20 Minutes. Late last week, Didier Burkhalter’s Liberal Party (PLR/FDP) announced its calendar for choosing someone to replace him after he announced his resignation on 14 June 2017. Switzerland will be kept guessing about the new leader through the summer, finding out only on 20 September 2017, one month and 10 days before Mr. Burkhalter finishes on […]
No roaming charges in Europe, except in Switzerland
From 15 June 2017, there are no EU roaming charges for most of those with a mobile phone on an EU contract. The new rules compelling operators to axe the charges, announced in September last year, are now in force. Countries outside the EU, but within the European Economic Area (EEA), including Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland’s […]
New initiative to keep foreign workers out of Switzerland
Le Matin. On 15 June 2017, one day after kicking off the job of collecting the signatures required to call a referendum, the text for a new plan to limit access to Switzerland’s job market was presented to the Swiss government. Before a Swiss popular vote or referendum can be launched 100,000 valid signatures must be collected […]
A small change to Zurich’s parking rules pushed ticket numbers up 21% in 2016
20 Minuten. In 2016, Zurich city raked in more than CHF 60 million in traffic fines, according to the city’s latest financial statements, published on 15 June 2017. The number of tickets issued rose by 20.7% to 503,888, and the reason why is quite clear. At the beginning of 2016, the policy of allowing a standard […]
Geneva hospital breaks european record for most robot operations
This week, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) announced it had carried out the largest number of robotic surgical procedures in Europe, passing the milestone of 2,500. The exact total is 2,514, which include visceral (1,185), urological (1,053) and gynaecological (276) operations. The team has observed numerous benefits from robotic surgery, such as smaller incisions and scars, […]
Swiss Federal Councillor and foreign minister Didier Burkhalter resigns
Today, Swiss Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter announced his resignation. One of seven in Switzerland’s executive, he became known around the world, during his stint as the nation’s president, when a photo of him of him standing alone on a public train platform waiting for his train was Tweeted. The photo was taken by Le Temps journalist […]
Property prices fall in Swiss resorts but climb elsewhere, says UBS report
A real estate report by the bank UBS, which looks at 25 top resorts in Switzerland, Austria, France and Italy, shows vacation home price drops across Switzerland. These price falls contrast with price rises in resorts in Austria, France and Italy. With more than 10,000 second homes, Crans-Montana is Switzerland’s biggest market in the Alpine […]
Swiss government wants better access to criminal records of EU citizens in Switzerland
20 Minutes. On 12 June 2017, Switzerland’s parliament agreed to look at improving criminal record checks of EU nationals moving to Switzerland, but it wants a solution that avoids complicating relations with Brussels. One possibility would be for Switzerland to join the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) programme which allows EU states to exchange information on […]
Swiss government to look at toughening rules on expelling radicalised asylum seekers
Recently Switzerland’s States Council, or upper house, supported a proposal to review the current practice around expelling failed asylum seekers, in particular those who are radicalised or have broken the law. The proposal, put forward by Damian Müller (PLR/FDP) must now be discussed by the Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive body. After the attacks in Manchester […]
Switzerland makes top 10 most peaceful countries
The 2017 Global Peace Index places Switzerland in the top 10. The Global Peace Index, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace ranks 163 countries covering 99.7% of the world’s population. The index looks at 23 indicators covering the level of safety and security in society, the degree of domestic or international conflict, and […]
