On 27 May 2021, the UK was added Switzerland’s list of risk countries. This means that anyone arriving in Switzerland from the UK from 6pm on Thursday must quarantine upon arrival, with a few exceptions. The UK was added to the Federal Office of Public Health’s (FOPH) list of countries with a worrying variant, alongside […]
Unisex toilets find political support in Vaud
A majority of Vaud’s parliament voted in favour of looking at a proposal to exempt those providing toilets to the public from the current legal requirement to provide separate toilets for men and women, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. Under the proposal, put forward by Vassilis Venizelos of the Green Party, establishments, such as […]
Swiss government says no to EU deal
At its meeting on 26 May 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Council evaluated the results of Switzerland’s negotiations with the EU around the institutional framework agreement, an agreement aimed at replacing the country’s current patchwork of agreements with the bloc, and decided not to sign the document as it stands and communicated its decision to Brussels. The […]
Swiss fighter jet crashes in Alps
On 26 May 2021, the Swiss government announced that one of its Tiger F-5 military aircraft had crashed in the Alps at around 9am. The aircraft crashed in the region of Melchsee-Frutt in the canton of Obwalden at around 9am. The pilot was able to eject before the aircraft crashed into the ground and was […]
Covid: Swiss government announces more restriction easing from Monday
On 26 May 2021, Switzerland’s government announced a further round of lifting of Covid-19 related restrictions that will take effect on Monday 31 May 2021. The Federal Council said it is going further than proposed in the consultation, particularly with regard to events, private gatherings and restaurants. Better than expected epidemiological data have made greater […]
Geneva to host June meeting of Biden and Putin
On 25 May 2021, the White House confirmed that presidents Biden and Putin are to meet in Geneva on 16 June 2021. The meeting comes at a time of tension between the United States and Russia. President Biden has criticised the detention of Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader, Russia’s agression towards Ukraine and interference […]
Fake meat sales on the rise in Switzerland
Sales of fake or faux meat products rose sharply in Switzerland in 2020, according to figures recently published by Switzerland’s Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). Since 2016, the value of meat substitutes sold in Switzerland has more than doubled from CHF 32 million to CHF 72 million. However, it remains niche accounting for only 1.3% […]
Swiss Eurovision entry top choice of judges and artists
Switzerland’s Eurovision entry, the song Tout l’Univers (The whole universe) by Gjon’s Tears, came third in the 2021 Eurovision final held on 22 May 2021. However, it was the judges’ favourite. The 26 acts in the grand final garnered points ranging from 524 for the winner Maneskin from Italy, to zero for James Newman, the […]
Switzerland ranks 22nd out of 49 nations on gay rights
A ranking published this week placed Switzerland 22nd in a ranking of 49 European nations on gay rights by ILGA-Europe. Malta (94%) was ranked number 1 while Azerbaijan (2%) was ranked at the bottom in 49th position. Switzerland was calculated to be only 39% of the way towards a perfect score, according to ILGA-Europe. Scores […]
Convictions down 11% in Switzerland in 2020
Convictions of adults declined by 11% in 2020 in Switzerland, according to figures released by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office. This is the steepest decline in many years. In 2020 around 95 000 adult convictions were registered in the conviction register. This corresponds to a drop of 11% compared with the 2019 year. The greatest decline […]
