This week, the European Commission was given a green light to negotiate a new deal with Switzerland, reported RTS. The start of negotiations requires the approval of all EU members. On 12 March 2024, they all agreed. The European Commission, the EU’s governing body, said on Tuesday that it had formal permission to open discussions […]
Search ends for sixth person missing near Zermatt
On 9 March 2024, six people left Zermatt on skis bound for Arolla on a high mountain path that links Zerrmatt and Verbier known as the Haute Route. Upon reaching the region near the Tête Blanche pass at around 3,500m bad weather rapidly set in. At around 4pm, one member of the group alerted search […]
Switzerland one of the first four nations to celebrate International Women’s Day
The 8th of March is International Women’s Day, an event started in 1911 when Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland celebrated it for the first time. The idea was inspired earlier by movements in the United States and Germany. In 1910, Clara Zetkin, a communist activist and women’s rights advocate in Germany, presented the idea at […]
Swiss public transport revenues up 7% in 2023
In 2023, Switzerland’s public transport system generated 7.2% more revenue than it did the previous year, reported Alliance Swiss, the umbrella organisation that connects ticketing across the whole network. Higher ticket sales were a big contributor to the rise in revenue which reached CHF 6.4 billion across the sector. During the year, 248 million tickets […]
Swiss government rejects plan for universal public service
Currently, Switzerland’s system of compulsory public service is focused on the military and applies only to men. A vote aimed at shifting to a universal system compulsory for everyone, met with resistance from the federal government this week, reported SRF. The Federal Council said it was opposed to the idea and offered no counter proposal. […]
Switzerland shocked by antisemitic attack
On the evening of 2 March 2024, a 15-year-old naturalised Tunisian boy attacked a 50 year old Orthodox Jewish man with a knife outside a busy bar in Zurich, reported SRF. The man was seriously injured but is now recovering. However, the incident has shaken the public and politicians across the country. Swiss officials have […]
Child welfare set to be cut to help pension funding
This week, Switzerland’s parliament voted to eliminate child support payments paid to pensioners, reported SRF. In Switzerland, parents typically receive payments for every child that is at school or in higher education up to a maximum age of 25. For most, the payments are connected with employment and funded out of the social security taxes […]
Church tax – should Swiss companies be forced to pay?
Individuals can opt out of church tax in most cantons. But companies rarely can, despite many having no connection with a church or a religion. The topic has been a hot political subject for a long time in Switzerland and came back under the spotlight this week when the canton of Bern discussed making it […]
Swiss vote results on higher pensions and later retirement
On 3 March 2024, Swiss voters voted on two federal initiatives on state pensions. The first asked voters whether to increase pensions by a 1/12th (8.3%), while the second asked if the official retirement age should rise slowly in line with life expectancy. With the votes in, the proposal to increase pensions by 8.3% (1/12th), known as […]
After years debate, federal government drops voting age of 16
This week, Switzerland’s federal government reached a dead end on reducing the voting age to 16. It is unlikely the idea will be discussed again for a while, reported SRF. After years if discussion, federal parliament rejected the idea. The left favoured it – younger people are more likely to lean left, while those on […]
