The number of serious sporting accidents in Switzerland continues to rise, according to BPA an accident prevention agency. Over the last 10 years the numbers of accidents from hiking and mountain biking have risen by close to 50%. Every year around 430,000 people are injured while engaging in leisure and sporting activities. Among these injuries […]
What are Swiss rules on winter tyres?
Laws in France require drivers to fit winter tyres or carry chains from 1 November until 31 March in certain mountainous regions of the country. However, Switzerland has different laws on the subject. In Switzerland, there is no legal requirement to fit winter tyres. However, the Swiss Road Traffic Act (Art. 29) requires all vehicles […]
Stockholm launches campaign against the confusion between Switzerland and Sweden
Switzerland and Sweden are sometimes confused for reasons unknown to many. This week, Visit Sweden, the tourist office of the more northerly of the two European nations with names starting with “Sw”, launched a marketing campaign/negotiation off the back of this confusion. Switzerland gets to promote LSD (it was invented there) but Sweden gets to […]
Switzerland increases federal spending forecast
Every quarter, Switzerland publishes updated spending forecasts for the current year. On 25 October 2023, it raised the 2023 spending forecast by CHF 300 million to 81.6 billion, an increase of 0.4% on the previous quarter, but still below the original budget. The revision takes the ordinary budget deficit from an original CHF -700 million […]
Swiss set to vote on compulsory service for men and women
Currently, Switzerland has a system of military conscription that applies only to men. Some would like to see a gender neutral alternative. This week, the organisers of a popular initiative calling for a system of compulsory community service that is applied to both men and women reached the milestone of more than 100,000 signatures, reported […]
Federal election – Swiss government shifts right
The Swiss People’s Party (SVP/UDC), Switzerland’s most popular party, garnered even more votes than it did in 2019, mainly at the expense of the Green Party. On 22 October 2023, the SVP/UDC received 27.9% of votes, winning 62 of the 200 seats in Switzerland’s federal parliament. In second place was the Socialist Party, with 18.3% […]
Swiss elections – why the young are less likely to vote
This weekend Switzerland holds a federal election. However, young Swiss are less likely to go to the polls than their older compatriots. Why is this? A political scientist who spoke to SRF offers insights. Data from the last federal election four years ago show a particularly low turnout among those aged between 18-24 and 25-34. […]
Switzerland breaks donation record in 2022
Total donations made in Switzerland reached CHF 2.5 billion in 2022, a record according to Zewo, an auditor of charities. The record figure was partly driven by the CHF 418 million donated to Ukraine. The CHF 2.5 billion donated in 2022 was 22% higher than the total in 2021 and 38% than the total in […]
Swiss train fares hike due to government pressure reveal documents
Train and other public transport fares in Switzerland are set to rise 3.7% on average from 10 December 2023. This week it was revealed that the hike was pushed by the federal government, reported Swiss broadcaster SRF. The decision to increase fares came after the federal government put pressure on Swiss Rail to push the […]
Bern professor dismissed after praising Hamas
This week, a professor at the University of Bern was dismissed after publishing messages on X praising the attacks on Israelis by Hamas, reported RTS. On Tuesday, the university announced its decision to terminate the professor’s employment, describing the incident as unacceptable while underlining that it condemns all forms of violence. In addition, the university […]
