A day at the Council of Europe with Swiss delegates

The Council of Europe rarely makes headlines in Switzerland, but a recent ruling of its supranational court against the Swiss government for failing to act on climate change is making waves. What is the Council of Europe, and what is Switzerland’s role in it? It’s early morning at Basel railway station. Sibel Arslan walks up to the platform holding a cup of coffee, her second of the day. She did not get much sleep the previous night. Her last appointment was at 11pm. “Is it ok if we travel economy class?” the left-wing Green Party parliamentarian asks. Arslan is on her way to Strasbourg, where the Swiss foreign policy expert pursues her other political career, namely as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. On the train, she skims the agenda of the day’s session after having already studied it earlier. It’s going to be a busy week for the Swiss delegates in Strasbourg. The special session of the Swiss parliament in Bern overlaps with the Council of ...