from 1932

seum of Modern Art in New York in the creative crisis, which lasted until 1954. She the businessman Wolfgang La Roche, same year. continued to work but without achieving whom she married four years later. The any inner satisfaction. The oil painting couple moved to Berne and later to Thun Success and self-doubt “Die Steinfrau” (Stone Woman) from 1938, and Oberhofen. They stayed together un- She could have simply continued to enjoy which shows a female figure made from til Wolfgang La Roche’s death in 1967. success as the artist who covered objects, stones, dramatically expresses this sense of but she wanted to keep her horizons open paralysis. An avant-gardist once again and to experiment. Man Ray immortalised In 1937, she returned to Basel, where she Over a year passed before Meret Oppen- this androgynous beauty in a series of fa- attended the School of Art for two years heim established contact with the Bernese mous nude photographs. Meret Oppen- and restored furniture to earn a living. Her art scene through Arnold Rüdlinger, a ded- heim became the idol of the surrealist parents could no longer support her. Her icated art gallery director. It was primarily movement. She took famous artists like Pi- father was unable to work in Germany be- young Bernese artists who saw the “grande casso and Max Ernst as her lovers. But the cause he was half-Jewish and could not dame” of Swiss art as a role model. In 1956, rapid superficial success of the fur teacup work in Switzerland because he was a Ger- Daniel Spoerri asked her to design the cos- and the nude photographs culminated in a man. But she soon got back in touch with tumes for his staging of Picasso’s comedy feeling of low self-esteem. She suffered a old friends in Basel and, in 1945, she met “Desire Caught by the Tail”. Meret Oppen- heim was once again part of the artistic avant-garde in her early 40s. And, with her Anniversary exhibitions new-found creativity, she could hold her The Swiss artist Meret Oppenheim earned herself a place in international art history. own against younger artists. The enduring power of her highly distinctive work is revealed by various exhibitions to She had a studio in Berne from 1954. Her mark the artist’s 100th birthday: work, which is so full of humour, irony and Meret Oppenheim. Bank Austria Forum, Vienna. 21.03 to 14.07. The first major retro- eroticism and is drawn from her rich emo- spective of the artist in Austria will then be exhibited in Berlin: Martin Gropius Bau, tional life, cannot be pigeonholed as any Berlin 16.08 to 01.12. particular style or technique. The carved 1 Über den Bäumen. Sprengel Museum, Hanover. 20.02 to 05.05. First major exhibition chair “Läbchuechegluschti” (1967) is pro- on the artist’s drawings. vocative with a grotesque face in the back- Merets Funken. Kunstmuseum Bern. Until 10.02. The exhibition outlines the impact rest sticking out a long red velvet tongue. of Meret Oppenheim’s work on contemporary Swiss artists. The oil painting “Ein Abend im Jahr 1910” ienna and ProLitteris, Zurich Work by the artist also features in thematic exhibitions: (An Evening in 1910) from 1972 is reminis- BK, V The Supersurrealism. Moderna Museet Malmö, until 20.01.

ss Review February 2013 / No. cent of Emil Nolde with its expansive

Swi Photos: V Gnadenlos. Künstlerinnen und das Komische. Städtische Museen Heilbronn, until 24.02. painting style. As a more mature artist, she 19

“Fur Teacup” from 1923

“Centaur on the Seabed” from 1932 The controversial Oppenheim Fountain in Berne

the city. She left a third of her work to the Kunstmuseum Bern. This means that Berne has the artist’s greatest body of work, which has featured in various exhibitions even since her death in 1985. Leading museums through- out the world, such as the Guggenheim Mu- seum in New York, the Museum of Modern Art in Chicago, the Henje Onstad Art Cen- tre in Oslo and the Aargauer Kunsthaus in “An Evening in 1910” from 1972 Aarau, have held retrospective exhibitions on the “grande dame” of Swiss art. Meret Oppenheim made her breakthrough dealt with the work she had produced in her in work such as “Handschuhen” (1985), in Paris as a young girl. She went on long mo- own youth in a critical and ironic way. The ­gloves embroidered with veins. torbike trips with her husband. But this mav- “Eichhörnchen” (Squirrel) from 1969, a The Moderna Museet in Stockholm held erick felt most at home in Carona. The Casa beer glass with a bushy fur tail, satirised the a Meret Oppenheim retrospective in 1967. Costanza, the family home in Ticino, was a famous fur teacup. She sprayed a tattoo on This launched her second international ca- place of comfort throughout Meret Oppen- her self-portrait using stencils in the “Por- reer, which is still continuing. She was awar- heim’s lifetime. She spent unforgettable sum- trät mit Tätowierung” (Portrait with Tat- ded the City of Basel Art Prize in 1975 and mers there as a child with her grandparents. too) from 1980, clearly claiming sover- expressed her gratitude with a much-quoted When she was at school, she always had a pic- eignty over her own image. speech about the enduring weak position of ture of the house on her desk “as a symbol of women in art. In 1982, she was invited to great anticipation”, as she wrote to her grand- At home in Ticino “documenta 7” in Kassel. A series of poems mother. The house above Lake Lugano was a Meret Oppenheim focussed frequently on playing on words was published by Suhr- convivial meeting place for family and friends the cloud, that fluffy, ephemeral phenome- kamp-Verlag shortly afterwards. The world and a place of refuge for her parents during 1 non in the sky in which human imagination was discovering Meret Oppenheim. the war. At the end of the 1960s, Meret Op- has been building castles for centuries. She It was only in Berne that her later work was penheim had Casa Costanza redeveloped and produced well-defined clouds in oil on can- met with incomprehension for a long time. turned it into one giant work of art with fur- vas, in pen and ink, and in the timelessly Her fountain sparked controversy when it niture and lamps she had designed herself, ienna and Keystone beautiful bronze work “Sechs Wolken auf was displayed in Waisenhausplatz in 1983. But and it has remained like that to this day. BK, V

ss Review February 2013 / No. einer Brücke” (Six Clouds on a Bridge) from although Berne did not make life easy for her, Alice Henkes is a journalist and curator living

Swi Photos: V 1975. She continued the theme of femininity she demonstrated great generosity towards in Biel 20 Report

”Man always wants to take more from the Earth than it is able to give”

As a legendary figure in the world of ecology, Luc Hoffmann has dedicated his entire life to ­protecting the natural environment. A co-founder of the WWF and pragmatic supporter of wetlands to ­accommodate the migration of water birds, the ornithologist born in 1923 has sometimes devoted as much as five or ten years to certain projects. Interview and profile by Alain Wey

ther did not.” He even domesticated a crow that he saved at the age of 16. “I gathered him from a nest. At that time, the farmers looked for nests, tied up the offspring and fed them up to later eat them.” He gradu- ally took an interest in ornithology with an- other enthusiast, going on trips to Alsace. The heir to the Hoffmann-La Roche empire began to diverge from the path set out for him. To keep up appearances, the young man first studied chemistry before focus- sing on biology when he came of age. “I ini- tially had a sentimental and aesthetic rela- tionship with nature which then became more intellectual and scientific”, he reflects. He undertook his compulsory military ser- vice between 1943 and 1946 before making his first trip to Camargue. Luc Hoffmann feeding bee-eaters in La Tour du Valat in the 1950s The avant-gardist enterprise Luc Hoffmann, a utopian? “Most certainly”, Islands and Madagascar. We take a look back He remarks: “I had read and heard much he replies. He has dedicated his entire life to at his life’s work. about Camargue but I was in the Swiss nature, the Earth and mankind. He is a pas- army and was unable to leave the country. sionate ornithologist, a scientist on the Heir from the Swiss upper classes I went to visit it as soon as I could go abroad. ground and a negotiator who convinces gov- Born in Basel on 23 January 1923, Luc was I was fascinated by what I saw – a natural ernments to establish nature reserves and the son of Emanuel Hoffmann, heir to the environment developing according to its natural parks. He has spent over sixty years pharmaceutical giant, and Maja Stehlin, own laws and outside of the constant con- in the service of his majesty, which, in his case, sculptor, painter and patron of the arts. He straints of man.” There were multitudes of is nature. The co-founder of the WWF wel- grew up both in Brussels (1924-1929) and birds, horses and bulls. One thing led to an- comes us to his home in Montricher, among then in Basel with his brother André and his other and he purchased the “La Tour du the hamlets of the canton of Vaud, a few miles sister Vera. He explains: “My passion for Valat” site (over 10,000,000 m2 of land and from Lake Joux. The ecologist, who began his birds goes back to my primary school days fens) from a Swiss hunter in 1948 and set crusade at the end of the Second World War, and my early childhood. I was also fasci- up a bird banding station there while study­ is only staying at his Swiss home for several nated by plants, flowers and mammals.” ing for his doctorate at the University of days. “I travel back and forth between here Tragedy struck the family in 1932. His father Basel. Aged 29 and having obtained his and Camargue”, which is the place where the was killed in a car accident aged 36 and his qualifications, he decided to move to the adventure began in 1946, at “La Tour du elder brother died of leukaemia less than a site, where he had a laboratory built. He Valat”, a wildlife sanctuary in the south of year later. In 1934, his mother got married was supported by a small team of ornithol- 1 France. The grandson of the founder of the again to the famous orchestra conductor ogists and his wife Daria Razumovsky, an pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Paul Sacher and the family moved to the Ba- Austrian countess whom he married in 1953. Roche has devoted his life to ecology while sel countryside. During that period, Luc He officially opened the “La Tour du Valat” witnessing the deterioration of the state of the Hoffmann would bring injured animals biology station in the following year, an planet. His list of achievements is endless: home that he found on his walks. He recalls: event attended by leading figures from the

ss Review February 2013 / No. from protecting wetlands in the migratory “That did not always go down well at home. world of science, such as François Bourlière,

Swi Photo: Photothèque Tour du V alat paths of birds to safeguarding the Galapagos My mother encouraged me but my stepfa- a pioneering French ecologist. Luc Hoff- 21

mann recalls that he was initially consid- Fund for Nature) in 1961 in Morges, can- Targeting the Mediterranean ered an enlightened dreamer. His children ton of Vaud. It was the fund-raising carried basin and Africa Vera, Maja, André and Daschenka grew up out by Luc Hoffmann that allowed the or- Since setting up the station in “La Tour du at “La Tour du Valat” where the number of ganisation to undertake its initial steps. Valat”, Luc Hoffmann has developed an ex- staff had increased and now included a Only later did he reluctantly admit to pro- tensive network of scientific and political teacher for the station’s school. He actively viding substantial financial support. He ex- relationships. As Vice-President of WWF collaborates with the “Société nationale de plains: “The Coto Doñana became one of International (1962-1988) and as head of Protection de la Nature” and the “Centre the WWF’s first great projects.” But it was various national and international organi- National de la Recherche Scientifique not until 1969, after a decade of negotia- sations and foundations, he has addressed (CNRS)”. In 1958, he launched the MAR tions, that General Franco officially an- the protection of the natural environment project with the International Union for nounced the establishment of the national worldwide. The ornithologist has neverthe- Conservation of Nature (IUCN), of which Luc Hoffmann became Vice-President from 1966 to 1969. This organisation was established in 1948 and today brings to- gether over 1,000 NGOs and 80 states. The aim of the project was to step up efforts on the census of water birds and inventories of wetlands throughout the Mediterranean region and Eastern Europe. This long-term project resulted in the International Con- vention on Wetlands of International Im- portance (Ramsar) in 1971. The ornitholo- gist also became the Director of the International Waterfowl and Wetlands Re- search Bureau (IWRB), which became Wetlands International, in 1962.

The WWF and safeguarding Mediterranean wetlands The origins of the foundation of the WWF Hoffmann helping to band flamingos in 2002 lie in the journey to East Africa under- taken by the British biologist Julian Hux- park, which was the largest in Europe at the less never forgotten his major work – the ley, co-founder of IUCN and the first Di- time. The first great achievements of the preservation of wild wetlands on the migra- rector General of UNESCO. He alerted emergent WWF also include the funding tory paths of water birds under constant the public and the scientific community to of the Charles Darwin Foundation to pro- threat of destruction from sewage projects the threat of extinction facing wildlife due tect the Galapagos Islands and the IUCN and intensive agriculture. His crusade re- to intensive hunting. The idea of creating projects, including the extension of the sulted in the Ramsar convention ratified by an international body that was sufficiently Amboseli park in East Africa. As for the or- 18 nations in 1971. It now has 163 signatory powerful to preserve nature was put for- ganisation’s famous panda logo: “Peter countries with 2,064 sites covering a total ward. The team he recruited included or- Scott created it as we know it. The image area of 1,970,303,208,000 m2. Countless nithologists Max Nicholson, Guy Mount- of the panda helped the growth of the anecdotes exist about Luc Hoffmann’s fort and Peter Scott (Vice-President of WWF enormously in the early years.” achievements. On the Austrian-Hungarian IUCN), who made a direct appeal to Luc Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who border, he contributed to the creation of the Hoffmann, who was then campaigning to was one of the first members of the WWF steppe national park of Neusiedlersee, See- raise funds to create a natural park in the before becoming its President (1981-1996), winkel and Hanság in the 1980s. In commu- Coto de Doñana region of Andalusia with describes Luc Hoffmann in these words: nist Hungary under Janos Kadar, he nego- his friend and colleague José Valverde. Luc “Behind his composure and modesty lies a tiated the establishment of the Hortobágy Hoffmann says: “We really needed some will of iron and tremendous determina- national park, the greatest expanse of political influence and to find the funds to tion. It is difficult to properly estimate his steppes in Europe, in 1963 together with the 1 achieve this. It was at that time that I met contribution to the development and person behind the project, Antal Festetics. the British men who were wanting to estab- growth of the WWF, both in terms of ad- In 1971, the Camargue natural park was set lish a non-governmental organisation to vice and financial support, especially since up thanks to financial support from the protect natural environments of global im- he goes about his business so discretely. portance.” He therefore became involved His outstanding qualities include his ”Luc Hoffmann, l’homme qui s’obstine à ­préserver ss Review February 2013 / No. in the creation of the WWF (World Wild- charm and unfailing ability to get along la Terre”, interviews by Jil Silberstein, Editions

Swi Photo: B. Bambour, Tour du V alat life Fund, which became the World Wide with everyone he meets.” Phébus, 2010. 22 Report

WWF led by Luc Hoffmann, who con- based on the same principles that I myself es- over nature, he read out his own death sen- vinced the French government to allow the tablished.” Luc Hoffmann’s philosophy on tence. The biosphere can only survive in purchase of this wilderness under threat ecology: “If you want the world to move in solidarity. It cannot have a sustainable ex- from an explosion of human activity. He one direction in harmony with nature, you istence if an animal, such as man, seeks su- was also active in Madagascar at the end of have to engage in dialogue with those who premacy over all other species. Things can- the 1960s where he worked with the re- oppose such harmony. The approach that not continue like that as it will end in searcher Jean-Jacques Petter to establish has to be taken to achieve genuine improve- disaster.” A modest realist, Luc Hoffmann the WWF there and to save the forest and its biodiversity which was rapidly disap- pearing. In Greece, he contributed to the establishment of the Prespa national park in the 1970s. In the middle of the decade, the naturalist and expert on deserts Théo- dore Monod was seeking to preserve the bi- odiversity in the Gulf of Arguin on the coast of Mauritania in West Africa. With the support of the WWF, he succeeded in convincing the Islamist government to set up the Banc d’Arguin national park (12,000 km2) in 1976. However, ten years later, Luc Hoffmann saw the situation in this region deteriorate as a result of overfishing. He then decided to found the Fondation inter- nationale du banc d’Arguin (FIBA) to en- courage the government to manage and reg- ulate fishing better and to secure the park’s future. The FIBA gave rise to the desire to preserve all the eco-regions on the coast stretching from Mauritania to Sierra Leone, which led to the West African Regional Ma- rine and Coastal Conservation Programme In the Banc d’Arguin national park on the coast of Mauritania in the 1990s (PRCM) in 2003.

The baton has been passed on ment is dialogue and not aggression. I am not does not believe that everything he has but the race continues a militant but I hope to win people over.” achieved has brought about fundamental The work of Luc Hoffmann is continuing change. He nevertheless remains optimis- thanks to all his groundwork and the efforts A look at the 21st century tic. “Man will finally come to realise the di- of his children, Maja (aged 56), a patron of Luc Hoffmann remarks: “I see regression rection in which he is heading and will contemporary art like her grandmother, and signals that have not been heeded in change course. However, that is becoming Vera Michalski (aged 58), an editor, and An- every environmental catastrophe.” The increasingly expensive and difficult to dré (aged 54), Vice-President of Roche, collective ecological conscience has grown achieve. The financial estimates for renew- WWF International and the Tour du Valat strongly but, despite all the success able energies show that it is still possible to Foundation. In 1994, Luc Hoffmann set up achieved by environmental protection put things back on track and to live com- the family foundation MAVA (Maja-André- groups over sixty years, the condition of fortably. Solar power is probably the most Vera) to support the conservation of nature, the Earth continues to deteriorate. New effective solution for the future.” A word through which his children are continuing disturbing problems have emerged and for of advice? “More opportunities must be his work. It is today one for the leading envi- good reason. “The power relationship be- found to work with people rather than ronmental foundations in Europe and a ma- tween man and nature has not evolved against them.” A more creative approach is jor provider of funding for projects in the al- much”, observes Luc Hoffmann. “There required – politicians should take heed. pine region, the Mediterranean basin and the are more people who are aware of nature 1 o. coastal area of West Africa. Head of the or- but often for anodyne rather than signifi- More information: www.tourduvalat.org ganisation since 2010, André Hoffmann is a cant reasons. Man always wants to take www.wwf.ch worthy successor to his father despite the fact more from the Earth than it is able to give.” www.ramsar.org that he is an economist rather than a biolo- Without being fatalistic, the ageing ecolo- www.mava-foundation.org w February 2013 / N gist. This is definitely beneficial as far as sus- gist is simply saying that people are begin-

ss Revie tainable development is concerned. “He is ning to understand but are turning a deaf i w Photo: Jean-Paul Taris / Tour du V alat S extremely committed. He continues to work ear. “When man declared his supremacy Alain Wey is an editor at “Swiss Review” Sport 23

“I have great expectations in terms of speed!”

The World Downhill Skiing Championships will take place in Schladming, Austria, between 4 and 17 February 2013. Among the Swiss competing, Didier Défago has emerged as the new leader of the men’s team after ­Didier Cuche’s retirement and Beat Feuz’s prolonged recovery from injury. Interview by Alain Wey

No matter what anyone says, Swiss down- ing in this event since 2001 hill skiing has been leaderless since the start and have yet to win a medal. of the season. Didier Cuche was just as im- This is definitely a big portant in his role as team leader as in terms opportunity that has of results and consistency. Much is now ex- evaded me. Schladming is pected of competitors like Didier Défago, a slope that suits me well as Carlo Janka and Beat Feuz, heir apparent in it is quite long and physi- the overall 2012 World Cup rankings. How- cally demanding. It’s ex- ever, the latter is ruled out of action for the actly the type of terrain entire season following inflammation of his that I love. Obviously, left knee after an operation last spring. As ever­ything then depends for Carlo Janka, he has yet to find the form on the weather conditions that saw him top the overall World Cup and the snow. rankings and become Olympic champion in 2010. Injury problems have affected his con- How will you manage fidence but things only need to click into the big day? place for the “iceman” to find his way back I’ll use my experience onto the podium. Due to these circum- but it’s also a question of stances, the spotlight has now fallen on the hitting form at the right senior member of the team, 35-year-old Di- time. Training and World dier Défago from Valais. The 2010 Olym- Cup competitions have to pic downhill champion has repeatedly be managed carefully to proven his quality and is also familiar with arrive with maximum en- the harsh reality of injuries. In September ergy. You simply have to 2010, just six months after the Vancouver keep yourself fresh for Olympic Games, he seriously damaged the the World Champion- cruciate ligament in his left knee and re- ships. quired an operation. His recovery forced him to miss the 2011 season. He neverthe- What’s life within the camp like Didier Défago does not see himself as our only great hope less returned to the highest level by picking without Didier Cuche? What is up his fourth World Cup victory in the Bor- the new set-up like? but some team members are only just re- mio downhill on 29 December 2011. 2013 is It’s working really well. Everyone knows turning from injury, such as Marc Gisin and of course the year of the World Champion- that there can be changes from one year to Patrick Küng. Our team has also shrunk. We ships, which will take place from 4 to 17 the next both in terms of trainers and are missing Beat Feuz. At least Carlo Janka February in Schladming, Austria. competitors. New equipment has also is on his way back. been imposed on us even though our main “Swiss Review”: Like a good wine, you ski brand suited us well. Had we kept it, it Do you feel as though you have taken over are improving with age, especially with the would have enabled us to get a better idea the role of leader within the team? two victories in the downhill at Wengen and of our performance during training. I don’t want to take anyone’s place. Every- Kitzbühl in 2009. one is different but it’s certainly true that Didier Défago: People say that I’m im- people are looking to me as a leader and for 1 proving. Compared to last year when I was “It’s hard to imagine the moment I’m going with it. coming back from injury, my goal is now to enhance my performance. I have great ex- doing anything else” You are now one of the few French-speaking pectations in terms of speed! Swiss on the men’s team. What strengths does the team possess now? I am actually the only French-speaking

ss Review February 2013 / No. You must be excited about taking part in the We are a small team capable of achieving Swiss. But I speak Swiss German fluently.

Swi donated Photo: World Championships. You have been compet- good results. Everything is going well so far It’s been like this for some time. There were 24 Sport

two of us last year when we had Didier I reflected on my victory at home in Wen- spect. In skiing, my idols were Pirmin Zur- Cuche. Justin Murisier should have joined gen. Those are moments you want to relive. I briggen and the Norwegians Kjetil André the team this season but unfortunately he realised that when standing in the finishing Aamodt and Lasse Kjus, who always per- suffered another injury. zones at some of the courses. I got such an formed well at World Championships and adrenaline rush and experienced such ner­vous Olympic Games. At the age of 35, how do you see the rest tension when a skier descended the piste that of your career? I knew I wanted to come back. The other What is your philosophy? It would be wonderful if I could get thing is that I really enjoy what I do. You get To take each day as it comes. To make the through the Sochi Olympic Games season the opportunity to travel a great deal and to most of life and the present moment. When in 2014 injury-free. I could then bring my see lots of countries. And when you’re train- I’m at home, I manage to detach myself from career to an end. For the moment, I’m con- ing, there are so many beautiful days and great skiing and to take advantage of the oppor- centrating on every season by trying to take conditions that you wouldn’t change it for tunity to spend time with my family. Then full advantage of the opportunity to enjoy any­thing in the world. It’s our life, our world, when I leave I’m completely focussed on what I love doing. My goal is to have another and it’s hard to imagine doing anything else. what I’m doing again. I’m 100 % committed two seasons. I’ll be almost 37 years of age af- even though I do not always achieve the re- ter Sochi. Even if I remain free of injury, my Who do you admire? sults I want. When that happens, you have reflexes will not be the same. In sport generally, Roger Federer. I think to be able to analyse your performance and many sportspeople would like to emulate to tell yourself that tomorrow is another day him. He is extremely impressive in every re- and will present new opportunities! “It’s certainly true that ­people are looking to me as a leader and for the ­moment I’m going with it”

What are your memories of your gold medal in the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic­ Games? It was incredible. It’s hard to take it all in at the time. It took a while to sink in. An injury to my knee six months later gave me plenty of time for reflection. Those mem- ories will remain with me forever. I was overcome with emotion on the evening of the medal ceremony when I saw my brother, who was also in Vancouver.

Apart from the Olympic gold medal, what were your sources of motivation when you were out injured? Didier Défago in action in the Super-G at Beaver Creek in 2010

Défago – the inside track

Personal details. Born on World Cup. Made his debut in Olympic Games. Gold in the Leisure time. Trout fishing in 2 October 1977. Height: 1.84 m, 1997 in the giant slalom in downhill in Vancouver in 2010. mountain rivers. Sport in general. weight: 89 kg. Trained as a ­Tignes. First podium finish He has taken part in the Olym- Music. “I enjoy listening to a draughtsman. Married to Sabine, with 2nd place in the Super-G pic Games since Salt Lake City little bit of everything, from 1 two children: Alexane (aged 5) at Val Gardena in 2002. He has in 2002. French music, such as Jean- and Timéo (aged 3). achieved 13 podium finishes Wine. A passion of the Valais- Jacques Goldman, etc., to hard Early years. Started skiing at with four victories, including born skier. A wine producer has rock like Metallica, AC/DC and 18 months. Didier Défago grew the double in the downhill at created two blended wines in Iron Maiden, as well as softer up in the ski resort of Morgins in Wengen and Kitzbühl in 2009. his honour called “Réserve du sounds like the violoncellist ­Valais, near to Portes du Soleil Best overall ranking: 6th in champion olympique”. Nathalie Manser.” ss Review February 2013 / No.

Swi donated Photo: (Switzerland’s largest ski area). 2005 and 2009. ORGANISATION OF THE SWISS ABROAD 25

OSA advice A springboard into the first three to six months of this new chapter in their lives. Acting as a hub, OSA I have foreign qualifications and would Switzerland will mediate between guests and hosts, edu­ like to work in Switzerland. Which cational institutions and training supervi­ body do I need to contact to get my In view of the precarious economic situa­ sors and perform organisational tasks. The qualifications recognised? tion in many parts of the world, increasing educational institution or training supervi­ numbers of young Swiss people abroad – sor will then take on the role of “mentor” in The body responsible for the recognition of and their parents – are showing an interest the vocational training and in the profes­ qualifications varies depending on the type in education in Switzerland as the founda­ sional network. of qualification. Recognition of qualifica­ tion for a future career and as a way of se­ Hosts, for their part, must be prepared to tions is necessary for the regulated profes­ curing a livelihood in later life. The num­ provide their guests with support during sions where a degree, certificate or attesta­ ber of enquiries made to the Organisation their stay in Switzerland, to help them inte­ tion of competence is required as the legal of the Swiss Abroad’s Youth Service about grate into everyday life and to provide them basis to practise (for example, chiropractors, longer educational stays has therefore with a “social network” and a family envi­ law­yers, doctors, etc.). ­increased over the course of the past year. ronment in their new homes. This is The Federal Office for Professional Edu­ Enquiries made to grammar schools, uni­ ­extremely important as many guests will not cation and Technology (OPET) is responsi­ versities, other educational institutions and (yet) have many contacts in Switzerland. ble for the recognition of qualifications with host families to accept young visitors from Hosts will be remunerated for their services regard to professional training and univer­ abroad for longer than the usual two to four monthly as a contribution towards the costs sities of applied sciences. It publishes a bro­ weeks “as an exception” have also risen. The incurred for food, accommodation and their chure on its website setting out the compe­ Youth Service is setting up the “Spring­ time commitment. tent body depending on the profession in board” project in order to take account of We would be very pleased to provide you question. the changing require­ments of our compa­ with further details and information on the As far as university degrees are concerned, triots abroad. planned approach as well as about other ser­ the Rectors’ Conference of the Swiss Uni­ Following preliminary enquiries and re­ vices provided by the Youth Service. Con­ versities (CRUS) also publishes the compe­ gistration, OSA – in collaboration with tact us at [email protected]. tent bodies on its website. For non-regula­ AJAS, the Association promoting Education An overview of the offers available in 2013 ted professions, there is no need in principle for Young Swiss Abroad, and the educa­tional can be found at www.aso.ch > Offers. to obtain recognition of the foreign qualifi­ institutions (universities, colleges, se­ cations in order to work in Switzerland. It is condary schools and training enterprises, Note: There are still places available for the up to the employer to decide whether to re­ etc.) – will aim to provide participants with Easter camp in Davos! cruit someone holding foreign qualifica­ support and organisational assistance during Prisca Blindenbacher / Youth Service tions. For admission to courses of study in Switzerland with foreign qualifications, you must get in direct contact with the educa­ tional institution where you wish to take the particular course.

Further information: www.bbt.admin.ch > Recognition of foreign qualifications > Agencies responsible for the recognition www.crus.ch > Recognition/Swiss ENIC

Sarah Mastantuoni, Head of the Legal Depart- ment The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad’s Legal De- partment provides general legal information on Swiss law and specifically in areas that concern the Swiss abroad. It does not provide information on foreign law and does not intervene in disputes between ­private parties. 1 o. A Presence Switzerland eview February 2013 / N A courageous ss R leap can change Photo: FDF Swi so much 26 ORGANISATION OF THE SWISS ABROAD

Travel/meeting point The meeting point is at Zurich airport around lunchtime. Travel to and from Zurich airport is organ- ised and paid for by parents.

Leaders Experienced, multilingual teams of leaders ensure that the two-week holiday camps are well-organised and offer a wide variety of activities.

Young Swiss abroad playing at last year’s camp Registration The exact details of the individual holiday Summer camps 2013 man, French, English, Spanish and Italian. camps and the registration form can be The leaders run the programmes in Ger- found, from Friday, 1 February 2013, at Are you aged 8 to 14? Would you like to man, French and English. So, the language www.sjas.ch. We are also happy to post you spend 14 days in Switzerland getting to at each camp does not depend on the lan- our information brochure on request. The know your homeland better? Then sign guage spoken at the camp’s location. deadline for registration is 15 March 2013. up for a holiday camp run by the Foun- dation for Young Swiss Abroad. We or- Prices Please contact the office in Berne for fur- ganise summer holiday camps in Swit- The prices of the offers are set out in the list ther information: zerland’s most beautiful regions during below. The Foundation for Young Swiss Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad July and August. Abroad wishes to give all Swiss children Alpenstrasse 26 abroad the opportunity to spend a holiday CH-3006 Berne Programme in Switzerland at least once if possible. We Tel. +41 (0)31 356 61 16 Our camps give you the opportunity to therefore offer reduced camp rates. The rel- Fax +41 (0)31 356 61 01 see the sights, to discover lakes, mountains, evant application form can be requested E-mail: [email protected] rivers and incredible scenery, to go on short with the registration form. www.sjas.ch hikes and perhaps even visit some cities. Some days are also spent at the camp, where we organise games, sporting activities and various workshops. Summer camps 2013 You will also have the chance to learn lots Sat. 29.6.–Fri. 12.7.13: Beatenberg (Berne) for 40 children aged 11–14, price: CHF 900 of useful things about Switzerland. For ex- Sat. 29.6.–Fri. 12.7.13: Madetswil (Zurich) for 36 children aged 8–11, price: CHF 900 ample, we look at the Swiss languages, Swiss songs, Swiss recipes and typically Swiss Wed. 3.7.–Fri. 12.7.13: Swiss trip for 24 children aged 12–16, price: CHF 950 games and sports. The interaction between participants be- Sat. 13.7.–Fri. 26.7.13: Erlinsbach (Aargau) for 36 children aged 8–11, price: CHF 900 yond all linguistic, cultural and national Sat. 13.7.–Fri. 26.7.13: Flond (Grisons) for 42 children aged 11–14, price: CHF 900 boundaries provides an opportunity to en- joy an unforgettable experience and to make Sat. 27.7.–Fri. 9.8.13: Dangio-Torre (Ticino) music camp for 40 children aged 11–14, price: lots of new friends. CHF 950 Sat. 27.7.–Fri. 9.8.13: Mont-de-Buttes (Neuchâtel) for 36 children aged 8–11, price: CHF 900 Language at camp The people who take advantage of our of- Sat. 10.8.–Fri. 23.8.13: Schüpfheim (Lucerne) for 42 children aged 8–14, price: CHF 900 fers come from all over the world and there- Sat. 10.8.–Fri. 23.8.13: Bergün (Grisons) for 36 children aged 11–14, price: CHF 900 fore speak different languages, such as Ger- 1 The right insurance – with Soliswiss Protection against political risk, life and health insurance, wealth management

ss Review February 2013 / No. Would you like a personal consultation? www.soliswiss.ch, T +41 31 380 70 30 Swi SJASPhoto: NOTES FROM PARLIAMENT 27

Swiss citizens having the data required for a new passport recorded by the mobile unit

Electronic equipment case form enables our staff to travel to re- ginning of 2012 to safeguard and extend the gions where Switzerland does not have a per- range of high-quality services available to goes on tour manent consular presence. For example, the citizens abroad. responsible representation can provide the The mobile recording of biometric data mobile recording of biometric passport data Additional possibilities for new passports has become a success at meetings of Swiss societies abroad. This Since the introduction of the Regional Con- story. service saves any interested Swiss citizens sular Centres, Swiss abroad have also had the from having to undertake what may be long opportunity to record their biometric data The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs journeys to the representation. in all suitably equipped representations and (FDFA) introduced mobile units for record- A mobile unit for recording biometric all cantonal passport offices in Switzerland. ing biometric data around a year ago. The data will visit the following embassies and At the same time, consular drop-in days mobile equipment was transported around consulates general during the course of 2013: were introduced and online services for the the world in 2012. It has been used in over 20 Swiss abroad were extended. countries to date and will have visited four • Barcelona • Buenos Aires The reason for these changes was the re- out of five continents by the end of March, • The Hague • Lima view of Switzerland’s diplomatic and consu- with only Asia remaining. • Madrid • Nairobi lar network in 2010. This revealed that syn- Scores of Swiss citizens worldwide take • New York • San José, Costa Rica ergies could be achieved and exploited in advantage of this sophisticated service each • Stockholm • Wellington individual cases by merging consular ser- month. They attend consular drop-in days • Vienna vices locally. at the Swiss representations that do not have Swiss Citizen Services a permanent consular department and can The representations will inform their Consular Directorate have their biometric data recorded there and Swiss communities abroad of the exact time- then thanks to the mobile devices. The rep- table for the units in due course. 1 resentations publish the dates of these drop- The mobile recording of biometric data Important notice in days in the local media or write to regis- complements the Regional Consular Cen- The FDFA wishes to make all Swiss citizens tered Swiss citizens abroad directly. tres, which have taken over the consular ser- abroad aware that Swiss passports issued in

sler, Australian delegate vices for several countries simultaneously at 2003 will expire in 2013. Please remember Mobile data recording possible anywhere various locations since 2011. The FDFA’s to renew your passport as early as possible © Roland I

ss Review February 2013 / No. However, this is not the only opportunity to Consular Directorate took the bold step of at the Swiss embassy or consulate general to the CSA Swi Photo: use the mobile devices. Their compact suit- introducing mobile data recording at the be- where you are registered. The biometric 28 NOTES FROM PARLIAMENT

data for the new passport can be recorded ■ Employers liable to make old-age and sur- Nationality is a criterion in the following sit- at any suitably equipped representation or vivors’ insurance contributions; uations: any passport office in Switzerland after you ■ Self-employed persons with mandatory ■ Bilateral social insurance agreements take have submitted your passport application. old-age and survivors’ insurance; account of nationality insofar as they only Your Swiss representation will be pleased ■ Staff of employers not obliged to make apply to citizens of the contracting states. to provide you with additional information. contributions (e.g. companies abroad). ■ In certain special cases, mandatory old- age and survivors’ insurance only concerns Such persons must join a family com- Swiss citizens. pensation fund and pay contributions on Revised federal law salaries that are subject to old-age and sur- Family allowances for children abroad on family allowances vivors’ insurance or on or income from (export) self-employment. The level of contribu- The FamZG was fought to the last with a On 1 January 2009, the Federal Law on tion varies depending on the canton and referendum. Opponents feared that more Family Allowances (Bundesgesetz über die compensation fund. The funds check that benefits would be exported abroad. A very Familienzulagen – FamZG) replaced the applications meet the criteria for receiv- restrictive solution was therefore set out in existing cantonal regulations. Since 2011, ing family allowances, decide on entitle- the ordinance on the law: full family allow- every child for whom a family allowance ment and cover the benefit payments. ances for children who live abroad are only is paid out has been entered in the central Person with mandatory old-age and sur- paid out where Switzerland is obliged to do family allowance register. An important vivors’ insurance are entitled to benefits: so based on a state treaty. This primarily ap- amendment to the FamZG entered into ■ Employees with or without employers li- plies to children in EU/EFTA states. Aside force on 1 January 2013 to take account of able to make contributions; from some older treaties (e.g. with Bosnia- self-employed persons. This law also con- ■ Self-employed; Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia), most cerns some of the Swiss community ■ Persons not in gainful employment (up to social insurance agreements do not cover abroad. a taxable annual income of CHF 42,120). FamZG benefits. The FamZG stipulates minimum monthly allowances per child of CHF 200 or CHF Who is not entitled to benefits? As an exception, the ordinance provides for 250 (for children aged 16 to 25 still in educa- Persons with voluntary old-age and survi- the global export of benefits for families who tion). Several cantons have provided for vors’ insurance (Swiss citizens abroad out- have a close relationship with Switzerland higher rates in their implementation provi- side the EU/EFTA) are unable to volun- and only temporarily reside abroad: sions for the FamZG and have introduced tarily subject themselves to the FamZG or ■ Swiss citizens working abroad for birth and adoption allowances. to join a family compensation fund. Em- 1. federal government; The new amendment means that all em- ployers abroad cannot join a Swiss family 2. international organisations with which ployers, irrespective of the size of the com- compensation fund even if they are partly the Federal Council has concluded a head- pany, and the previously exempt federal financed with money from Switzerland or quarters agreement and which are deemed and cantonal administrations with their employ Swiss citizens. employers pursuant to article 12 of the institutions are now subject to the Family The receipt of a pension from a Swiss so- Old-Age and Survivors’ Insurance Act Allowances Law and must join a family cial insurance institution (e.g. old-age and (AHVG); compensation fund (Familienausgleichs­ survivors’ insurance or invalidity insur- 3. private aid organisations that receive sig- kasse – FAK). ance) does not provide grounds for entitle- nificant funding from federal government ment to family allowances irrespective of pursuant to article 11 of the Federal Act on Scope and benefit entitlement the nationality of the pension recipient. International Development Cooperation The FamZG is based on old-age and survi- Nationality is not a criterion for subjection and Humanitarian Aid (Bundesgesetz über vors’ insurance (AHV) in many respects. or benefit entitlement. The regulation un- die internationale Entwicklungszusam- Entitlement to family allowances depends der which child allowances are paid out menarbeit und humanitäre Hilfe). on employment or residence in Switzerland abroad, where Switzerland has an obliga- ■ Persons able to continue contributing to with few exceptions. The following are sub- tion under state treaties, applies to Swiss mandatory old-age and survivors’ insurance ject to the law: citizens and foreign nationals. because they work abroad for and are paid by an employer headquartered in Switzer- land provided this employer gives consent. Advertisement A five-year period of pre-existing insurance 1 in Switzerland is required for the continua- tion of mandatory old-age and survivors’ in- surance. ■ Persons (particularly delegates) who are covered by mandatory old-age and survivors'

ss Review February 2013 / No. insurance based on an intergovernmental

Swi agreement. 29

Depending on the purchasing power in the sent to all Swiss citizens abroad registered destination country, the full family allow- with an embassy or consulate general free of ances, two thirds or one third are paid out charge either electronically (via e-mail and and adjusted by law to the local purchasing as an iPad app) or in printed format. power. The employers often make up the difference from their own resources. Last but not least Maia Jaggi, The FDFA’s Relations with the Swiss Abroad Deputy Head of the Family Affairs Unit Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) Division sends you greetings from the Area of Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) the Swiss Abroad in Brunnen on Lake Lucerne. We wish to express our solidarity with the Swiss community abroad through our (please note) This article sets out the basic principles working visit to the “meadow of the Swiss of the Family Allowances Law but does Abroad”. We have drawn inspiration from the not contain full specific details. spirit of the place to continue providing you with Information and links on the website useful services tailored to your requirements. We of the Federal Social Insurance Office wish you every success and happiness in 2013 on Relations with the Swiss Abroad Divisiont of the (www.bsv.admin.ch > Topics > Family/ behalf of the entire Consular Directorate. Consular Directorate, from left to right: ­Thomas family allowances > Family Allowances): Kalau, Markus Probst, Rütli meadow (in the background), Jean-François Lichten­ - Fact sheets The FDFA’s Relations with the Swiss Abroad stern, Stefan Zingg, Stephan Winkler, Simone - Legal texts Division. Flubacher. - Publicly accessible part of the family allowance register - Table setting out the family allowance ELECTIONS AND REFERENDA rates in all cantons The Federal Council has decided to put the following proposals to the vote on 3 March 2013: - Guide to the FamZG with detailed pro- visions on export and purchasing power ■ Federal resolution of 15 June 2012 on family policy; adjustment ■ Popular initiative of 26 February 2008 “against fat-cat bonuses”; - Details of the cantonal implementa- ■ Amendment of 15 June 2012 to the federal law on spatial planning. tion provisions - Decisions of the Federal Supreme All information on the proposals (voting pamphlet, committees, party information, etc.) Court and the cantonal insurance courts can be found at www.ch.ch/abstimmungen. - Family allowance statistics Forthcoming referendum dates in 2013: 9 June – 22 September – 24 November - Documentation on how the FamZG emerged and its amendments. POPULAR INITIATIVES The old-age and survivors’ insurance At the time of going to press, no new federal popular initiatives had been launched compensation funds, which often also since the publication of the last edition of “Swiss Review”. The complete list of pending manage the family compensation funds, popular initiatives can be found on the Federal Chancellery’s website at www.bk.admin.ch provide information on family allow- under Aktuell > Wahlen und Abstimmungen > Hängige Volksinitiativen. ances: www.ahv-iv.ch>Dienstleistungen> Ausgleichskassen (not available in Eng-

lish). FDFA OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: JEAN-FRANÇOIS LICHTENSTERN, RELATIONS WITH THE SWISS ABROAD BUNDESGASSE 32, CH-3003 BERNE, TEL: +41 800 24-7-365 www.eda.admin.ch / e-mail: [email protected] Important Please inform your embassy or consulate general of your e-mail address and mobile phone number. Register at www.swissabroad.ch to ensure 1 you do not miss any communications (“Swiss Online registration for Swiss citizens travelling abroad Review”, newsletters from your representa- Travel advice tion, etc.). The latest “Swiss Review” and re- cent issues can be read and/or printed out at Phone from Switzerland: 0800 24-7-365 www.eda.admin.ch/reisehinweise www.fdfa.admin.ch/itineris

iew February 2013 / No. Phone from abroad: +41 800 24-7-365 Helpline DFAE: +41 (0)800 24-7-365 v any time via the Review link on the websites e E-Mail: [email protected] www.twitter.com/travel_edadfae of the Swiss representations abroad or di- Skype: helpline-eda wiss R hoto: RSA, Brunnenhoto: S P rectly at www.revue.ch. “Swiss Review” is 30 ECHO

Little gems

On the trail of the Celliers follows in the footsteps of the time when Eastern Europe The Swiss couple Marcel and Celliers and features interviews seemed unreachably distant and Catherine Cellier spent 50 years with the protagonists of the day, grey to people in the West. But collecting music from Eastern such as the singers of the seem- it was full of music even then. Europe and bringing it to the ingly archaic “Les Mystères des MUL West during the Cold War (also Voix Bulgares”. The film is a see issue 4/2012 of “Swiss Re- sensory piece of contemporary view”). A film exploring the history thanks in no small meas- “Balkan Melodie”, DVD, 2012. world discovered by the couple ure to the historical footage. Languages: original version in French, is now available. The documen- The sequences captured by Bulgarian, Rumanian, subtitles: French, German, English, Bulgarian. tary entitled “Balkan Melodie” Catherine Cellier on her Su- Available from www.artfilm.ch. by director Stefan Schwietert per-8 camera take you back to a CHF 30

A reading book to indulge in Wahrheit erleben wir das Ende der Welt”. “Un homme qui vivait couché sur un banc” Its editor, Charles Linsmayer, who also con- (A man who lived lying on a bench) is the ti- tributes a comprehensive biographical epi- tle of Maurice Chappaz’s tale published in logue, calls it a “reading book”. BE 1939. This short text marked the beginning of his life as an author. The man on the bench “had fled the community in which his father held a position of authority as a kind of notary or sheriff. He had resolved no longer to agonise over the absurd tasks that everyone in his family and society wanted to impose on him”. Chappaz is describing his own situation here. He made the right deci- “In Wahrheit sion to dedicate himself stubbornly to writ- ­erleben wir das Ende der Welt”, ing rather than the notary’s office. Chappaz translated by was born in 1916 and had left a comprehen- Hilde and Rolf Fieguth; ed. sive body of work behind upon his death in Charles Lins- 2009. A representative selection of his works mayer; Huber Verlag, Frauen- has now been published in German for the feld, 352 pages; first time. This collection is entitled “In around CHF 40

What makes the Swiss tick? ple. “Going Local”, for example, Which place in Switzerland is is a guide to the Swiss education furthest from the national bor- system, which is very useful and ders? What is Switzerland called not just for foreigners living in in Ireland? Which is the oldest Switzerland. The publishing brand of Swiss watch? Which house’s portfolio also includes canton has the most cars per in- several language guides: “Hoi habitant? Here are the answers: zämme – your Swiss German Uttigen in the canton of Berne. survival guide” and “Sali An Eilvéis. Blancpain. Appen- zämme”, an essential read for zell Innerrhoden with 949 cars coping in Switzerland with over 1 per 1,000 inhabitants. All of 2,000 expressions in the Basel these and many more amusing dialect. BE and informative facts can be small publishing house in Basel. with the Swiss”, as Dianne found in Diccon Bewes’ book “Bergli Books” was founded Dicks puts it. Since then, she has w February 2013 / No. e vi “Swisscellany – facts & figures over 20 years ago by Dianne regularly published books that Contact: Bergli Books AG, e ­Falknerstrasse 12, 4001 Basel, ss R about Switzerland”, recently Dicks to facilitate interaction are extremely useful in dealings ­Switzerland, Tel. + 41 61 373 27 78,

Swi donated Photo: published by “Bergli Books”, a with the Swiss or “ticking along with Switzerland and Swiss peo- www.bergli.ch 31

Bulletins Quotes

Swiss returns to Geneva Switzerland takes over “The people do not want an ostentatious and glamorous President Geneva airport is set to become ESA presidency – that suits me fine.” an operating base again for the Switzerland is taking over the Ueli Maurer, President of Switzerland in 2013 prior to his election airline Swiss 16 years after Swiss­ presidency of the European air decided to focus its activities Space Agency (ESA) together “I get along very well with Ueli Maurer and I respect his ideas. on Zurich. This decision sparked with Luxembourg. This is a ­Admittedly, we do not always have the same ones…” widespread protests in French- “huge opportunity”, says Urs Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter speaking Switzerland at the Frei of the State Secretariat time. Swiss has announced that for Education and Research. “Those who are not politically active are essentially helping people who flights from Geneva will now be Around a dozen Swiss compa­ want the opposite of what they themselves consider important and right.” increased gradually. Staff num­ nies with 800 employees work Federal Councillor Alain Berset bers are expected to rise from 81 almost exclusively for the at present to 320 by the end of ­aerospace industry. Switzer- “I like being boring. You have to be boring as part of an executive.” 2014. However, the only direct land contributes around Federal Councillor Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf in an interview intercontinental flight out of CHF 150 million to ESA’s with the “Zeit” newspaper Geneva for the time being will budget of CHF 4.5 billion. be to New York (JFK). “Democracy is worth as much as those who speak in its name.” Robert Schuman (1886–1963), French politician and first President Literature prizes awarded by of the European Parliament (1958–60) Federal Council opts for federal government ­Gripen jets The Federal Office of Culture “Irony is the last stage of disappointment.” Despite widespread criticism of awarded literature prizes for Anatole France, French author and winner of the Nobel Prize the Swedish Gripen aircraft, the the first time in 2012. Eight au­ in Literature (1844-1924) Federal Council has given the thors received awards. These go-ahead for the purchase of 22 were Irena Brežná, for her “In Switzerland, we know exactly how many three-legged cows there are of these fighter jets for the Swiss novel “Die undankbare but not how many people live here in poverty.” Hugo Fasel, former National Councillor and Director of Caritas armed forces at a cost of CHF 3.1 Fremde” (The Thankless on statistics in Switzerland billion. The deal still needs to be Stranger), which featured in approved by the Federal Assem­ the August 2012 issue of “Swiss “I believe in God, but am very poor at practising my faith.” bly over the coming months. A Review”, as well as Arno Came­ Didier Défago, Swiss ski racer after being asked whether he prays before the referendum after that is highly nisch, Massimo Daviddi, Thilo start of a dangerous race likely. Various organisations have Krause, Daniel Popescu, Cath­ announced that they plan to call erine Safonoff, Frédéric Wan­ a referendum. delère and Matthias Zschokke. The prize winners each receive Award for Swissinfo a sum of CHF 25,000 as well as The Geneva office of Swissinfo, support through specific pro­ an Internet platform (http:// motional measures. swissinfo.ch) that is very popu­ lar with the Swiss abroad, has Opposed to received the “Nicolas Bouvier immigration initiative­ Special Prize” for the quality On 7 December 2012, the and originality of its editorial ­Federal Council announced its coverage of the international rejection of the “initiative scene in Geneva. The four jour­ against mass immigration”

nalists based in Geneva provide ­submitted by the Swiss People’s Peter von Matt won this year’s Swiss Book Prize for his book “Das Kalb vor der regular reports on international Party (SVP) in February 2012. Gotthardpost” (The Calf in front of the Gotthard Post). The 75-year-old profes- organisations, negotiations and The reason it gave was that sor emeritus of German studies is “Switzerland’s most important living author”, 1 agreements in Japanese, Eng­ a­cceptance of the initiative Marcel Reich-Ranicki, the leading German expert on literature, said years ago. lish, Arabic and French. The would have required the Von Matt himself is less enthusiastic about this statement: “I detest that phrase”, Prix Bouvier was awarded for ­termination of the free move­ he said in an interview. He considers the assertion to be wrong as there is no clear scale for judging this. The jury’s appraisal of von Matt’s work at the award the third time this year in mem­ ment of persons and of all ceremony: “It is a book that relates outstandingly well to present-day Switzer- ory of the travel writer and pho­ other bilateral agreements with eview February 2013 / No. land. Peter von Matt highlights the relationship between literature and politics tographer Nicolas Bouvier, who the EU. through analyses of great linguistic power and originality of thought.” (The book wiss R

S donated Photo: passed away in 1998. featured in the “Books” section of the August 2012 issue of “Swiss Review”.) Carnival in Basel, Basel Region

Morgenstreich in Basel Festivals in the The carnival in Basel is the lar� gest in Switzerland and starts at height of winter. 4 o’clock in the morning to the drumming sound of ��MorgenMorgen� streich”. Over the three days, With more colour than any other festi - some 20,000 people put on their Tip 1 vals, come and join in traditional Swiss costumes and masks and liven up the streets with music and MySwitzerland.com carnivals that have been celebrated magnificent lanterns. Webcode: A36438 since the Middle Ages. The festival of the south A few days suspended At the carnival in Solothurn, His Majesty, the King, takes in time the mayor is even relieved from possession of the keys to the Carnival is the uninterrupted duty and the town adopts city and gets the Rabadan festival – a few days of mad � the name of Honolulu for the carnival underway in Bellinzona. ness when music takes over few days of the festival. There Marching bands and long the streets and where everyone are countless towns and cities masked processions spread Tip 2 can become someone else. across Switzerland where good cheer in the streets. The tradition of carnival comes various processions, dances, The party culminates with the MySwitzerland.com alive across the whole of Swit� marching bands and fanfares distribution of risotto. Webcode: B28450 zerland. The �drey scheenschte lure you into celebrating Dääg” (the three most spec� the festival and joining wild Fritschi’s country tacular days) see an entire pa� dances. It’s Fritschi, the figurehead of the rade of floats in Basel, fife and Lucerne carnival, his wife and drum players filling the streets son who lead the festival. Bands of Lucerne for the city’s �5th adorned with costumes and season”, and the lively Raba� masks provide a theatrical spec� dan festival in Bellinzona. tacle during the parades and Tip 3 Swiss carnivals are brought rope the public into their frolics. to life by hundreds of organi� Festivities continue late into the MySwitzerland.com sations and companies that evening with various dances. Webcode: A36453 spend the whole year pre� paring to put on a show at this time of year. Network Switzerland: Hotel de la Paix Ô, Lucerne Register until 28.2.2013 at MySwitzerland.com/aso and win a two�night stay for two people at Typically Swiss Hotel A collaboration between Switzerland Tourism and the Organisation of the Swiss de la Paix in Lucerne to experi� Abroad (OSA) ence the city’s carnival in 2014. MySwitzerland.com Webcode: A54742

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