Last year the courts invalidated the canton’s refusal to offer school places to children living in France. According to the newspaper Tribune de Genève, the canton continues to refuse these children places in its schools. In 2016, around 1,500 children living in France were going to school in Geneva. In 2017, things changed. 143 of […]
Swiss democracy continues to suffer from low participation
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2018 Democracy Index classified only 20 out of 165 countries as having fully functioning democracies in 2018. 14 were in Europe. Globally, democracy remained stable in 2018 according to the report. Only 4.5% of the world’s population (12% of countries) lives in a fully functioning democracy. Overall, the ranking shows a […]
Chateau d’Oex balloon festival gets set for take off
The 2019 Château-d’Oex International Hot Air Balloon Festival is close to launch. The festival, which brings together 60 pilots and balloons from 15 different countries, takes advantage of the exceptional ballooning conditions in this corner of the Alps at this time of the year. It kicks off on Saturday 26 January 2019. Created in 1979, […]
Question of the week: how can we reach the truth if we reject facts that challenge our beliefs?
In the book Thinking Fast and Slow, psychologist Daniel Kahneman reveals our tendency to avoid critical thought and to only to see what we want to see. Our minds are wired to cling to our current worldview to avoid being plunged into the chaos of open questions. It’s far safer, easier and more comfortable to massage […]
Swiss Big Mac prices suggest Swiss franc still overvalued
On 10 January 2019, the Economist came out with its latest Big Mac index, which compares the price of a Big Mac around the world. The index uses the burger to compare the relative purchasing power of different currencies. Countries where Big Macs cost less than in the United States (in US$ terms) are deemed to […]
Swiss to vote on gun law changes
After the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, the EU decided to tighten firearms laws in member states and nations with EU agreements, such as Switzerland. Unhappy, a group of gun owners decided to launch a referendum against the pending changes. According to the organizers, the required number of 50,000 signatures has been presented […]
Government looks at anti-sound radars in Geneva
A parliamentary commission in Geneva is considering developing a radar to measure vehicle noise. The motion, put forward by the Greens and supported by others, is aimed at the noisiest road users. 13 out of 15 political parties are in favour of the plan. Only the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) was against it. The party […]
Running a Swiss business – changes in 2019
Nearly every year brings administrative changes for business owners and managers. The five most likely to be felt by Swiss SMEs this year are set out below. 1. Social insurance taxes The three main ones (AVS, AI, APG) remain the same in 2019. Together they come to 10.25% of salary, of which half is deducted […]
Federal council calls for more six-lane motorways in Switzerland
Currently, only 100 km (6.8%) of Switzerland’s national motorway network has six lanes – typically three in each direction. 1,311 km (90%) of the network has four lanes, with a remaining 47 km (3.2%) consisting of five lanes. According to NZZ am Sonntag, and reported in 20 Minutes, the Federal Council wants to expand the […]
Lenders pay to lend money to Switzerland
On 28 December 2018, Italy issued government bonds maturing in 2028 at an effective interest rate of 2.7%1. Interest rates like this combined with the scale of Italian public debt (157% of GDP) mean Italian taxpayers spend more on public debt interest than they do on education. In 2015, Italy spent 4.1% of GDP on […]
