Can The Swiss Abroad Salvage Their Image?

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Members of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) want to improve the standing of the diaspora among Swiss people back home. However, as a recent workshop in Bern found out, this isn't an easy task. This content was published on March 21, 2025 - 14:20 4 minutes

I work as editor and correspondent at the Federal Palace. I report on Swiss politics for the Swiss Abroad and manage our political talk show Let's Talk. I started in local journalism in the early nineties and have worked in many journalistic fields, held management positions and covered a range of topics. I joined SWI swissinfo in 2017.

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In my work, I focus on topics that are relevant to Swiss citizens abroad – from political developments in Switzerland and their impact on the diaspora to social, economic, and cultural issues. Before joining SWI swissinfo, I worked as a local journalist for the Aargauer Zeitung. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Multilingual Communication and, as is typically Swiss, completed an apprenticeship as a commercial employee.

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• Deutsch de Der Ruf der Schweizerinnen und Schweizer im Ausland leidet – was tun? Original Read more: Der Ruf der Schweizerinnen und Schweizer im Ausland leidet – was tun
• Français fr L'image des Suisses de l'étranger se dégrade – que faire? Read more: L'image des Suisses de l'étranger se dégrade – que faire

Ahead of a meeting of the Council of the Swiss Abroad on March 21, Council delegates gathered at the Federal Palace in Bern for a workshop. The theme:“The untapped potential of the Swiss Abroad”.

Delegates and the OSA already acknowledged last year that Swiss citizens living abroad are struggling with an image problem . Now, they are gathering arguments to counter what they call negative“generalisations” about the community.

In four working groups, they sought answers on Friday to various questions like“what do the Swiss Abroad bring to Switzerland?”,“How can the community network be used?”, and“How can prejudices be overcome?”

Too many negative views about the Swiss Abroad

When people in Switzerland speak about their compatriots living beyond the country's borders, too many still see them as profiteers who want to have their cake and eat it too – in other words, who want a political voice in Switzerland without paying taxes there.

The last big wave of such resentment came during campaigning ahead of the March 2024 vote on a 13th monthly pension payment, when the Swiss People's Party made pensions for emigrants into a political issue.

Faced by such negative press, delegates of the Council of the Swiss Abroad said on Friday that the diaspora had“much more to offer”.“We are ambassadors,” was their unanimous message – not just emigrant pensioners who are all too often dismissed as“parasites”.

More More The Swiss Abroad need a strong voice and targeted information

This content was published on Mar 11, 2025 The revamped SWIplus app offers free access to the most useful information for expatriates or people in the process of moving abroad.

Read more: The Swiss Abroad need a strong voice and targeted information

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