Swiss voters will be asked to decide whether the country should accede to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, according to the government. On 23 December 2025, The Alliance for a Nuclear Weapons Ban submitted 135,000 signatures to the Federal Chancellery, enough to trigger a nationwide vote. The initiative is backed by […]
Switzerland could feed its entire population without food imports
Swiss agriculture could, in theory, feed the entire population without imports. That is the counter-intuitive conclusion of a new study by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), the ETH Zurich and the consultancy O+L GmbH. The research, published in Swiss Agricultural Research, models a scenario in which domestic production alone would suffice. In terms […]
Switzerland plans to expand roadside noise radars
The Federal Council wants to roll out roadside displays that warn drivers when their vehicles exceed recommended noise levels, reported RTS. After adopting a report on the issue on Friday, the government said such devices could help curb excessive engine noise, which it described as an avoidable nuisance that harms quality of life and can […]
Swiss solar initiative clears signature hurdle
Switzerland’s Greens have gathered enough signatures to force a vote on a far-reaching solar initiative. On December 10th the party submitted 134,000 signatures to the Federal Chancellery—well above the 100,000 needed for a popular initiative. It is the first time in a decade the party has raised the necessary support on its own. The proposal, […]
Switzerland’s parliament moves to ban firecrackers
Switzerland’s National Council has voted to outlaw firecrackers, backing a parliamentary counter-proposal to a popular initiative that seeks tighter limits on fireworks, reported SRF. The measure passed by 97 votes to 85. The use of fireworks and their harmful effects will be regulated under the country’s explosives law. The popular initiative, launched by animal-welfare groups, […]
Swiss parliament scraps funding for the Basel–Malmö night train
Switzerland’s parliament has pulled the plug on funding for a planned night train linking Basel with Malmö in southern Sweden, reported RTS. After the Council of States rejected the proposal, the National Council followed suit on Tuesday, striking the CHF 10m needed to launch the service from the 2026 budget. The margin was narrow: 99 […]
Cuts in Swiss bureaucracy could save 30 billion a year
Swiss business and farming groups are stepping up calls for a rollback of red tape, warning that an expanding regulatory burden is stifling productivity just as labour shortages intensify. They are urging the Federal Council and parliament to act before the end of the current legislative term. At a press conference in Bern, economiesuisse, the […]
Winter tyres: a cold-weather essential
With snow reaching Switzerland’s plateau this week, some motorists may regret delaying the switch to winter tyres. The change need not wait for ice or flurries: the tyres are designed for cold conditions generally and work best when temperatures drop below 7°C. Calling them snow tyres is misleading. Switzerland sometimes sees weeks of sub-zero temperatures […]
Swiss Greens’ vote on compulsory solar panels clears signature hurdle
A popular initiative by Switzerland’s Green Party to make solar panels mandatory on most rooftops has gathered more than 100,000 signatures, enough to trigger a national vote once the federal chancellery formally validates them, reported RTS. The proposal seeks to require the installation of photovoltaic systems on nearly all new and existing buildings, though exemptions […]
AI boom sparks concern over data-centre power and water use in Switzerland
Artificial intelligence is not only consuming attention—it is also consuming electricity and water. A surge in AI activity has driven up demand for data-centre capacity across Europe, and the Swiss are increasingly uneasy about its environmental cost. More than 15 new data centres are under construction in Switzerland, many built to serve the growing demands […]
