Simple directory > Regional > Switzerland

Country : Switzerland Official name: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German); Confédération Suisse (French); Confederazione Svizzera (Italian) (Swiss Confederation) Head of State: Federal President Samuel Schmid (for 2005) (presidency rotates annually among ministers) Head of government: Federal President Samuel Schmid Ruling party: Four-party coalition headed by the Schweizerische Volkspartei (SVP) (Swiss People's Party) (since Oct 1999; SVP re-elected 19 Oct 2003); the coalition also includes the Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz (SPS) (Social Democrat Party of Switzerland), the Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz (FDP) (Freethinking-Democratic Party of Switzerland) and the Christlich-Demokratische Volkspartei der Schweiz (CVP) (Christian Democratic People's Party). Area: 41,293 square km Population: 7.43 million (2004) Capital: Bern (German)/Berne (French) Official language: German, French and Italian Currency: Swiss franc (Swf) = 100 centimes Exchange rate: Swf1.18 per US$ (Nov 2004) GDP per capita: US$43,000 (2003) GDP real growth: -0.50% (2003) Labour force: 4.26 million (2003) Unemployment: 3.90% (2003) (not seasonally adjusted) Inflation: 0.60% (2003) Balance of trade: US$5.90 billion (2003)

Historical profile

Switzerland was part of the Holy Roman Empire until 1499 when it gained independence. Switzerland's Roman connection remains strong. The Pope is still guarded by a 105-strong Swiss Guard, drawn largely from the Catholic cantons of central Switzerland.

1515 Switzerland declared its neutrality after nearly being defeated by the French and Venetians.

1648 The Peace of Westphalia concluded the Thirty Years' War in Europe and recognised Swiss independence.

1815 The Congress of Vienna restored independence to Switzerland after it had been annexed by France as part of the Napoleonic Empire during 1798–1803. The Congress laid down the principle of the perpetual neutrality of Switzerland.

1874 The modern constitution was inaugurated.

1914–18 Switzerland was neutral during the First World War.

1919–20 The Treaty of Versailles again recognised Switzerland's neutrality. In 1920, the country joined the League of Nations, but did not join its successor, the UN, when it was formed in 1945.

1939–45 Switzerland pursued a policy of neutrality during the Second World War, but refused refuge to Jews trying to escape German-occupied Europe and traded gold with the Nazis. Swiss banks also provided interest free credits to the Axis powers, which enabled Germany to finance its war effort.

1959 Switzerland was a founder member of the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA).

1971 Women were granted the right to vote.

1986 The Swiss population rejected UN membership in a referendum.

1988 Switzerland's first female minister, Elisabeth Kopp, resigned from her post following accusations that she had violated official secrecy laws by tipping off her husband about an inquiry into his business affairs.

1992 In the referendum on Swiss membership of the European Economic Area (EEA), a free trade agreement between the EU and EFTA, opponents of the pact won with 50.3 per cent of the vote. Switzerland joined the World Bank and IMF.

1998 Swiss banks agreed to a US$1.25 billion settlement with Jewish Holocaust survivors and families.

1999 Ruth Dreifuss became Switzerland's first female president. The Schweizerische Volkspartei (SVP) (Swiss People's Party) won the largest electoral victory for any party in Switzerland for over 80 years.

2000 A referendum proposed a decrease in the proportion of foreigners in the population to 18 per cent from 19.3 per cent. The proposal was rejected by 63.7 per cent of voters.

2001 Seventy-six per cent of voters rejected a proposal to continue negotiations with the EU. The national airline, Swissair, went bankrupt.

2002 Switzerland joined the UN after fifty-four per cent voted in favour of joining in a referendum. Laurent Moutinot became president of the Council of State of Genève.

2003 In a May referendum, voters rejected proposals to renew a moratorium on building nuclear power plants and phasing out nuclear power. The SVP won the biggest share of the vote in the October parliamentary elections, making it the largest of the four governing parties in the coalition.

2004 On 1 January, Joseph Deiss became federal president for 2004.

2005 Samuel Schmid was elected president for 2005.

 

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