Swiss president looks ahead to 2016

In his role as next Swiss president, Johann Schneider-Ammann says he will seek consensual solutions in order to “preserve Switzerland’s freedom, security and prosperity”. The former CEO of an industrial company, he believes Switzerland should be open to the world. He is also an advocate for the country’s sovereignty, including its system of direct democracy. Schneider-Ammann isn’t the most gifted communicator, nor is he the country’s most popular minister. However, in December the Swiss parliament overwhelmingly elected him to hold the rotating one-year presidency. The Swiss economics minister, who is a member of the centre-right Radical Party, will preside over the Swiss government in 2016. swissinfo.ch: Refugees and the security situation are big topics right now in Switzerland. Following the Paris attacks, the prevailing view is that terrorism has arrived on European soil. Does this apply to Switzerland as well? Johann Schneider-Ammann: Mass migration is among ...