Many Swiss, especially the older generations, are not fond of changes.

They like things just the way they are — or at least the way they used to be — and will resist any effort to amend or modify the status quo.

Luckily for those people, things in Switzerland change at a snail’s pace:

Why are things so slow to change in Switzerland?

Nevertheless, cross-winds of change have been sweeping Switzerland for a while, in some aspects more than in others, putting the long-held values and beliefs into question.

They are:

Neutrality

Officially, Switzerland is still a neutral nation, as it has been continually since 1815.

However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been a major paradigm shift in how ‘neutral’ (or not) Switzerland wants to be in the current geo-political situation.

Since February 2022, the country took some unprecedented measures, which incited comments from certain quarters that Switzerland is shedding its neutrality, at least partly.

For instance, the government departed from its policy of non-intervention in foreign affairs by adopting all EU sanctions on Russia.

But there is more: ever since the war erupted, Switzerland has been trying to get closer to NATO.
 
Earlier this month, Swiss Defence Minister Viola Amherd travelled to Brussels to discuss with NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg the “strengthening” of the relationship between Switzerland and the alliance.

This move too has been seen by many as a violation of the neutrality clause.

Why is Switzerland trying to get closer to NATO? 

Banks

For years, Swiss banks have had a certain reputation — perhaps not exactly for ‘cleanliness’ but certainly for reliability.

That is no longer the case.

With the fall of Credit Suisse, many in Switzerland and elsewhere have come to realise that the nation’s banks are not the ‘safe haven’ they were once thought to be.
 
Civil unrest

In the past, the mere thought of Swiss population taking to the streets to express their dissatisfaction was, well, unthinkable.

Industrial action is still relatively rare in Switzerland, but public protests are not as uncommon as before.

This change in mentality had first manifested itself during the pandemic, when thousands marched across the country against government measures aimed at reducing the spread of the disease, and claiming that the Covid certificate requirement was discriminatory and violated personal freedom.

Such anti-government actions were unheard of in recent decades.

Also, while Swiss workers have not undertaken any economy-immobilising strikes as their counterparts in neighbouring countries have in recent weeks, they have threatened to do so if their demands are not met.
 
SWISS pilots threaten an October strike action 

Punctuality

Not too long ago, Swiss trains always ran on time, and even a 10-minute delay was a big deal.

In such cases, the Swiss did what they usually do when things go wrong in Switzerland: they blamed Italian, French, and German trains for the delays.

According to Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), the German rail company Deutsche Bahn has the worst track record — no pun intended — because those tardy Germans mess up SBB’s intricate transport system.  

This may indeed be part of the problem, but not the whole picture. As it turns out, other factors are derailing train travel, the chronic shortage of train conductors in Switzerland foremost among them.

Be it as may, Swiss trains run behind schedule more often than before.

Why Swiss trains are less punctual — and what is being done about it

To be fair, however, on an European scale, Swiss trains still perform well. 

Chocolate and cheese

Who would have ever imagined a day would come when Swiss chocolate and cheese would no longer be ‘Swiss’? But that has happened.
 
The Toblerone chocolate that has been created and produced in Bern since 1908, will now be partly manufactured in Slovakia, losing, in the process, its ‘made in Switzerland’ label along with the Matterhorn logo.
 
And Gruyère cheese has lost its innate ‘Swissness’ as well.

The quintessential Swiss cheese which is produced in canton Fribourg, has been stripped of its ‘Swissness’ by a US appeals court, which recently ruled that gruyere is common label for cheese and cannot be reserved just for the kind made in Switzerland.

On the bright side, however, nobody has yet stripped the army knife, or Roger Federer, of their Swissness.
 
Cuckoo clocks and Toblerone: The ‘Swiss’ products that are not actually Swiss

Now, what about five things that will never change?
 
Ok, ‘never’ is a very long time, but let’s just say these things will remain intact — at least for the forseeable future.
 
Neutrality (again)
 
Yes, we mentioned it under the things that change, but in fact, this fits under both categories.

While the war in Ukraine has prompted Switzerland to seek closer ties with NATO, it is highly unlikely that the government will shed its neutrality altogether.
 
This would require a law change which, even if  passed in the parliament, would have to be approved by voters in the referendum.

That is even less likely as, according to surveys, 89 percent of Swiss support the principle of neutrality.

Direct democracy

The Swiss are very attached to their centuries-old system of direct democracy, which gives them, rather than elected officials, the power to to shape local and national policies.
 
While there are many controversies and contentious topics in Switzerland, nobody so far has as much as suggested that the Swiss should give up their right to vote on issues that affect their lives.
 
That, in itself, would require a referendum.

EXPLAINED: Who is in charge of running Switzerland? 
 
Attention to detail

Nobody and nothing has changed the fact that the Swiss are extremely well organised, meticulous, and detail oriented.

That is one characteristic that is not likely to change, regardless of world events or other global shifts.

This will remain, whether in the realm of rules and regulations, or the way the general infrastructure is set up.

Attitude to immigrants

Here the Swiss are divided into three camps: one consists of people who believe diversity is a good thing and Switzerland benefits from this multicultural component.

The second group, while more reticent about foreigners, still recognises that they are needed for the Swiss economy to function and prosper.

The third group is against immigration and wants to revoke any laws that allow foreigners, including those from the EU, to live and work in Switzerland.
 
These divisions have been deeply entrenched in Switzerland and will likely remain thus in the future.

Feeling of superiority
 
When it comes to their perception of themselves, the Swiss believe they are far superior to their neighbours and other countries as well.

They claim their economy and general infrastructure are stronger, they are more efficient, have more political stability, and — nobody can argue with this — speak more languages than anyone else.

This kind of attitude is likely to prevail.

Why do the Swiss think they are superior to everyone else?