Kurt Aeschbacher switches to politics

Kurt Aeschbacher goes into politics and wants to fight against the EU framework agreement

Kurt Aeschbacher is 72 years old and has not yet made any political statements. Now he is fighting against the framework agreement. Why?

francesco benini / ch media

Some thought it was a joke when the “Compass Europe” committee announced days ago: Kurt Aeschbacher and Bernhard Russi are participating in the fight against the EU framework agreement. Aeschbacher and Russi? Have the former TV host and former ski racer made political statements in public?

They do not do it. Russi doesn’t seem very comfortable. “I think this agreement should be better negotiated,” he said. He does not want to comment further, because you should not create the impression that you suddenly understand some politics.

Aeschbacher, like 72-year-old Russi, is more confident: “If you work for television in entertainment, it doesn’t mean you don’t have a brain.” He was always interested in politics. However, his contracts with Swiss television excluded public political statements. He stayed at it.

Aeschbacher was stopped as a host of his weekly talk show in 2018. He did so unintentionally, as he stated on several occasions. The head of television at the time, Rudolf Matter, was not known for being a model of empathy. He informed Aeschbacher, who was one of the most famous faces on television, that his show had been canceled over the phone. And it was at the Vienna airport. Even Aeschbacher’s critics, who considered his style of restraint to be relaxed, found him stylistic.

Friendship led to commitment

Bern now moderates the events, which have been canceled one after another since the outbreak of the pandemic. Is Aeschbacher bored? Are you joining a political committee because you are losing the limelight?

“I have been a friend of the Gantner family for a long time. There are always exciting conversations with Fredy Gantner, ”he says. This is how he got involved in “Compass Europe”.

Fredy Gantner is a co-founder of the multi-million dollar Partners Group, a company that specializes in asset management and is based in Baar in Zurich. Gantner rejects the EU framework agreement. It tells the umbrella economic organization Economiesuisse that it primarily cares for the interests of multinational corporations and is therefore in favor of the treaty. Gantner announced last fall that it was forming a committee of businessmen who would speak out against the deal.

A few days ago, surprisingly, “Kompass Europe” featured not only entrepreneurs and managers, but also prominent figures from other areas on its online portal. The writer Rolf Dobelli, for example. The musician (and businessman) Dieter Meier. Art dealer and gallery owner Iwan Wirth. And only Bernhard Russi and Kurt Aeschbacher.

Do you get money? “No way. That would be a mortal sin.”

So, Mr Aeschbacher, what bothers you about the institutional framework agreement? The answer comes like a pistol shot: “Federal Councilor Cassis said he was pressing the reset button on European politics. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have found it. The Federal Council made a big mistake when it declared in the summer of 2019 that all that was needed was a clarification on wage protection, the Union Citizens Directive and state aid. The central problem of the framework agreement is the dynamic adoption of the law and the intended role of the Court of Justice of the European Union. That greatly restricts Switzerland’s room for maneuver. “

Uff! Aeschbacher continues to speak without semicolons, criticizing the extended guillotine clause and adding that with the current framework agreement, Switzerland could “almost join the EU.” That is a bold statement. It is unmistakable, however, that the moderator deals in depth with the matter. Know the dangers of the contract. And he doesn’t seem artificial when he emphasizes: “Switzerland’s restriction of freedom of action affects me as a citizen of this country.”

Are you not afraid of losing your moderation allocations if you take a political position? “Yes, I will keep that in mind. We live in a country of free speech. “Did Mr. Gantner pay you to join the committee?” That would be a mortal sin. I never let myself buy into political office. “

As a moderator, Aeschbacher always tried to get his guests to speak with empathy. A politician cannot avoid confrontation. Therefore, it is not clear whether Aeschbacher would triumph as a politician. On the other hand, he expresses it flawlessly, and he’s six years younger than the new US president – maybe he should give it a try. For what party? The SVP? For Aeschbacher, this is out of the question: “If someone claims that I am close to the senior vice president, it is a malicious assumption. I represent the liberal ideas. “