From March next year, drivers of cars equipped with self-driving technology will be allowed to use it on motorways, reported RTS. This week, the Federal Council approved regulations allowing the use of self-driving systems. Once in force, starting on 1 March 2025, drivers with self-driving cars will be able to take their hands off the […]
Reversal of higher retirement age for Swiss women rejected by top court
In 2022, Swiss voted to increase the official retirement age of women from 64 to 65, bringing it into line with the age for men. Later, an error was found in some of the numbers presented to voters to justify the change. After the error was revealed, the Socialist and Green parties asked Switzerland’s highest […]
Abolition of imputed rent gets bogged down in complexity
A project to end Switzerland’s controversial system of imputed rent was launched more than seven years ago. This week, discussions in Bern suggest the project’s chances of sucess remain narrow. In Switzerland, anyone who owns a property retained as a primary or secondary residence must add a fictional rent to their taxable income, which is […]
Switzerland bans Hamas and its content
This week, Switzerland’s federal government approved a five-year ban on Hamas, reported RTS. The ban will prevent the organisation from using Switzerland as a refuge. It will also make it illegal for anyone in Switzerland to like or forward digital content related to the organisation. After being accepted by a majority of the Council of […]
Switzerland’s first nuclear power plant to go off line
On Thursday, Swiss power operator Axpo announced that it will take the Beznau nuclear power plant, which was first switched on 6 September 1969, offline from 2032, reported SRF. Interest in nuclear energy in Switzerland began shortly after the Second World War. In 1945, Switzerland’s federal government appointed a team led by the physicist Paul […]
Swiss parliament accepts contentious budget
On Thursday, Switzerland’s federal parliament accepted a budget for 2025 by 120 versus 73 votes, reported RTS. Opposing votes came from politicians on the left, who make up a large minority in Switzerland’s lower house. Included in the budget were an increase in military spending, cuts to farm subsidies and large cuts to international aid. […]
Tourism one quarter of Switzerland’s traffic
New data show that tourism accounts for 25% of the total traffic on Swiss roads, reported SRF. The Federal Council report shows that leisure and tourism account for 53% of passenger road traffic, with the other 47% made up of commuting to and from work. Regular leisure traffic by residents of Switzerland accounted for 27% […]
Swiss voters shift right according to new poll
If elections were held in Switzerland today, parties on the right would move ahead at the expense of those on the left, especially parties focused on the environment, according to a recent poll run by Sotomo. The biggest gainer would be the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), which gained 2.0 percentage points in the poll, reaching […]
Possible relief for the nearly half a million Swiss struggling with debt
In Switzerland, nearly half a million people are struggling with debt. This week, parliament discussed new measures that may offer relief to those unable to dig themselves out of insolvency, reported RTS. In Switzerland, personal bankruptcy does not extinguish your debts in the same way as it does across much of the rest of world. […]
French government decides not to halve unemployment benefits for cross-border workers
Several hundred thousand French residents work in Switzerland. These workers pay unemployment insurance in Switzerland. However, their unemployment benefits, should they find themselves out of work, are covered by the French administration. In November 2023, French authorities announced a plan to cut the amount they pay to unemployed cross-border workers. This week, several French parliamentarians […]
