The sound of cow bells is an integral feature of Switzerland’s image, conjuring up idilic alpine scenes of cows roaming freely, chomping on grass. However, these same clanging bells can be less than idilic when you’re trying to sleep. In the small Bernese town of Aarwangen several poorly rested newcomers have complained. Town locals, shocked […]
Swiss occupational pensions to feel squeeze from higher rate
Switzerland’s occupational pensions, known as the 2nd pillar, are feeling the squeeze of lackluster returns and an aging population. This week, the government added to the strain by setting the minimum rate pension managers must pay pension holders at 1.25% for 2024, a 0.25 percentage point rise over last year, reported RTS. Inevitably, the announcement […]
Swiss finance minister wins 2023 obfuscation award
Every year, investigativ.ch, an association of investigative journalists, bestows an award on the public figure it deems to have exercised the lowest levels of transparency during the year. This year the award went to Karin Keller-Sutter, Switzerland’s minister of finance, for the secret decision making process surrounding the fire sale of the bank Credit Suisse […]
Swiss inflation returns in October
Consumer prices increased by 0.1% in October 2023, reported Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) this week. Rising prices in October represent a reversal of the 0.1% fall in September 2023. October’s rise in inflation kept the annual rate of inflation at 1.7%, 0.3 percentage points below the Swiss National Bank’s (SNB) preferred maximum of 2% […]
Second chance applications push asylum numbers up by 32%
During September 2023, 3,966 asylum requests were made in Switzerland, a month on month rise of 32%, reported RTS. According to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) the rise is partly due to secondary applications. Typically, applying for asylum is a one shot game. However, the situation in Afghanistan has been degrading so quickly that […]
Serious sporting accidents on the rise in Switzerland
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 […]
