Green National Council Wettstein wants to weaken the Russian economy: Switzerland must take Putin’s specialists

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«Build your future in Germany!» The German government has been using these words for almost a year to attract skilled workers from Russia. The aim of the campaign is to attract Russians to the country who are fleeing their homeland because of the war – because they no longer want to have anything to do with the Russian regime or for fear of being drafted into the army.

What Germany has been doing for a long time is now also being discussed in Switzerland. If the National Council of Solothurn, Felix Wettstein (65, Greens), has his way, Switzerland should actively recruit young specialists from Russia and thus strengthen the “brain drain”.

Hundreds of thousands of Russians, some say more than a million people, have left the country since the outbreak of war. Among them, according to reports, were many IT specialists.

Specialists urgently needed

The idea is that by weakening the Russian economy, the local economy is strengthened. After all, Switzerland is also looking for well-trained personnel in various sectors.

Wettstein now wants to explore in federal Bern. During question time on Monday afternoon, he wants to know what the Bundesrat thinks of the idea. What can Switzerland do to help Russian professionals get out of the country? How can their professional integration in Switzerland be promoted?

The Solothurn native imagines Switzerland, like Germany, launching a campaign aimed directly at Russians. Or facilitate access to entry visas for Russian professionals. Subject to the response of the Bundesrat, Wettstein reserves the right to subsequently submit a corresponding proposal.

Citizens against

The common people do not take a favorable view of Wettstein’s idea. “Our laws apply the same to everyone,” says FDP national councilor and vice president Andri Silberschidt (29). The quota system applies to Russia as it does to all other third countries. In other words: someone must be able to demonstrate that there is a major economic interest in his employment.

“Unequal treatment based on origin would discriminate against people from other third countries,” says Silberschmidt. There are no exceptions for the SVP either.

However, Wettstein emphasizes that he does not want to shake the quota system. “But that argues even more in favor of making it easier for young people who want to leave the country. You bring exactly those specialist skills that we are so looking for, for example in computer science.”

Source:Blick