Bulging waist lines and high rates of heart disease, cancer and type II diabetes are putting increasing pressure on healthcare systems, so the world is on the lookout for ways to tackle the problem. One is food labelling. But few producers want their products labelled as unhealthy. Swiss farmers are no exception. According to the […]
Assura’s health premium rise exceeds its refund
On 4 October 2021, Assura, one of Switzerland’s largest providers of health insurance, informed 500,000 policy holders they would receive a refund. Earlier, on 28 September 2021, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), presented the company’s premiums for 2022. For many policy holders, next year’s premium increases will substantially exceed this year’s refunds. Next […]
Swiss advisory firms exposed in Pandora Papers
The Pandora Papers, a leak of more than 11.9 million files from offshore service providers, reveal the widespread involvement of Swiss advisory firms in the set up of shell companies in tax havens. The recent Pandora Papers contain far more information than the Panama Papers, which were leaked in 2016 and resulted in the fall […]
Swiss parliament votes to pay billion to EU
On 30 September 2021, Switzerland’s parliament voted to release a CHF 1.3 billion payment to the EU with no strings attached, reported RTS. The parliamentary voting result of 131 to 55 in favour with 1 abstention, which followed an intense two-hour debate, allows the payment to be made. The vote follows a vote on the […]
Work started this week on second Gotthard road tunnel
On 29 September 2021, work began on the tunnel with a symbolic blast after being delayed since last spring because of the pandemic, reported RTS. The Gotthard road tunnel, which passes through the Alps between Göschenen (UR) et Airolo (TI), is one the most important and congested in Europe. The decision to build a second […]
Swiss air pollution exceeds new WHO guidelines
On 22 September 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) adjusted its healthy guidelines for key air pollutants. Switzerland now regularly exceeds maximum guidelines for several pollutants. According to WHO, exposure to air pollution is estimated to cause 7 million premature deaths a year globally and result in the loss of millions more healthy years of […]
Swiss vote in favour of gay marriage but reject tax hike – 26 September 2021
On Sunday, 26 September 2021, legal changes made by the Swiss government to allow gay marriage were accepted by 64.10% of Swiss voters, while a majority (64.88%) rejected a plan to tax investors and company owners harder than salary earners. Majorities in all cantons voted in favour of gay marriage. The margin was slimmest in […]
Swiss pandemic spending low when compared internationally
The think tank Avenir Suisse has calculated that in 2020 the Swiss federal government spent CHF 5 per person per day on the pandemic, a total of CHF 41 million a day. While an enormous sum, this compares favourably to a number of other nations. For example, the UK spent CHF 8 francs per person […]
Swiss to vote on gay marriage this weekend
On 26 September 2021, Swiss voters will decide whether legal amendments to allow gay marriage should be accepted. Currently, two men or two women cannot marry in Switzerland. Instead they may only enter into a legal partnership. To remove this anomaly the government agreed in 2020 to amend the civil code to allow same-sex marriage. […]
Presumed consent for organ donation, accepted by Swiss government
This week, the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, followed parliament and approved presumed consent for organ donation in Switzerland, reported RTS. In response to an initiative launched to put the question of presumed consent of organ donation to Swiss voters, the Federal Council came up with a counterproposal that presumes consent but gives those […]
