By Bill Harby In some ways, Switzerland is the envy of the world, which brings expats here from around the globe, hoping to ski, eat superb chocolate and open their very own Swiss bank account. In fact, now nearly 25 percent of people living in Switzerland are foreigners, says the Swiss Statistics Office. That’s a […]
Poll shows over 70 percent of Swiss want to ban full veils
Tribune de Genève. In March 2016, a group known as the Egerkingen committee, started the process of collecting the 100,000 signatures required to launch a federal referendum to ban the wearing of full veils in Switzerland. The Egerkingen committee, or Egerkinger Komittee, made the news in 2009, when a referendum it launched to ban the […]
The one Swiss canton where the population is declining
In 2015, Switzerland’s population rose by 1.1%, slower than in the previous two years, reaching a total of 8,327,100, an increase of 89,500. Increases in 2013 (+1.3%) and 2014 (+1.2%), were slightly higher. While the increase was largely due to immigration, the net effect of births and deaths, or natural growth, also added to the […]
Forced under age marriages spike in Switzerland
24 Heures. Swiss authorities have recorded a growing number of cases of girls under the age of 16 being forced into marriage. The Zurich newspaper NZZ am Sonntag recently revealed numbers from a centre in Zurich, that aids victims of forced mariage, showing an increase of nearly 70% in the number of victims in 2016 […]
More than 1,300 illegal migrants entered Switzerland in the first week of July
20 Minutes. During the first week of July, Swiss immigration officers witnessed a rise in the number of people illegally entering Switzerland. A record number of more than 1,300 people were stopped at the border in Ticino after illegally entering the country between 4 and 10 July. The majority, 665, were from Eritrea. According to […]
Could foreigners be required to do Swiss military service?
Requiring foreign residents to undertake military service is one option explored in a government sponsored report published last week. The current system requires all able young male Swiss citizens to do military service. In 1985 there were around 45,000 eligible men. By 2014 this number had dropped to about 37,000. Estimates for 2035 are between 36,000 […]
Swiss hand out first fine for wearing a burqa
On 1 July 2016, a law in the Swiss canton of Ticino, which bans anyone from hiding their face in public, came into effect. According to 20 Minutes, the first person to be punished under the new law was Nora Illi, a representative of the Islamic Central Council of Switzerland (ICCS). Last Friday, when the new […]
Brexit will affect Switzerland, says Swiss president
Swiss president Johann Schneider-Ammann said “This decision affects your country directly and indirectly.” Firstly, relations between Switzerland and the UK will need to be redrawn. This will not happen today, but once the UK formally leaves, in around two years time. The current rules for people and companies will stay in place until further notice. Switzerland […]
Britain votes to leave EU. What does it mean?
All of the votes have been counted. 51.9% of the votes were for “leave”. Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, said in an announcement, that EU law will continue to apply to the UK until the nation formally leaves the club, including rules on free movement of people. David Cameron said in a speech […]
Switzerland’s patchwork of EU deals and their history – at a glance
First trade Back in 1972 Switzerland agreed a free trade deal with the EU. The deal, which came into force the following year, removed duties and quotas from industrial products. In 1973 the EU was a far smaller club than today, Britain, Ireland and Denmark had just joined bringing the number of members to nine. Today there are […]
