News

Switzerland significantly reduces its protection for wolves

The Federal Council has approved the preventive shooting of wolves with effect from 1 December 2023. Entire packs can also be shot in justified cases. This marks a significant downgrade in wolf protection. Previously, wolves could only be shot if they had caused damage or attacked farm animals. There are currently 32 wolf packs living in Switzerland. According to Environment Minister Albert Rösti, a minimum of 12 packs nationwide are to be left untouched. That is not enough to ensure the species’ survival. Three years ago, Switzerland’s chief wildlife officer, Reinhard Schnidrig, told “Swiss Review”: “There is enough space in the Swiss Alps and the Jura mountains for about 60 wolf packs, or 300 animals. That is the upper limit of what is ecologically tolerable. At the lower end of the scale, 20 or so packs are necessary for the wolf to remain in Switzerland for generations.” This watering down of wolf protection is thus more political than ecological. By the way, did voters not come out strongly in favour of protecting the wolf three years ago? – Read the interview: revue.link/wolves.

Ukrainian refugees can stay longer

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have sought refuge in Switzerland since the Russians invaded. Switzerland has granted them Protection Status ‘S’. That enables rapid admission on a temporary basis without undergoing the asylum process. The Federal Council has now decided to extend Status ‘S’ for Ukrainians refugees, until at least 4 March 2025. The federal government does not anticipate a rapid end to the conflict. Switzerland is now in line with the EU, which had already approved this extension.

Antisemitic attacks on the rise

The number of antisemitic incidents in Switzerland has increased by about a quarter since the terror attack by Hamas against Israel and the Israeli response. The president of the Federal Commission against Racism, Martine Brunschwig Graf, says that what is striking is not only the number of incidents but their intensity. However, she has also observed a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment. The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities strongly denounced the trend in November and called on the Federal Council to be clearer in its condemnation of antisemitism.

Qualified applause for the Swiss football team

The Swiss national football team will again take part in a major tournament next year. The Swiss qualified for the summer 2024 European Championship in Germany. The team, managed by Murat Yakin, initially saw themselves as favourites in a qualifying group consisting of Andorra, Belarus, Israel, Kosovo and Romania. But it didn’t really turn out that way.