A initiative seeking a popular vote on a plan to house asylum seekers in secure zones in their home country or nearby was validated by federal officials this week. The initiative, which originates from the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), would require asylum applicants to stay in these secure zones until their applications were processed. Successful […]
Rumoured plan to repatriate Daesh families to Switzerland
According to various newspapers, including Tribune de Genève, some members of Switzerland’s federal government are considering a plan to repatriate Daesh families from the middle east to Switzerland. The plan, which newspapers say could find support among members of the Federal Council, would involve bringing four mothers and seven children back to Switzerland. Two of […]
Swiss nationality stripped from a dual national for the first time
For the first time, Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) has stripped a dual national of their Swiss nationality, according to a government press release. The man, who has been sentenced to several years in prison, was convicted of creating propaganda and recruiting fighters for a banned islamic terrorist organisation. Article 42 of the Federal […]
Swiss trade with much of South America should soon be tariff free
A deal agreed between EFTA and the South American Mercosur bloc, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, with a combined population of 260 million, is close to signing. EFTA includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Under the deal, 95% of Switzerland’s CHF 3.6 million annual exports to the bloc would be tariff free. The […]
EU court rejects Swiss union criticism
Criticism of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) by Swiss unions intensified in 2007 after the Court ruled against workers in the Laval case in Sweden. Latvian workers were being paid less than the minimum wage on a construction site in Sweden. In protest, local workers blockaded the site. However, the CJEU […]
Four football bosses accused of fraud by Swiss Attorney General
Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has accused three former officials of the German Football Association (DFB) and one from FIFA of fraud and has filed an indictment against them. Horst Rudolf Schmidt, Theo Zwanziger and Wolfgang Niersbach, from the DFB, and Urs Linsi, a former Swiss FIFA official are all under the spotlight. […]
Luzern may tax buses to reduce strain of mass tourism
Every year Luzern receives around 9.4 million visitors, or roughly 25,000 a day, according to a university study. Tourism is putting a strain on the city, bringing traffic to a standstill and creating crowds in public spaces. In addition, many visitors arrive on buses, tour the town, and leave without spending a night, which generates […]
Swiss exports to the US significantly exceed those to Germany for the first time
According to an analysis by the Swiss broadcaster RTS, Switzerland’s reliance on EU exports has declined in recent years. Over the first quarter of 2019, for the first time, exports to the US exceeded those to Germany by more than CHF 1 billion reaching CHF 15.7 billion. Exports to the US have risen from 8.3% […]
Chinese spy suspect to remain in detention in Switzerland
Switzerland’s federal criminal court has refused a request to liberate a Chinese researcher wanted in the US for suspected spying, according to 20 Minutes. The release request was made by the Chinese researcher who is living in Switzerland and accused of corporate espionage in the US against the drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The US embassy […]
Basel terrorist plot uncovered
According to various media reports, fuel tanks at a port in Basel were at the heart of an attack planned for this January by the so called Islamic State, reported the newspaper 20 Minutes. Files describing the plan, designed to trigger “economic disaster”, were discovered on a hard disk left behind by IS members during […]
