On 23 June 1974, after a popular vote, Switzerland’s newest canton began the journey to being officially recognised in Switzerland’s constitution. In 1963, separatists blew up a branch of the Bern Cantonal Bank in Delémont after burning three farms. Growing numbers from the French-speaking Jura region of the largely German-speaking canton of Bern, were calling for […]
Basel City to penalise drivers of large cars
Cars are getting larger. Basel will be the first Swiss city to charge the drivers of large cars more for parking. It is also considering higher taxes for big vehicles, reported SRF. In Basel City space is tight and parking spaces are often difficult to find. To make better use of limited parking space the […]
Swiss TV and radio licence fee to be cut
This week, Switzerland’s Federal Council decided to cut CHF 35 off the compulsory annual fee households must pay for public television and radio. The fee will fall from CHF 335 to CHF 300 by 2029, reported RTS. The fee reduction will happen gradually, falling to CHF 312 in 2027 and then to CHF 300 in […]
Swiss National Bank cuts interest rate
On 20 June 2024, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) lowered its key interest rate by 0.25% to 1.25%. According to Thomas Jordan, the head of the SNB, inflationary pressure has receded somewhat. The Swiss franc has recently appreciated against the Euro, reducing the price of imported good and services. If the franc appreciates it dampens […]
Swiss parliament votes against moving closer to NATO
Defence Minister Viola Amherd and Army Chief Thomas Süssli want to bring Switzerland closer to NATO, reported SRF. Historically, Switzerland’s interaction with NATO has been limited to peace support operations. In 1996, it started collaborating on the Peace Partnership, and in 1999 Switzerland joined the Kosovo Force led by NATO. Switzerland currently takes part in […]
Swiss parliament votes to send failed Eritrean refugees to another African nation
For many years, Eritrea has refused to take back citizens failing to qualify as refugees. This week, Switzerland’s parliament voted in favour of sending them to another African nation, reported SRF. This week, Petra Gössi (PLR/FDP) put forward a motion that calls on the Federal Council to conclude a transit agreement with a suitable third […]
Nearly all French-speaking cantons to receive support from the others
Swiss cantons have very different tax bases, tax rates and spending. Until 2008, all cantonal taxes remained within cantons. Since then rich cantons have been required to support poor ones via the national financial equalisation mechanism. Next year, every French-speaking canton, with the exception of Geneva, will receive a financial boost from their wealthier German-speaking […]
Swiss Green Party launches vote to force home solar panel installation
This week, Switzerland’s Green Party started collecting signatures to launch a referendum. The vote would ask voters whether to accept a plan to force those renovating or constructing a new building to install solar panels, reported RTS. The Green Party says there are enough roofs in Switzerland to ween the country off imported fossil fuel […]
Switzerland makes progress on gender gap
Every year, the World Economic Forum (WEF) compares the economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment of men and women across the world. The latest report, published on 14 June 2024, shows a shrinking gap between Swiss men and women. This year, Switzerland scored 0.785 and ranked 20th, up from […]
Swiss vote results 9 June 2024 – 3 “no”, 1 “yes”
On 9 June 2024, Swiss voters voted on four federal initiatives, two related to healthcare cost, one born in the Covid-19 era related to “physical and mental integrity”, and one on renewable electricity. The first asked voters whether to subsidise health insurance premiums based on income and the second whether to formally restrain healthcare spending. The […]
