Currently, all able bodied Swiss men must serve in Switzerland’s military or spend time doing civil service. The obligation begins at the age of 18. However, the obligation only applies to men. Women can serve but are not required to. An initiative (servicecitoyen.ch), which is planned for 2021, aims to replace the existing system with […]
From Scotland to Uganda, climate catastrophe to female exploitation: these young people are making a difference
By Peter Hulm Individuals often despair of achieving anything with private action to tackle problems such as climate catastrophes, making fashion sustainable or protecting women and young girls from exploitation. The problem is that so much depends on governments, companies and organizations including the United Nations to step up and put in place wideranging measures […]
What are the odds of a snowy Swiss Christmas?
Snow on Christmas day is fairly rare across most of Switzerland. Meteo Suisse has compiled a list of snowy Christmas periods (24/25/26 December) at various locations over the 80 years to 2016. When assessing the chance of snow, altitude is a key determinant, so the range is significant in Alpine Switzerland. Over 80 years, the […]
Switzerland and the UK sign agreement on mobility of service providers
On 14 December 2020, Switzerland and the UK signed an agreement that secures reciprocal, facilitated market access for service providers between Switzerland and the United Kingdom from 1 January 2021. The Services Mobility Agreement (SMA) regulates the mutual access and temporary stay of service providers, for example, management consultants, IT experts and engineers. The agreement […]
The US accuses Switzerland of currency manipulation
This week, the US Treasury reviewed and assessed the currency policies of 20 major U.S. trading partners during the four quarters ending June 2020. The report concluded that both Vietnam and Switzerland met all three criteria for currency manipulation under the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015. The three tests include a significant […]
Changes to Swiss road rules on 1 January 2021
From 1 January 2021, a number of road rules will change. These will affect driving, cycling and parking. For drivers there are new motorway rules for emergency corridors, merging, passing on the right and caravans. For cyclists there are new rules on turning and using footpaths. These rules come into force on 1 January 2021, […]
Religion continues to decline in Switzerland
Statistics for 2019 show that 30% of Switzerland’s residents belong to no religion. As recently as 1960 the same figure was less than 1%. The percentage believing in God in Switzerland continues to decline. Between 2014 and 2019, this percentage fell from 46% to 40% of the population. Indoctrination of religious beliefs also appears to […]
Large government budget deficit in 2021 for Switzerland
On 16 December 2020, Switzerland’s Council of States, the nation’s upper house, accepted a 2021 budget deeply in the red following its acceptance last week by the National Council. In 2021, Switzerland’s federal government plans to collect CHF 75.8 billion while spending CHF 81.9 billion, plunging the budget CHF 6.1 billion into the red. The […]
Brexit: new regulations on bringing animals from UK to Switzerland
From 1 January 2021, imports of animals and animal products from the United Kingdom into Switzerland will be subject to the same conditions as imports from countries outside the European Union. This has consequences for travellers wishing to import animals or products of animal origin from the United Kingdom into Switzerland. From 1 January 2021, […]
Switzerland’s population happy with the health system, according to survey
Switzerland’s health system is rated highly by the public, according to the latest survey conducted in eleven countries by the Commonwealth Fund Foundation. Every 3 years, the Foundation conducts a survey of the general population in eleven countries to investigate experiences of the health system. 88% of the 2,284 people surveyed across all of Switzerland […]
