Trade

The Swiss trade and industry are not convinced of the benefits of membership. Switzerland has always negotiated with the world. Moreover, exports accounted for half of the income of the country.

A national vote in 2001 rejecting proposal to open negotiations with the European Union highlighted the skepticism on the Swiss, until then, "Community of 15".

The pragmatic response of the Swiss Government since 1992 has been to commit to long and complicated talks with the EU on a number of bilateral agreements.

The first set of bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the EU, mainly on trade issues, labor and transport, came into force in 2002.

A second series of treaties, signed in October 2004, was approved by Parliament and the people.

To require a national vote, the Union of Democratic Center - UDC (populist party of right) successfully challenged the so-called agreements of Schengen / Dublin, on closer cooperation in security matters. But the electorate approved the agreements when the polls came in June 2005.

A separate vote on whether it should extend an existing labor agreement, to include the ten new EU members, was approved by voters in September 2005.

Although the campaign led by the Swiss Democrats, the extreme right and extreme left of the party, the voters accepted the extension of that treaty.

To ensure that Switzerland does not suffer discrimination as a non-member EU, the Swiss legislation in many areas, including trade, has been harmonized with the EU.


A clearer indication of how these issues are being addressed is that the EU does not appear as a goal the government, at the current legislature (2003-2007). Today, the term used to refer to entering the EU is "an option".

Outside the EU

Switzerland is not member of EU. Increase the possibilities of membership in that the majority of Swiss are convinced that the EU is here to stay.
In 1992, the Swiss voters defeated a small margin of votes in the entry of Switzerland in the European Economic Area - thus rejecting participation in a common market.
The three other members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) - Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway - decided to join the EEA, the remaining EFTA.
The entrance into the European Unit remains the goal of the Federal Government. An application for membership was presented in Brussels, but still frozen.
Due to the Swiss system of direct democracy, an effective application for accession to the EU would conduct a national referendum and approved by majority vote and Cantons.
Currently, the best result that the government could achieve is a tie, putting the proposal in the refrigerator for at least five years.
The position shy of Switzerland to the EU is based on several factors. Believes, for example, that the institutions affiliated to the EU does not fully meet the democratic requirements.
The Swiss system of referendums and initiatives require drastic reforms and constraints to meet all EU rules. Moreover, there is some concern about costs: Switzerland is a major contributor to the EU coffers (probably the latter).
There is, moreover, doubt that the Swiss neutrality is compatible with European Union accession.

Federal Court

The Federal Court, the Supreme Court of Switzerland, is based in Lausanne, southwest. The Federal Insurance Court, which considers cases relating to insurance programs of the state, is located in Lucerne, central. And in April 2004, the criminal division of the Federal Court was established in Bellinzona, the Italian region of Switzerland, south of the Alps.

But the Federal Administrative Court should be open in St. Gallen, Northeast in 2007.

It is purposeful decentralized location of the Federal Court and its various divisions. This shows the federalism and, above all, the desire to respect the separation of powers, with geographical distances between the judiciary, the legislature and executive.

The system is however complex and expensive, costing taxpayers about 4 billion Swiss francs a year.

While the Swiss legal system has a largely federal, national legislation, as defined by the Federal Court, takes precedence over cantonal laws.

The Criminal Code and, more recently, the Civil Code is the federal jurisdiction. But the organization and legal procedures are in the hands of several cantonal courts.

Thus, some blocks still have juries, while others have a corps of professional judges, responsible for the verdicts.

However, studies are in a legislation to streamline the system.

Cantonal appeals against verdicts may end in Federal Court. But it is also suitable for specific federal crimes, such as the bomb attacks and kidnappings. The same applies to violations of international rights and intercantonais.

The Federal Court in Lausanne, has 30 judges and 15 substitute. The judges are appointed by Parliament, which normally ensures parity of party-political appointments.

About 40 percent of the issues discussed relate to constitutional matters. The remainder is composed of administrative actions, criminal, civil and executive Card.

However, unlike many other supreme courts, the Swiss Federal Court can not declare federal legislation.

Thus, the Federal Court can not decide whether a federal law is in accordance with the constitution. Some verdicts ultimately ending in a nebula. Parliament, in general, maintains control of the savanna verdicts, dealing with judgments on political issues or freedom.
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Across the country

There is no region of Switzerland which does not aspire to exercise some kind of tourist attraction. It's Alpine resorts, with mountaineering in summer and skiing in winter, with many resorts on the shores of lakes, offering water sports. Many Swiss cities are up in holiday resorts. There is, finally, countless places in rural areas that offer less radical form of tourism, as the mountains of the Jura on the border with France.

Many tourist regions assemble a set of events and activities to attract visitors. Large cities, many located on the shores of large lakes, provide conditions for holding of conferences, visits to museums and convention business.

The promotion of Switzerland as a tourist destination is the sole responsibility of Switzerland Tourism (www.myswitzerland.com).

In general, Switzerland is facing nowadays, increased competition from other tourist destinations. The expenses of the state in tourism promotion remain, however, relatively modest. The Switzerland Tourism is now trying to attract markets like India and China, countries which have increased the number of rich.
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Short breaks

Currently, there are seasons of winter and summer, and seasons( bi-seasonal ), complemented with spas (spas) and congress tourism.

The latest trend, after "active holidays", tourism is the well-being - a combination of relaxation with thermal baths, beauty treatments and physical training - all these activities together in a hotel or a group of tourist destinations.

Also become very popular trips to cities or to the Swiss population, the days of excursions in a day or weekend. Are options that encourage travel by mountain railway, boating lake and restaurants in Alpine, to the detriment of the traditional hotel industry.

Sources premature

Tourism as such began in the nineteenth century. But in the early years of the seventeenth century literary or simple reports of picturesque natural beauty Swiss attracted intellectual elites from abroad.
Initially, tourism was only a summer activity. In winter, the heavy blizzards prevented enough to travel. Were, however, the activities of winter sports - in large part prompted by the pioneering spirit of the British at the end of the nineteenth century - which launched the fashion of the winter holidays. Today, the season of low station covers only a few short weeks of spring and autumn.

Switzerland can receive prisoners from Guantanamo

The Swiss government indicated Wednesday that the new U.S. administration to evaluate its disposal the ability to get prisoners released who are in Guantanamo.

According to the spokesman of the Federal Council (Executive), Oswald Sigg, Switzerland welcomes the decision of Barack Obama to close the prison in Cuba as soon as possible.

"For Switzerland, the imprisonment of people at Guantanamo contrary to public international law," Sigg said in press release.

"Switzerland is willing to examine how to cooperate for the solution of the problem Guantanamo. Specifically, she is willing to see whether you can receive released prisoners in Guantanamo and how you can receive. It depends on a careful and thorough analysis, which we must evaluate aspects of security and legal implications, "says the note circulated by Sigg.

On November 13, 2008, Switzerland has refused to give asylum to three prisoners from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo in Cuba - a Libyan, an Algerian and a Chinese - who were "ready to be released."

At the time, Bern was harshly criticized by organizations of human rights. Now, she is ahead of the EU, which wants to assess in the coming weeks a U.S. request to also receive prisoners from Guantanamo.

The Minister of Justice, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, said a few days ago the newspaper Les Temps, that Guantanamo is a U.S. problem, but if the EU to participate in a solution in case of closing the prison Switzerland could also help.

Third export industry

A Swiss traditional source of revenue is tourism, although today, traveling to the Swiss abroad spend almost as much as the foreigners who visit the country.

The balance, however, remains positive. Tourism is the third largest Swiss industry, employing 250,000 people, behind only of the metallurgical industries, engineering and pharmaceutical production.

Fund for the Arts

The system of division of costs that are required for the cantons is insufficient to subsidize the costs of local authorities with theaters, orchestras and ballet companies. Therefore, currently, the big cities take at least half the cost of cultural life in Switzerland.

The municipalities of the outskirts of large cities, which can, independently, be it in political entities and the regions or cantons, have concluded agreements, increasingly frequent, to pay for theaters and other cultural institutions in regions like Zurich, Basel or Bern.

The sponsorship is also guaranteed by the cultural foundations, large companies, banks and retail chains such as Migros, which donates a percentage of their profits.

The federal government supports cultural activities through the Federal Division of Culture and finances and the Pro Helvetia Arts Council of Switzerland, who receive subsidies for parliamentary term of four years.

The 2005 budget for the crop was 33 million Swiss francs ($ 27.7 million). More than 85% of the money is spent under the sponsorship of projects submitted by artists or by the Foundation Pro Helvetia. These projects include thematic exhibitions, exhibition of paintings, presentation of films or tour of Swiss companies, ballet, theater or Swiss orchestras.

Pro Helvetia works closely with Swiss diplomatic and consular representations abroad to promote artists of the country. Addresses, still, eight offices in Europe and Africa.

A new law provides more precise definition of the demarcation between the work of Pro Hevetia and the Federal Division of Culture.

Swiss law on asylum policy becomes anti-asylum law

Switzerland has received 16,606 applications for political asylum in 2008, representing an increase of 53.1% over the previous year.

Pressed by the states in charge of the shelter for asylum seekers and also expel them if the requests are rejected, the federal government responds with a proposal for tougher laws to stem the flow of refugees.

According to the Federal Department for Migration (BFM), the largest number of asylum seekers coming from Eritrea: 2. 849 (+ 71.5%), followed by Somalia (2014, 464 were in 2007) and Iraq (+ 50.6%), with 1440 applications.

Increased the number of requests for nine of the ten main countries of origin, which also includes Serbia, Kosovo, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Georgia, Afghanistan and Iran The only exception was Turkey.

The main cause of the explosion of applications, according to the BFM, is changing the routes of migration to Europe. "The Italian authorities and the European Agency for the control of borders (Frontex) failed to prevent the influx to Lampedusa," says the BFM.

The number of refugees in countries of Subsaara crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Libya towards Lampedusa and Sicily, Italy, doubled to 33 thousand last year. In addition to the Eritreans, and also the Nigerian somalianos rather use this route. Part of these migrants is from Italy to Switzerland.

The process of granting asylum is very bureaucratic and selective in Switzerland. There are 40,794 applications in progress. Last year, 2,261 people received asylum in the country, representing 23% of the cases examined in the year.

The number of Iraqis in Switzerland would have increased because Sweden abandoned its liberal asylum policy and adapted to European legislation, more stringent.

Such legislation is also largely followed by Switzerland. A week after entering the country in the Schengen area on December 12 last, Bern had uncovered 249 cases of asylum seekers who had made the same request in another European country.

Most of them will now be sent back to the country in making the first application, as announced the Minister of Justice, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, in this Wednesday. She has plans to further tighten the siege on applicants.

Federalism

bilingualism has always been carefully maintained in large corporations of the state, such as railways and postal services, while the bodies of official armed forces.

Religion and language are two areas of potential issues with the structures of Swiss federalism tend to dilute before they become problems. It was thus with the region of the Jura, the French language, which was given autonomy as a new Canton in 1979 after a national plebiscite. With the initiative, the Canton of Bern was left with only a small group of French-speaking Swiss.

With 20 to 25% of native French-speaking Swiss, Switzerland is usually part of conferences and invited French. But in this case, Switzerland plays a moderate, as a form of respect to other linguistic groups in the country.

The controls and balances inherent in the Swiss political system also play role in managing and promoting the arts in Switzerland.

The cultural policy involves the Confederation, the cantons and local communities. But the system of "subsidiarity" does not work in today's world of arts.

Rumantsch Grischun

The emergence of English as a language commercial, pop music, Internet, etc.., Helped to weaken the Swiss trilingualism.

The broad and ancient system of military security that most of the soldiers came a time when the country's different language regions of their own.

There was also greater number of units linguistically mixed than now. In the past, was much more common for girls to leave school to spend a year as au pair in another region.

Although there are still almost 100 daily newspapers, available in virtually every country, in addition to the Swiss radio and television broadcasting in the three main languages, there are few readers who buy newspapers that are not of their own language.

And while radio and television work under the protection of a national corporation, the various linguistic entities that are composed largely autonomous, with small degree of influence.

Romanche

Officially, only 35,000 Swiss Romansh use from day to day, as a first language. However, they are probably about 50,000 who have the Swiss Romansh as their mother tongue, but live in other parts of Switzerland.

Considerable efforts are being made to keep alive the ancient language. The Romansh is compulsory in many schools, but the situation is complicated by the existence of several dialects Romansh.

Recent attempts to promote the standardization of Rumantsch Grischun annoying to reach students and teachers, who need to learn, in fact, a new language.

Bilingual

Officially, there are even bilingual cities, as Friborg / Freiburg or Biel / Bienne. There the visitor can use their knowledge of German or French, with good potential to be understood.

It is very likely, however, that a Swiss-French, on the shores of Lake Constance, northeastern Switzerland, find so difficult to be understood in their mother tongue, as a Swiss of the East German trying to talk in Geneva, southwest.

Apesar do fato da Suíça ser trilingüe não se constituir um mito, é pelo menos uma situação complexa, aliviada pelo consenso geral de que cada um deveria entender duas das línguas faladas no país. Este fato é ressaltado nos sistemas escolares, que estão obrigados a ensinar, pelo menos, duas das línguas nacionais.

É interessante e talvez lógico que um maior número de idiomas seja entendido e falado pelas minorias mais vulneráveis, os suíços de língua italiana e os romanches. Eles têm sido bem sucedidos na preservação do próprio idioma, falado nos altos vales do Cantão dos Grisões, desde os tempos pós-romanos.

Alleged victim seeks criminal in Facebook

Victim of a beating that occurred in the New Year's Eve, in Berne, seeking their aggressor via Facebook to denounce it to the police and offers reward of $ 2,720.

More than two thousand people have already joined the group on the social network. Lawyers as "problematic" the criminal investigation and private fear a "western in virtual space."

"This group aims to report a violent criminal and without scruple. Since the police are unable / is not prepared to seek the aggressor, we will try it in that way. Obviously it is not doing justice with their hands. The author of the crime will be delivered to the police through legal. "

So the founder of the group, that the name Peter VonTobel used, describes the function of it. Then he does a description of the assailant and offers a reward of 3,000 francs (2,720 dollars) for anyone providing clues leading to identification of the alleged criminal, which would have between 18 and 24 years. Another victim said they were four or five assailants.

The beating occurred during the celebration of New Year's Eve, in the early hours of January 1, the park Rosengarten, from where it has a panoramic view of the historical center of Bern. Four people were injured with knives and bottles. "The police did not help us," complained one of the victims to the local newspaper Berner Zeitung.

Eternal tension

Thus, the Swiss-German artists living eternal tension between the language they speak and to write, when writing a novel or a program for art exhibition, concerts or.

The Swiss German-speaking born with a language and a maternal language, but have to learn their language written by an extremely hard in school.

Recent research carried out in Europe, show that the Swiss schools are having difficulties in maintaining the standards of German writing. These efforts are sabotaged by the growing use of dialect in pop music in radio and tv.

As a precautionary measure, many cantons require, now, the teachers to give lessons in "good German," instead of dialect.

The measure could help remove the barriers not only in relation to the rest of the German-speaking Europe, but also in Switzerland. Because the other inhabitants of the French and Italian, learn in school the "good German" and not the Swiss-German dialect.

The linguistic divisions in Switzerland have a clear geographical demarcation, not respecting the political boundaries. Cantons there are bilingual, as Bern, Freiburg and Valais. Already in the Canton of Grisons (Graubünden), the three languages are German, Romansh, and in many valleys, the Italian.

Diversity

The only common factor to the Swiss company is its extreme diversity. Any attempt to obtain a homogeneous profile is doomed to failure.

The main reason is its linguistic composition, which comprises three main languages - German, French and Italian, strong legacy of neighboring plants.

Although the Swiss culture has always been influenced by Germany, France and Italy, there is an independent Swiss culture in all its linguistic regions. Taken together, these differences could be called Swiss culture, although it remains a pool of diversity.


Numerically, the Swiss German-speaking form a clear majority, surpassing the home of 60% of the population. Their mother tongue, however, is the Swiss-German - a variety of dialects that makes a native of Valais, southeast, be understood by a fellow of St. Gallen, northeast.

And for someone who only speak the "good German", the Swiss dialects are almost incomprehensible, except for people living in border regions of Switzerland.

Allowances

Swiss farmers need 2.5 billion Swiss francs (U.S. $ 1.96 billion) in annual payments or in direct government subsidies, or not have to face this competition.

Some estimates suggest that support for farmers to cost 4 billion Swiss coffers of dollars annually.

Direct payments have the advantage of not simply reward the super production. Selectively, to promote the agricultural sectors that operate in line with the Swiss agricultural policy, such as organic agriculture. Currently, over 10% of soil cutivado are under strict organic requirements.

Lately, there are few agricultural products that can not be imported cheaper than those produced in the country. But the Swiss want to keep a level of self-sufficiency in food production. And it will be difficult to overestimate the significance cultural, sociological, and not least, the political aspect of farmers, as a group.

Even if the large amount of cheese produced in central plains and alpine pastures (160,000 tonnes per year) can not be sold with real profit, anyway farmers, farmers, forest workers and gardeners are needed to ensure that about 50% of arable land.

Fighting piracy causes controversy in Switzerland

The government's idea of sending soldiers to protect ships helvéticos against attacks by pirates off the coast of Somalia raises discussions in Switzerland.

Criticism predominates and many issues are open. The decision will be taken next year.

"Switzerland has no other choice" than sending Swiss soldiers on ships to protect them from attacks by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The statement was made by Minister of Interior and president of Switzerland until the end of the year, Pascal Couchepin, the newspapers last weekend.

Foreign Affairs, Micheline Calmy-Rey, said on television that the idea came from his ministry. The issue was probably discussed at the last meeting of the government this year, last Friday.

Appeal of a shipowner
"A ship of Swiss flag was prosecuted last week and received a letter from an owner seeking the protection of Swiss ships," said the chancellor to Swiss television TSR.

Switzerland, however, does not want to act alone. According to Micheline Calmy-Rey, the government considering whether to participate in the special forces of the European mission Atalante, which has the task of escort vessels and deter the pirates.

In contrast, the European Union (EU) escort ships from Swiss flag. "Other forces in Switzerland to protect part of the operation," explained the Minister of Foreign Affairs. She estimates that the operation Atalante be operational in three months.

An idea "crazy"
The idea of the federal government (Federal Council) was greeted with caution by the political class. Both the right and left, he stressed is a lack of experience of Swiss soldiers in high seas and incompatibility with Swiss neutrality.

Some experts also criticized the project. Albert Stahel, an expert in military strategy and teatcher at the Federal Polytechnic School of Zurich (EPFZ), qualified for the insane. For him, it must find a serious solution, such as the protection of Swiss-flagged ships by naval forces of another country.

The risks that the pirates get on board a sinking ship Swiss, are hostages and kill soldiers on board are real, says Albert Stahel. Within the Army, also expressed the skeptical. The president of the Society of Officers, Hans Schatzmann, described the project of exotic idea.

Fewer farmers

It is difficult to find a segment of the Swiss economy which has suffered so many blows in the last ten years, as agriculture.

It is part of national folklore that Swiss farmers have the habit of complaining. In reality, however, they dropped their profits at least 10% in the last decade.

Thousands of farms - almost always on the verge of bankruptcy - have been sold. Of the more than 92,000 properties in 1990 left more than 70,000 in 2000.

Many of the remaining properties survive only because their farmers have found a second occupation. Farms with more than 20 hectares area resisted this trend thanks to increasing investments.

Before and during World War II, about 25% of the Swiss population worked in agriculture. Today, not enough to 3 or 4%.

In the 50s, the Swiss won exemption from the GATT - General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which led to the WTO, World Trade Organization - in large part to protect the agriculture of the Swiss foreign competition.

This took place not in the interest itself but as a reflection of the mountainous topography of Switzerland does not lend itself to any kind of efficient agriculture.

Painters and sculptors

Many of the art historians see Ferdinand Hodler as a figure of embryonic Swiss painting. His works dating from the late nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century are popular and reach high prices at auctions of art.

Hodler's paintings portray subjects and local Swiss. At the time, he was seen by all as the Swiss national painter. He never was awarded abroad as were Alberto Giacometti and Jean Tinguely.

In both wars, Zurich became a haven for all the artistic trends. It was during the First World War that began the moment Dadaísta. One of its members, Hans Arp and his wife, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, later became more widely known figures. Sophie Taeuber-Arp has his effigy in the ballots of 50 Swiss francs.

An undisputed icon of modern European art is Paul Klee. He grew up in Switzerland, spent many years in Germany and taught school in the famous "Bauhaus". Returned to Switzerland because of the antagonism that nurtured in the Nazi regime in the 30s.

His minimalist painting was intended to open the eyes of the people. Bern, with the city which is most identified, was the site of the new center Paul Klee. Designed by famed architect Renzo Piano, the center was opened in 2005.

The new center Paul Klee is a mandatory for lovers of art who visit the city. It is part of a list of 1,000 museums in the country. The latest figures show that the galleries of art remain, increasingly attracting visitors.

Music

Many Swiss have become known in the world of classic music: Arthur Honegger and Othmar Schoeck were respected composers. Honegger spent most of his life in France, where he was part of a vanguard group of its time, the beginning of the twentieth century.

In the same century, the conductor, Ernest Ansermet, was closely linked to the Orchester de la Suisse Romande, who founded. Charles Dutoit and Mathias Bamert have continued the tradition of Swiss conductors in orchestras of international projection.

The Jazz became popular in Switzerland, after 30 years. Montreux, Lugano Willisau and made great popular festivals. Bern has a recognized school of jazz.

A wide variety of outdoor music events and festivals of classical music are performed during the summer in Switzerland.

Writers

Friedrich Dürrenmatt is perhaps the most dramatic pieces by known, such as The Physical, although police have also written novels and film scenarios.

His contemporary, Max Frisch, who graduated architect in Zurich before becoming a writer is probably best known for his novels, but I'm not Stiller, than as an author of works of theater.

There are many young writers in German-speaking Switzerland, who have followed the footsteps of great authors, but, inevitably, are surrounded by the boundaries of the Germanic world.

Swiss authors who write in French face the same problem.

Often - as in the case of Blaise Cendrars - these authors prefer to live in big cities like Paris. Cendrars even come to fight as a volunteer in the French First World War. His works have a prominent place in French literature.

Later, Jacques Chessex also became known in France, winning the Prix Goncourt in 1973, with the novel L'Ogre (bogeyman).

As escritoras suíço-francesas, quando são reconhecidas, se destacam mais que suas compatriotas suíço-alemãs. Alice Rivaz, Yvette Z'Graggen e Anne Cuneo são autoras de certo renome nas regiões de língua francesa.

Theater

Switzerland has an ancient and rich theatrical tradition. Basel, Bern and Zurich offer productions, whose success goes far beyond its borders. The same happens to Geneva.

The large theater, with or without orchestras and / or bodies of ballet, consume most of their budgets for their cities. But there are also many small theaters, many of them specializing in classical repertoire, comedies or parallel productions.

Switzerland still has a lot of productions outdoors despite the inclemency of the weather.

There are depictions of the sky for production of William Tell, in Interlaken, for the World Theater of Calderón, every ten years in Einsiedeln, not to mention the Fête des Vignerons (Feast of winegrowers), which concludes on 25 in 25 years, the bucolic life of the winemakers of Vevey, on the outskirts of Montreux.

Most of the parts and products has regional and linguistic roots. However, Friedrich Dürrenmatt overcome these limitations, gained world renown as a playwright.

Dimitri, the clown of the Italian-speaking Switzerland, made name as an artist of horsemanship and created a school of circus arts in the city of Verscio-school which has been awarded the status of university level.

Contemporary Architects

More recently, Mario Botta, the Swiss Italian, who gained international fame with his bold designs.

Among his works was the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco, and the recent restoration of the opera house in Milan, La Scala. Botta teaches at the University of Ticino, founded a few years ago.

Others are renowned Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, based in Basel. They were responsible, for example, the renewal of the Gallery of Modern Art, Tate Gallery in London.

Throughout its history, Switzerland has also housed many foreign architects such as the German Gottfried Semper, who fled to Zurich during the uprising of 1848, in Germany.

He became professor at the then newly inaugurated Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich and has designed its original building, as well as building mayor of Winterthur.

The Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava, also studied in Zurich, which built the Stadelhofen train station and the library of the University. A good part of the new Valencia, Spain, was also working to Calatrava.