First trade Back in 1972 Switzerland agreed a free trade deal with the EU. The deal, which came into force the following year, removed duties and quotas from industrial products. In 1973 the EU was a far smaller club than today, Britain, Ireland and Denmark had just joined bringing the number of members to nine. Today there are […]
Switzerland’s longest day today
Switzerland’s longest day of the year is here. Every 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, the earth travelling at around 110,000 km/h, completes a circuit of the sun. The longest day occurs in each hemisphere, when it reaches the point in this annual journey where it is most inclined towards the sun. In Switzerland that day […]
Swiss stocks tumble and franc rises on Brexit fears
17 June 2016 – Swiss and global market roundup. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The Swiss Market Index (SMI) is set to post one of its largest falls since February this week as growing uncertainty around the result of Britain’s referendum on its membership of the 28-nation European Union bloc led to a global sell-off […]
Swiss football – Euro 2016 – progress and next match
The Swiss football team, won its first match against Albania (1:0) and drew its second against Romania (1:1). So far they have a total of 4 points – teams get 3 for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss. This score places them second in their Group behind France, on 6, but […]
Switzerland withdraws its application for EU membership
Back in the days when mobile phones looked like the one pictured below, the Swiss voted on whether to join the EEA (European Economic Area), a precursor to EU membership. On 6 December 1992, 78.9% of Swiss voters turned out to vote, the highest turnout seen in Switzerland over the last 45 years. The traditional voting divide between French […]
Tax breaks for Swiss home owners should be reduced, say experts
20 Minutes. A recently released report, put together by a group of experts, proposes measures to dissuade people in Switzerland maintaining high levels of debt, in particular home mortgages. The report says the current system encourages individuals to maintain unhealthy levels of debt. The level of home mortgage debt in Switzerland is very high by international standards and has […]
Swiss town pays instead of taking refugees
Le Matin reported that the commune of Oberwil-Lieli, in the Canton of Aargau in Switzerland, has decided to spend CHF 290,000 to avoid taking refugees. The CHF 290,000 sum, included in the municipality’s revised 2016 budget, was accepted by a majority of the commune’s assembly last Friday. At the same time commune leaders have been […]
Brits in Switzerland say Brexit won’t mean freedom from Brussels
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Brexit backers who hold Switzerland as a model for the U.K. outside the European Union won’t find much support from British expatriates living in Geneva. Attending a British-Swiss Chamber of Commerce event addressed by the head of the “Leave” campaign recently at Geneva’s Mandarin Oriental hotel, most said the […]
Shuttered Geneva offices show impact of lost banking secrecy
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Three years after Lloyds Banking Group Plc sold its private bank in Geneva, the only signs of life at the now-empty building are piles of cigarette butts and nutshells lying on its dirty window ledges. The riverside offices at Place de Bel-Air are a short walk away from the […]
Pianos mysteriously turn up on the streets of Geneva
Last Friday pianos started appearing on the streets of Geneva, free for anyone to play. The pianos are part of an outdoor artwork by British artist Luke Jerram. Touring internationally since 2008, he has overseen the installation of more than 1,500 pianos in over 50 cities around the world. Called Play Me, I’m Yours (Jouez, […]
