THE MAGAZINE FOR THE SWISS ABROAD APRILJUNI 20112014 / NNO.R.3 2 Switzerland and Europe must redefine their relationship Family policy – a field day for parties and ideologies A star for 40 years – the careers of Bernhard Russi Write your city tale. d eken a we y! Win m cit drea on your gi in Re MySwitzerland.com/win va ne Ge , va ne Ge u, ea d’ t Je Discover our delightful and surprising Swiss boutique towns: The lovely Old Towns with their feel-good character and cultural diversity are inviting places to spend some time. MySwitzerland.com/cities 108_14g_01_staedte_2014_genf_ins_210x297.indd 4 17.02.14 09:23 EDITORIAL CONTENTS 3 Vague unease with incalculable consequences ou will return to a country that is no longer the same as the one you left. 5 A friend wrote this message to me on 9 February. It reached me in Sydney where Mailbag Y I was visiting the part of my family currently living in Australia. Is it really 5 true? Has Switzerland become a different country after voting yes to the “initiative Books: The life of Louis Chevrolet against mass immigration”? 6 No, that is obviously not the case. The Swiss have not turned into a nation where the Images: Markus Raetz, the perception majority are xenophobic, patriotic fundamentalists as is sometimes portrayed. The rea- researcher son for the approval of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) initiative was a vague sense of un- 8 ease for many people about high rents, crowded trains, congested roads and wage pres- The family – reality, myths and politics sure. The referendum was somewhat paradoxical if you consider where the initiative gained most support. The highest numbers of Yes votes were found in remote, rural re- 12 Yes to the mass immigration initiative – gions where few foreigners live. what happens now? The outcome of the ballot has fundamentally changed Switzer- land’s relationship with the 28 EU states. During the referendum 15 + 16 Billions spent on new fighter jets and a campaign this ramification was constantly played down by those minimum wage? The people will decide. behind the proposal but it is now a reality. The Federal Council now finds itself in the unenviable position of having to seek ways Regional news of protecting Switzerland from isolation in the face of the decision reached on immigration policy. It has now shifted into the role of 20 suitor in its dealings with the European Union, Switzerland’s most important trade part- Ernst Beyeler – art collector and founder of ner. The first consequences of the isolationist policy were announced by Brussels just the magnificent gallery in Riehen under a week after the referendum: both “Erasmus+”, the agreement on the mobility of students, and the “Horizon 2020” research programme were suspended. This is a bad 22 Stamp collecting – once a popular pastime, sign for Switzerland as a research location, for the younger generation and for our small, collections are practically worthless today resource-poor economy. Extensive coverage and comment concerning the referendum can be found in the politics section from page 12. 24 Literature series: Lina Bögli This issue’s key focus topic is family policy, a subject that all the political parties are devoting much attention to at the moment – often by propagating myths rather than re- 25 flecting reality. OSA news I also wish to highlight two other articles in particular – the story of Bernhard Russi, 28 the Swiss skiing legend from the 1970s who played a major role as a course designer at Notes from Parliament the Olympic Games in Sochi, and a culture feature on Ernst Beyeler and his legacy, 30 the Beyeler Foundation in Basel, which is more successful than any other art museum Echo in Switzerland. Barbara ENGel Cover photo: Symbolic image of Swiss-EU relations: a flag thrower on the Männlichen near Grindelwald with the flag of Europe. Photo: Keystone/Martin Ruetschi IMPRINT: “Swiss Review”, the magazine for the Swiss abroad, is in its 41st year of publication and is published in German, French, Italian, English and Spanish in 14 regional editions. 2 It has a total circulation of 400,000, including 140,000 electronic copies. Regional news appears four times a year. The ordering parties are fully responsible for the content of advertise- ments and promotional inserts. This content does not necessarily represent the opinion of either the editorial office or the publisher. ■ EDITORS: Barbara Engel (BE), Editor-in-Chief; Marc Lettau (MUL); Jürg Müller (JM); Alain Wey (AW); Peter Zimmerli (PZ), responsible for “Notes from Parliament”, Relations with the Swiss Abroad, FDFA, 3003 Berne, Switzerland. Transla- tion: CLS Communication AG ■ LAYOUT: Herzog Design, Zurich ■ POSTAL ADDRESS: Publisher, editorial office, advertising: Organi sation of the Swiss April 2014 / No. ■ ■ W Abroad, Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Berne, Tel.: +41313566110, Fax: +41313566101, Postal account (Swiss National Giro): 30-6768-9. EMAIL: [email protected] ie ■ V PRINT: Vogt-Schild Druck AG, 4552 Derendingen. All Swiss abroad who are registered with a Swiss representation receive the magazine free of charge. E R 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. ■ ■ iss INTERNET: www.revue.ch Copy deadline for this edition: 16.12.2013 SW ■ CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please advise your local embassy or consulate. Do not write to the editorial office in Berne. 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The platform also offers a comprehensive service for the Swiss abroad.” Network with other Swiss abroad Sign up for free membership Keep up to date on relevant news and events Find an apartment – or the best fondue in town www.swisscommunity.org Discover Switzerland SwissCommunity partners MAILBAG BOOKS 5 What is the cause of ment with the political, eco- “MEMORIES ARE ABOUT ALL THAT IS LEFT of the dramatic life Switzerland’s insecurity? nomic and social groups that took Louis Chevrolet from La Chaux-de-Fonds to Isn’t Switzerland, in light of opposed to the initiative for Paris and finally to the United States where he became its referendum system, simply being incapable of exposing one of the greatest racing drivers of all time” – this much more transparent than the widespread falsehoods line appeared in the US newspaper “The Corpus Christi any other country and there- and the threats to our coun- Times” on 18 March 1938. Now Martin Sinzig, a Swiss fore less protected against try. Can our leaders now do business journalist, has taken a journey through Eu- criticism? Isn’t being a Swiss some damage limitation? I rope and North America to capture these memories and Federal Councillor therefore wish them all the best. present them in a biography. The result is “Louis Chev- the most difficult job in poli- Jean-FranÇois Monnier, rolet – der Mann, der dem Chevy seinen Namen gab” tics? Can the government be ST Julien de Peyrolas, France (Louis Chevrolet – the Man Who Gave His Name to the strong in a country where the Chevy), a portrayal of the adventure-filled life of the people are strong? The native of Neuchâtel who arrived in New York by ship on Federal Council must master- Unacceptable editorial his 22nd birthday and became one of the most influen- fully strike a balance between Over the immigration initia- Chevrolet – Louis up give Never tial engine and racing car designers in the USA. self-determining Switzerland tive, Barbara Engel catego- Everyone is familiar with the name Chevrolet today. But and an EU governed from rises the Swiss as either what lies behind it? Little was known for many years about afar. The Federal Council FAR-SIGHTED or NAR- the life story of the company’s founder Louis Chevrolet, who needs our full support for its ROW-MINDED, FAINT- was born on 25 December 1878 in La Chaux-de-Fonds and died Swiss statesmanship. HEARTED and EGOISTI- on 6 June 1941 in Detroit, the “Motor City”. The biography Edgar Ruf, DÜsseldorf CAL. One might expect such published to mark the 100th anniversary of the Chevrolet http://home.arcor.de/edgar.ruf an intolerant and insulting company in 2011 is the result of many years of meticulous re- classification from the polit- search. It contains new findings and previously unpublished buro of a totalitarian state contemporary documents and photographs together with These Swiss voters but not from a country that press articles about the highs and lows of the early automo- The majority of Switzerland’s stands for democracy and tive industry. Sinzig also provides the first in-depth insight cantons are German-speak- freedom.