This week, Bern decided patients who turn up at accident-and-emergency units with trivial complaints should not face extra charges, reported RTS. On Wednesday it rejected a parliamentary proposal to let cantons impose a levy on such visits, arguing it would add bureaucracy without easing pressure on hospitals. The idea came from Thomas Weibel, a former […]
Bern to have more control during the next pandemic
Much time has passed since the Covid-19 pandemic, however, the Swiss government has not forgotten the challenges the country faced trying to coordinate the efforts of cantonal and federal authorities to manage the situation. This week, Bern set out draft laws governing how decisions will be made during future pandemics, reported RTS. Switzerland must be […]
Reimagining International Geneva: A Blueprint for Renewal
By Edward Girardet Our first article explored the extent of Switzerland’s “International Geneva” crisis. Part II sees how this could be turned into opportunity. Geneva can still reassert itself as a relevant global hub. Our first article laid bare the extent of Switzerland’s “International Geneva” crisis. Part II explores how adversity could be turned into […]
The F-35 fiasco – price hikes, tariffs, and US intransigence
Washington has refused to guarantee a fixed price for Switzerland’s 36 F-35 fighter jets, reported RTS. The total bill will therefore exceed the CHF 6 billion approved by voters. After weeks of talks with senior White House officials—including a call between America’s defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, and Switzerland’s defence minister, Martin Pfister—the United States has […]
Swiss government urges voters to back a tax on second homes to axe imputed rent
The Federal Council and Parliament urge voters to back, on 28 September 2025, a constitutional change that would let cantons levy a special property tax on owner-occupied second homes. The measure is a prerequisite for a wider reform of housing taxation that would scrap the “imputed rent” now charged to home owners. At a press […]
Swiss federal deficit far smaller than feared
Switzerland now expects a much smaller federal deficit in 2025, reported RTS. The shortfall should be about CHF 200 million, versus the CHF 800 million pencilled into the budget. Bern says the improvement does not alter its savings programme. The better than expected result driven by a windfall rather than a trend. The upgrade stems […]
Most Swiss against making concessions to the US
Swiss voters expect pain from America’s new border taxes but do not want Bern to blink. In a YouGov Switzerland poll, two-thirds (66%) say the 39% tariff on Swiss exports to the United States—introduced on 7 August 2025—will significantly harm the economy. Only 5% foresee little or no impact. Despite that, just a quarter (25%) […]
Deadly week in the Swiss Alps
Over the last week, 9 people have died in sporting accidents in Switzerland’s Alps, reported RTS. In addition, the body of a climber that went missing on 11 July 2025 was recovered. On Monday, Valais’s cantonal police said that two climbers had found a body on the Lagginhorn on 5 August 2025. The body, which […]
High Swiss multilingualism driven by English
Multilingualism is widespread in Switzerland. Nearly two-thirds use more than one language regularly in daily life, and according to the Federal Statistical Office, 86% of residents believe speaking several national languages is important for national cohesion. Overall, 63% of Swiss residents are multilingual – 37% of the population speak one language, 37% speak two, and […]
International Geneva in Crisis: Where do we go from here?
A report by Swiss broadcaster RTS looks at the impact large budget cuts at the United Nations are having on the canton of Geneva, home to the UN in Europe. RTS describes the resulting lay-offs as one of the most significant in Geneva’s history, reaching as many as 7,000 direct job losses. These jobs support […]
