The last act of the campaign: the Federal Council’s radio and television address. “The family is an essential pillar of our society.” Alain Berset recalls the division of roles: family policy remains the responsibility of the cantons; the Confederation would only intervene if efforts were insufficient, and through a law subject to referendum. On 3 […]
Invited along with the other EFTA countries, Switzerland takes part at Dublin Castle in the informal meeting convened by the Irish Presidency. Main topic: childhood obesity, which affects more than 30% of children in the Union. Alain Berset cites the example of the “actionsanté” platform, through which companies commit to reducing salt, sugar and fat. […]
At the ESPRIX Forum, which honours business excellence, Alain Berset gives a speech. He opens with failed prophecies: Bill Gates judging the Internet “uninteressant”, IBM’s Thomas Watson forecasting a world market for five computers. Switzerland, he says, has a “geniale Grösse”: small enough for everyone to know someone working on an interesting project, large enough […]
The National Museum opens its new permanent exhibition at the Château de Prangins. Alain Berset describes arriving at the château as a “Palace of Versailles on a human scale”: “beauty without excess, perspective without ostentation, grandeur without exhaustion”. He quotes Orhan Pamuk: the museum is “a place where time is transformed into space”. The exhibition […]
That same evening, at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, Alain Berset opens the 16th Swiss Film Award ceremony, streamed live on the Internet for the first time. In three languages, and with humour: as health minister, he asks people to help the winners staggering under the weight of their Quartz. After a three-week session, he […]
The theme of the 10th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers of Culture is “Governance of culture – promoting access to culture”. It is chaired by the Russian minister Vladimir Medinsky. On 15 April, Alain Berset speaks in the first session, devoted to the role of governments in the face of new cultural practices and […]
Alain Berset opens the documentary film festival with “the story of a little s”: the one in “Visions”, which cannot be heard and which carries the festival’s identity, diversity and subjectivity. He quotes Robert Flaherty, a pioneer of the genre: “Sometimes you have to lie to tell the truth.” Hence his formula: “there is no […]
On the evening of 22 April, at the residence of Ambassador Jean-Jacques de Dardel, Alain Berset opens a lecture by Marc Spiegler, Director of Art Basel, before some 140 guests. Beforehand, he answers questions from Swiss journalists. On the 23rd, he meets Marisol Touraine, Minister of Social Affairs and Health, at her ministry. At the […]
The Federal Council holds an ordinary meeting outside Bern at the Château de Prangins, the seventh of its kind since 2010, to mark 210 years since Vaud joined the Confederation. This is followed by a meeting with the population in Nyon and a lunch with the Council of State. In the evening, in Lausanne, Alain […]
Alain Berset represents the Federal Council at the Landsgemeinde, in the year marking 500 years since Appenzell joined the Confederation. The minutes record cool, overcast weather. He makes light of it: “Das Wetter heute ist schlecht, obwohl MeteoSchweiz auch zu meinem Departement gehört.” As the newest member of the Federal Council, he asked what to […]
The National Museum in Zurich launches its new building, designed by Christ & Gantenbein. Alain Berset welcomes the brass band and the slam that frame the ceremony: “Das ist ja fast wie Richard Wagner und Mani Matter!” He rereads the history of Gustav Gull’s building, born at the end of the 19th century when Switzerland […]
The same day, Alain Berset speaks at the Migros consumer day. He starts from Brillat-Savarin, “Tell me what you eat”, and from an English example: chicken tikka masala dethroned by the even faster Chinese wok. Then the figures from the nutrition report: overweight and obesity cost 5.8 billion francs a year; men, young people and […]
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