Sunday News: Health insurance rises, drugs with record exports to Russia

More and more Ukrainian refugees are returning home

The number of refugees from Ukraine registering in Switzerland has steadily declined in recent weeks. As the “SonntagsZeitung” reports, on March 31, the total number of people from Ukraine with active status S was lower than in the previous week – it had decreased by 57 people. The figures announced by the State Secretariat for Migration SEM on Thursday now confirm the trend: the number of people applying for status S fell by 74 people. In total there are currently 65,744 people with this status in Switzerland – at the end of February there were 66,319. Even though the figures are falling, the SEM does not yet want to speak of a trend break. It is possible that the figures of the past two weeks have something to do with Easter.

Swiss Pharma supplies more than ever to Russia

Despite the sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine, Switzerland supplies almost as much to Russia as it did before the conflict. In the past twelve months, she sold goods worth a total of 2.9 billion francs, writes the “NZZ am Sonntag”. The exports of the pharmaceutical industry even rose to a record value: the industry contributed almost 2 billion to the result. In the same period before the war, the export of medicines was still about 1.4 billion. Since medicines and pharmaceuticals are exempt from sanctions for humanitarian reasons, the pharmaceutical industry can export to Russia without restrictions. The two major Swiss pharmaceutical companies Roche and Novartis have local branches.

Healthcare costs are rising sharply again

Current figures for January and February show an increase of 7.5 percent in healthcare costs per insured person. Drivers are particularly the provision of medicines and care services in homes. Although the evaluated period is still short, Santésuisse director Verena Nold was concerned about the values. She told the “SonntagsBlick”: “If we do nothing, we will drive the health system to the wall.” The new family barometer from Pro Familia impressively shows how much the rising premiums are a burden for families in Switzerland. The subjects of ‘healthcare premiums’ and ‘health’ are the most preoccupied by the respondents. Housing costs, inflation or climate change are lower on the list.

GLP and Mitte would rather join SVP and FDP than SP and Groenen

The last national elections resulted in a clear centre-left majority in the National Council as the Greens and Greens Liberals won seats. However, a vote analysis by the “SonntagsZeitung” now shows that the green-left turnaround in the National Council remained unfinished. SP and Groenen managed to win more than 60 percent more votes than in the previous legislature (52 percent). But that is less than the election result would have allowed. Reason: GLP and center still prefer to ally with FDP and SVP than with SP and Greens. The centre-right remained the dominant coalition. Successful centre-left alliances only emerged on a larger scale in the fields of the environment and energy.

Part-time bosses are trendy

The share of employees in part-time jobs is increasing – also in the executive suite. This shows an evaluation of “x28”, as “SonntagsBlick” writes. The Swiss recruitment agency has analyzed how many vacancies are posted for part-time management positions and how this value has changed over the years. Result: almost a third of all online advertised leadership positions in 2022 can be done part-time. Ten years earlier that was only 7.6 percent. But do a third of all newly hired managers actually work part-time? Daniel Kopp from the Economic Research Center at ETH Zurich: “The fact that the vacancies are offered part-time does not automatically mean that they are also filled part-time.” But, Kopp continues, “The trend should be good.”

Results of corona loans in the cultural sector are barely visible

In total, the cultural industry received an additional CHF 80 million during the Corona pandemic to create new structures and attract new audiences. Among the beneficiaries are cultural center Kosmos, which has gone bankrupt, and rapper Knackeboul. Hardly anything of these projects can be seen in the cultural landscape so far, writes the “NZZ am Sonntag”. Very few companies provide information upon request. Knackeboul says he has no time for interviews. The filmmaker Samir, who received more than 170,000 francs, left questions unanswered. Lisa Fuchs, responsible for the culture department of the canton of Zurich, says: “This transformation process is still ongoing, many projects will not be completed until the end of October.” Their effect is not visible until later. At the end of October there is an external exam for the cultural institutions.

The Swiss want to save on food

As inflation puts increasing pressure on budgets, consumers in Switzerland want to save when shopping at the supermarket. The Sunday newspaper writes this on the basis of a representative study by consultancy firm Alix Partners. Of the 1,000 people surveyed, 68 percent said they were worried about rising inflation. This affects planned purchases. 42 percent said they want to buy more cheap items this year. On the other hand, 41 percent want to buy fewer organic and sustainable products. Brand manufacturers are also coming under pressure.

Italy’s refugee blockade is likely to last longer

Italy suspended the Dublin agreement last December. Since then, Rome has stopped taking back refugees that Italy was the first country to accept and should take back. This means that the main principle of EU refugee policy no longer works with one of the main states. And that won’t change anytime soon. Research by “NZZ am Sonntag” shows that the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) has informed the cantons that the blockade will last even longer. In a circular to the cantonal authorities, the SEM wrote that “until at least May 2″ no Dublin return to Italy was possible. An SEM spokesperson confirmed this to the newspaper: “We have instructed the cantons by email not to plan any repatriations until then. We have communicated this deadline to avoid red tape.” However, it is unclear when Italy will take back refugees.

Swiss customs authorities put pressure on art museums

Since the beginning of this year, various customs offices in German-speaking Switzerland have been sending letters to a number of art museums. They call on museums to permanently exhibit their works of art imported from abroad tax-free. Otherwise, customs threaten to demand additional import duties at the current market value. So if a museum bought a Picasso painting in France in 1960 for CHF 100,000, which is worth CHF 10 million today, the museum would have to pay CHF 770,000 at the current tax rate of 7.7 percent. No Swiss art institution can afford that, the museum landscape is alarmed, writes the “NZZ am Sonntag”. With their threats, the Swiss customs authorities are questioning a decades-old practice based on a 1953 UNESCO agreement.

Report reveals how badly Axpo fared financially during the rescue

Those responsible at the Federal Office of Energy SFOE commissioned Deloitte auditors to review Axpo’s liabilities and risks. This after the federal government had to set up a four billion bailout package for the company in September. The report was kept secret until recently. Citing the government’s publicity principle, the “SonntagsZeitung” demanded insight into the document. The report shows that the risk of default on Axpo last September was much higher than that of other Swiss electricity providers such as BKW or Alpiq. In addition, the triple-B rating was lower than that of, for example, BKW. At 4.8 percent, borrowing costs also weighed more heavily on Axpo than on other Swiss providers – and were higher than the European average of 2.8 percent.

German logistics magnate is the new richest person in Switzerland

Born in Hamburg, Klaus-Michael Kühne is now Switzerland’s richest resident. As the “SonntagsZeitung” writes, the majority shareholder and honorary chairman of the logistics giant Kuehne + Nagel, based in Schindellegi SZ, has assets of $ 40 billion according to the latest list of the richest of the magazine “Forbes”. This corresponds to CHF 36 billion. Kühne is also a major shareholder in the Lufthansa Group and the shipping company Hapag-Lloyd. He is benefiting like no other from the logistical boom caused by the pandemic. Just two years ago, the business magazine “Bilanz” estimated his fortune at 29 to 30 billion francs, making him the sixth richest European and the third richest citizen of Switzerland. Even then, he recorded a sharp rise in the wealth ranking, with an increase of 17 billion francs compared to the previous year.

Also in Switzerland: Tibetan refugees fear China’s long arm

China rules Tibet with an iron hand and even urges farmers to flee. But even in Switzerland, the refugees fear Beijing’s power, which allegedly extends to the asylum authorities. Tibetan Tsering Tsamchoe Dratoktsang told SonntagsZeitung how she was arrested in Tibet for a banned trip to Nepal and was beaten by Chinese police. In 2016 she fled to Switzerland and applied for asylum here. In 2019, she challenged a negative decision in the Federal Administrative Court. However, several cases involving refugees from Tibet are being blocked by the court as the so-called lingua language analyzes commissioned by the SEM are seriously questioned. The experts would be close to the Chinese regime. The SEM vehemently rejects the criticism. (sda)