This week, two PLR/FDP parliamentarians proposed increasing the price of the motorway vignette required to drive on the Swiss motorway network, reported SRF. The two politicians making the proposal are from the cantons of Schwytz and Ticino, two cantons affected by the heavy traffic passing through the Gotthard tunnel, one of the key north-south connections […]
Federal Council aims for winter Olympics in 2038 – seventh time lucky?
The last time the winter Olympics were in Switzerland was 1948 when they took place in St. Moritz. Since then Switzerland has not been a host despite being in the running six times. This week, Switzerland’s sports minister Viola Amherd said she would welcome the Winter Olympics in 2038, reported RTS. On Friday, the Federal […]
Swiss Rail plans weekend night trains between main centres
Swiss Rail is planning night trains connecting Switzerland’s main cities starting in 2026, according to CH Media and RTS. The rail company plans to link centres such as Zurich, Basel and Geneva at night during the weekends, according to reports. Intercity trains would run between Geneva and Zurich with a transfer hub in Olten in […]
Swiss parliament votes in favour of stricter asylum policy
On 24 September 2024, Switzerland’s parliament voted in favour of several motions aimed at tightening asylum policy. These include moves to remove the right of temporarily admitted asylum seekers to bring their families, and tougher rules for Ukrainians in Switzerland with protection S status, reported SRF. The motion seeking to remove the right of temporarily […]
Swiss health insurance set to rise further in 2025
This week, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, Switzerland’s Health Minister, announced health insurance premiums will rise by an average of 6% in 2025 to CHF 378.70 a month. However, the range of the increase varies from 1.5% to 10.5% depending on the canton of residence. According the minister, the increase is driven by rising health care costs and […]
Swiss National Bank cuts interest rate
On 26 September 2024, The Swiss National Bank (SNB) announced further eased its monetary policy by lowering its key rate for the third time in a row by 0.25% to 1%. The SNB started cutting its key rate before the European Central Bank (ECB) and the US Federal Reserve (Fed). It first cut the rate […]
Swiss vote results 22 September 2024
On 22 September 2024, Swiss voters rejected two federal initiatives. The first, a plan to combat the decline in biodiversity was rejected by 63% of voters. The second, a government plan to reform employee pensions was rejected by 67% of voters. For the biodiversity initiative, cantonal level vote results ranged from nearly 58% in favour […]
Minister launches Swiss supercomputer
Switzerland has a new supercomputer, which was inaugurated by Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin this week at the national high-performance computing center in Lugano, reported RTS. The computer, known as “Alps” is one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world. To perform the calculations that “Alps” manages in one day, would require a standard laptop […]
Swiss to vote on employee pension reform
On 22 September 2024, the Swiss will vote on two popular initiatives. The first is the biodiversity initiative “For the future of our nature and our landscape”. The second is on a plan to reform Switzerland’s occupational pension system. Reform of Switzerland’s pension system is an increasingly pressing issue given the predictable demographic shift underway. […]
Swiss to vote on biodiversity initiative
On 22 September 2024, the Swiss will vote on two popular initiatives. The first is the biodiversity initiative “For the future of our nature and our landscape”. The second is on a plan to reform Switzerland’s occupational pension system. Biodiversity, a term referring to the number of living organisms and the habitats that support them, […]
