While the latest statistics show a rise in the number of tourists visiting Switzerland over the summer, tourist numbers from some countries fell significantly. Overall, the number of visitors to Switzerland in June, July and August rose by 3.9% compared to 2018. However, the numbers from Saudi Arabia (-8.7%) and the UAE (-13.4%) were down […]
Petition to ban SUVs in Lausanne
A petition to ban SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicles) from entering Lausanne could be presented to the city’s municipality and then to the cantonal government, according to the newspaper Le Matin. The petition, which, according to Le Matin, has 1,200 signatures – their website shows a figure of around 800 – aims to ban large vehicles […]
24 year old man in Switzerland talking to Exit about suicide assistance
A 24 year old man from Winterthur who suffered a cerebral hemorrage four years ago has asked Exit, an association which aids people who want to end their lives, to help him, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. The man, who lives alone, is confined to a wheelchair and is unable to hear. He said […]
French-speaking cantons biggest winners from next year’s fiscal transfers
The amount of money paid by “rich” cantons to “poor” ones will rise by CHF 61 million to CHF 5.3 billion in 2020, according to a recent government press release. The only French-speaking canton paying will be Geneva. All of the rest will see the sums they receive rise compared to 2019. In 2020, Geneva […]
Drug spending continues to explode in Switzerland
Last week, the government announced that it had shaved CHF 100 million off the cost of drug purchases from 1 January 2020. This week numbers obtained by RTS from Curafutura, a health insurance association, show drug spending rose CHF 420 million from CHF 6.9 billion to CHF 7 billion between October 2018 and September 2019 […]
Zurich to cut number of car parks
This week, Zurich City’s executive tore up an agreement between opposing political camps on parking, according to RTS. The agreement, known as the “Parkplatzkompromiss” which came into force in 1996, was a simple agreement to maintain the status quo. No new parking would be added and no existing parking would be taken away. Now, with […]
More than 100 members of Extinction Rebellion convicted in Switzerland
In September 2019, groups of people belonging to the environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion blocked two road bridges in Lausanne. Local police cleared the bridges by removing, in some cases carrying, protesters away. On 7 November 2019, 117 of the people involved in the bridge protests were convicted and fined for breaking Switzerland’s penal code, […]
Worried about flying? Geneva Airport’s CEO is listening
By Scott Poynton With the world finally waking up to the reality of climate change, flying is increasingly coming in for a bad rap. Planes put a lot of carbon into the atmosphere. Greta Thunberg chose to sail across the Atlantic last month to attend the New York climate bash because she wanted to avoid […]
Geneva to ban Uber if it doesn’t change its operating model
After a legal analyis the government of the canton of Geneva has decided that drivers of the ride hailing service are employees rather than independent contractors, effectively banning Uber from operating under its current model. In an interview with RTS, Mauro Poggia, a lawyer and Geneva state councillor, said that Uber is a transport company […]
Negative rates might go lower, says Swiss National Bank chairman
Thomas Jordan, chairman of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper recently that central bank interest rates might need to go further into negative territory. Responding to growing criticism of negative central bank interest rates, Jordan said negative interest rates could continue and a further reduction is possible. Could Swiss banks […]
