Swiss media frets about fighter jet choice impact on EU ties

A day after the government’s decision to opt for US-made fighter jets, some papers praise the pragmatic and cost-effective choice. Others consider it a geopolitical mistake and a setback for Swiss-EU relations. On Wednesday, after months of speculation and lobbying by four fighter jet manufacturers, the Swiss government announced it would buy 36 new F-35A machines built by US firm Lockheed Martin for CHF5 billion ($5.4 billion). The right choice? For the Blick newspaper, at least, it is: “the Federal Council [governing body] is doing exactly what’s necessary”, it writes on Thursday. After years of expert tests to find the “most appropriate” model, it simply opted for the winning plane, the paper writes. For the tabloid, avoiding geopolitical considerations about the origin of the manufacturers (two were American, two were Europe-based) was the right approach, even if it wasn't to the liking of all the 8.5 million citizen-“fighter-jet experts” in the country. In its editorial...