The federal government is considering purchasing such US Patriot air defense systems.Image: keystone
After the contract with Siemens, SBB CEO Vincent Ducrot was dependent on personal protection because of death threats and the Social Democratic Federal Councilors pay the most party contributions: This can be found in the Sunday newspapers.
November 16, 2025, 07:05November 16, 2025, 4:11 p.m
The federal government wants to buy more US weapons – also to satisfy Trump
According to “NZZ am Sonntag”, the federal government is planning to purchase additional American military equipment. The bourgeois majority wants to introduce the purchase of military equipment as a bargaining chip for the talks about a binding customs agreement. “We have to spend a lot of money on weapons purchases anyway,” a senior official told the newspaper. According to insiders, the focus is on additional Patriot systems or guided missiles, and FDP Councilor of States Josef Dittli said: “Buying additional Patriot systems would be the right thing to do.” Currently, air defense is only able to protect a fraction of the country. There was great outrage on the left, and Green Party President Lisa Mazzone warned that further purchases would “increase the Swiss army’s already existing technological dependence” on the USA. With regard to the debate over the F-35 fighter jet, she also said that Trump is “not a reliable trading partner” and “the bill will be very expensive.”
The USA demands much more from Switzerland than is generally known
According to “NZZ am Sonntag” and “SonntagsZeitung”, the USA has made significantly more far-reaching demands on Switzerland for lower tariffs than previously communicated. Switzerland should therefore adopt American safety standards for cars, which, according to the “SonntagsZeitung”, would make the Cybertruck accessible. In addition, it should not continue to levy digital taxes on services from companies such as Google, Meta or Amazon, which is actually being discussed in Bern. The “NZZ am Sonntag” further reported that both countries should address trade distortions through subsidies or state-owned companies – the Economics Department (WBF) did not explain what this meant in concrete terms upon request. Switzerland should grant American service providers more market access and make cross-border data traffic easier. Cooperation on economic security, sanctions, export controls and investment reviews should also be expanded.
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SP federal councilors pay the most party contributions
According to “Le Matin Dimanche”, the Social Democratic Federal Councilors made the highest party contributions. According to the newspaper, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider transferred a total of 39,000 francs to the SP in 2024, and Beat Jans transferred 38,650 francs. At the FDP, Karin Keller-Sutter and Ignazio Cassis each paid 15,000 francs per year, while Guy Parmelin and Albert Rösti paid the SVP 10,000 francs each. The center has increased its contributions for federal councilors: Viola Amherd still paid 12,000 francs, her successor Martin Pfister now has to pay 20,000 francs.
The federal government is calling for more punctual trains in Germany
According to “SonntagsBlick”, the director of the Federal Office of Transport (BAV) has demanded punctual trains from Deutsche Bahn. She was in Berlin last week with Federal Councilor Albert Rösti. “We discussed with the new transport minister in Berlin that we want punctual trains and stable connections. He assured us that he would do everything to achieve it,” Christa Hostettler told the newspaper. “If the delays from Germany become too great, the SBB can use punctual Swiss trains from the border,” she was quoted as saying. Both SBB and Deutsche Bahn are responsible for punctuality management. According to Hostettler, real improvements should only come with the expansion of the infrastructure. Germany will invest billions in this over the next four years, which is “gratifying”. There was also talk in Berlin about accelerating procedures so that construction projects could be implemented more quickly. “Switzerland will also benefit from this,” Hostettler continued.
Farmer boss Ritter demands more money because of US customs deal
According to “SonntagsBlick”, farmers’ president Markus Ritter is calling for accompanying measures for Swiss agriculture following the US customs deal. Swiss farmers need additional instruments, such as structural and investment aid. He welcomes the fact that the import ban on chlorinated chickens is being maintained. “The Swiss consumer is demanding and will not buy chlorinated chickens,” Ritter told the newspaper. However, in an interview with the “SonntagsZeitung”, Economics Minister Guy Parmelin appeared open to a discussion about the import of chlorine chickens. It’s about a small contingent, specifically 1,500 tons of chicken meat. “Perhaps we will end up with a solution similar to that for hormone-treated beef, which must be labeled,” Parmelin told the newspaper. “This means the consumer can decide for themselves what they want to buy. Since we introduced the labels, imports have fallen from 800 tonnes to 250 tonnes.”
Because of Stadler’s waiver: SBB CEO received death threats
According to “SonntagsBlick”, the awarding of the 2 billion contract to Siemens led to death threats against SBB CEO Vincent Ducrot. According to the report, anonymous authors accused him of treason and that he needed personal protection for days. When asked, the SBB said it took such reactions seriously but did not want to comment further. Fedpol adapts protective measures depending on the situation, but does not comment on the case. SBB and Stadler meanwhile tried to de-escalate in the form of talks. The awarding of the 116 new double-decker trains to the German competitor company is now also a concern for politicians. “Depending on the course of any legal proceedings, I will also be active in parliament if this seems expedient,” said Thurgau SVP Councilor of States Jakob Stark to “SonntagsBlick”. SVP National Councilor Pascal Schmid is also considering submitting an interpellation.
SEM wants to continue scanning asylum seekers’ cell phones
According to “SonntagsBlick”, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is extending the check of mobile phone data of asylum seekers until the end of the year. The SEM wanted to collect further data before deciding on the future direction, as it announced at the newspaper’s request. The pilot project, which was originally planned to last three months, has so far provided little insight because the legal hurdles for screening cell phones are high and proportionality must be taken into account. The Zurich SVP National Councilor Gregor Rutz has been calling for this approach for years and emphasized that access to cell phones falls under the applicant’s obligation to cooperate. The Swiss Refugee Aid, however, criticizes the procedure as a “disproportionate intrusion” into privacy.
Large Swiss company bosses increasingly do not have a Swiss passport
According to “SonntagsZeitung” and “SonntagsBlick”, the proportion of managers without a Swiss passport has reached a record high. Only 51 percent of the management members of the 100 largest companies are Swiss, as the “SonntagsZeitung” wrote, citing a report by the recruiter Guido Schilling. Among the large listed companies in the SMI, the Swiss share is only 27 percent. “The demand for Swiss leaders far exceeds the supply,” said headhunter Bjørn Johansson. The main reason is that there are simply too few Swiss people. Swiss companies are disproportionately large, but the population is comparatively small. Nevertheless, the topic of Swissness has become more of a focus again in the recruitment process and has even replaced the promotion of female managers as the top priority.
Debts to health insurance companies are constantly increasing
According to “Le Matin Dimanche”, debts to health insurance companies are constantly increasing. Citing figures from Dettes Conseils Suisse for 2024, the newspaper reported that outstanding amounts due to unpaid premiums now accounted for 15 percent of all debts. Although this share corresponds to the previous year, it has almost doubled since 2015. Only tax debts are even more serious, accounting for 27 percent of all outstanding amounts. According to social worker Kevin Vesin, a particular problem is that debts to health insurance companies are “non-negotiable”. (sda/con)