On 15 July 2021, Switzerland’s flood warnings reached the maximum level of 5 in some parts of central Switzerland. Continuous and intense rain on the northern slopes of the Alps and adjacent areas as well as northwestern Switzerland has led to a critical flood situation, warned the Federal government on its natural hazards portal. Intense […]
Price comparison site Comparis customer data exposed in ransomware attack
On 9 July 2021, the Swiss price comparison website Comparis revealed that it had been the victim of a ransomeware cyber attack on Wednesday, 7 July 2021. According to Comparis, the attack occurred in the morning. Comparis took down several of its sites as a security measure. The attackers demanded money in exchange for decrypting […]
Swiss CO2 taxes to rise in 2022
Switzerland has a mechanism that automatically increases taxes on fossil fuels if emission reduction targets are not met. And the small reduction in emissions in 2020 is not enough to avoid triggering a CO2 tax rise in 2022. Data published this week by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) confirms the slow progress in […]
Swiss unemployment back below 3% again
On 8 July 2021, the Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) published unemployment figures for June 2021. By the end of June 2021, there were close to 132,000 people registered as unemployed across Switzerland, 11,000 fewer than at the end of May 2021, bringing Switzerland’s overall unemployment rate down from 3.1% to 2.8%. Youth employment dropped […]
Swiss government to look at delaying nuclear phaseout
Switzerland’s government has recently begun discussing extending the scheduled closure of the nation’s nuclear power stations, according to RTS. On 26 May 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Council rejected the institutional framework agreement, a deal put together by the EU that would have replaced Switzerland’s existing patchwork of agreements with the bloc. It appears that some in […]
Swiss anti-5G initiative fails to reach enough signatures
To launch a referendum in Switzerland, organisers must collect 100,000 signatures within 18 months. The organisers of an initiative aimed at making telecommunication companies legally responsible for any damage caused by mobile phone technology managed to collect only 92,000 signatures by the 3 July 2021 deadline, 8,000 short of the 100,000 signatures required for a […]
Swiss social spending up nearly 60% in 20 years
In 1999, social expenditure in Switzerland was CHF 13,370 per resident. By 2019, the same figure had reached CHF 21,300, a rise of nearly 60%. Over the same period, total inflation was around 11%. Applying inflation to CHF 13,370 brings the figure to CHF 14,480. So why has the cost risen beyond this and how […]
The toxic state of one of Switzerland’s longest rivers
Long ago ago hydroelectricity attracted energy intensive manufacturing to the canton of Valais, much of it along the banks of the Rhône river. These activities, which include aluminium smelting, synthetic fertiliser production and chemical manufacture, boosted the local economy but have also left a legacy of pollution that continues to affect the river and ground […]
Swiss federal budget back to surplus in 2022
The Covid-19 pandemic plunged Switzerland’s budget into the red in 2020 and 2021. The federal government expects to return to normality with a balanced budget in 2022. On 30 June 2021, the Federal Council approved the outlines of a federal budget for 2022 and a financial plan for the period from 2023 to 2025. The […]
Swiss meat and eggs often not very Swiss
Any animal raised and slaughtered in Switzerland can be labelled Swiss. However, what the animal has been fed could be from anywhere. If animals are what they eat then much of the meat and eggs labelled Swiss aren’t very Swiss. A key challenge for meat, dairy and egg consumers is the absence of information on […]
