Recently, the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, voted 26 to 16 in favour of two weeks of paternity leave following the birth of a child, according to 20 Minutes. At the same time, the Council of States rejected the idea of four weeks of paternity leave by 29 to 14. Paternity leave has become […]
Swiss parliament insists EU deal return to negotiating table
As the 30 June 2019 expiry date for Swiss-EU stock market equivalence approaches, the National Council, Switzerland’s parliament, has given a clear mandate to extend negotiations over the nation’s relationship with the EU. The negotiations, which began in 2014, are centred on the Framework Agreement, an arrangement designed to replace the patchwork of deals Switzerland […]
Drivers asked to stay out of cars as ozone pollution climbs
As ozone levels surpass healthy limits across the country, the authorities are urging residents to stay out of their cars and off their motorcycles. The governments of Geneva and Vaud both issued statements calling on residents not to drive in a bid to combat ozone pollution. A sharp rise in ozone, a pollutant that can […]
Swiss government aims to loosen marijuana laws
Switzerland’s government is aiming to make it easier to access medical marijuana, which is used by those suffering from cancer or other serious medical conditions. The proposed rules would make it possible for doctors to directly prescribe cannabis as part of their treatment, said the Federal Council in a statement. Currently, patients have to apply […]
Switzerland’s upper house wants incentives for people who work beyond 65
The gap between Switzerland’s official retirement age – 65 for men and 64 for women – and average life expectancy is long. Life expectancy at 65 is 20 years for men (85) and 23 for women (88). More and more people are questioning the viability of living for two decades or more without working, particularly […]
Heat records broken at nearly 30 locations in Switzerland
June temperature records were broken at 27 locations in Switzerland today according to Meteo Swiss. Many locations reached temperatures of over 35 degrees. Sion (35.8), Wynau (35.8), Zurich (35.5) and Basel (35.3) led the way. Geneva (33.4) and Lausanne (30.4) were slightly less scorching. High altitude locations were not all spared. The temperature in the […]
Government rejects vote to ban synthetic pesticides in Switzerland
In February 2019, an initiative to ban the use of synthetic pesticides in Switzerland collected enough signatures to run a referendum entitled: For a Switzerland free of synthetic pesticides. The initiative would ban the use of all synthetic pesticides in Swiss agriculture and the importation of food or animal feed used commercially that is produced […]
Swiss universities rise further in global ranking
A recent ranking placed two Swiss universities in the top 20. ETH Zurich (ETHZ), the Swiss university for science and technology based in Zurich rose from 7th to 6th place this year in the overall global ranking by QS. Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), ETHZ’s sister in French-speaking Switzerland near Lausanne, scooped 18th place, […]
40 percent of Swiss prepared to fly less to spare the environment
Surveyors asked 1,000 people in Switzerland aged from 16 to 74 about their flying habits across both French- and German-speaking Switzerland. 27% said they have already avoided flights over the last two years for environmental reasons. Switzerland’s residents are big air travelers, flying three times as often as the average european, according to WWF. When […]
Parliament votes against stripping serious criminals of Swiss nationality
Last week, a majority of the National Council, Switzerland’s parliament, voted against stripping serious criminals of Swiss nationality, according to Le Matin. A motion to take Swiss citizenship away from those who have committed serious crimes and who have more than one nationality, was put forward by Lorenzo Quadri, a member of the Lega party […]
