On 15 December 2023, Switzerland’s Federal Council approved a draft negotiating mandate with the EU. Negotiations should begin as soon as the EU and Swiss government definitively approve the mandate, reported SRF. The draft mandate is the result of around 70 meetings between Switzerland and the EU at various levels.The document creates the conditions required […]
Swiss central bank leaves interest rate unchanged
On 14 December 2023, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) said it was ending its interest rate tightening cycle after a clear slowdown in inflation. With inflation rising more slowly than the central bank’s 2% ceiling (it was 1.4% in November 2023), the SNB left its key interest rate at 1.75% for a second consecutive meeting. […]
Swiss car insurance to rise 15% in 2024
With all of the price hikes in Switzerland it is difficult to believe inflation is running at around 2% (it was 1.4% in November 2023). Health insurance premiums in 2024 are on average 8.7% higher than they were in 2023. Now Swiss car insurance is set to get more costly. The insurance advisor VZ predicts […]
Iranian president cancels Geneva trip after arrest petition
Three Iranians living in Switzerland requested the arrest of Ebrahim Raïssi, Iran’s president who was scheduled to visit Geneva on Wednesday, reported RTS. Raïssi later cancelled his visit, reported the newspaper Le Temps. Three Iranians, supported by more than 300 petitioners, requested the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) arrest the president while […]
Switzerland’s cabinet changes at a glance
This week, votes were cast to reshape Switzerland’s cabinet, known as the Federal Council. The high profile Alain Berset, minister of health during the Covid-19 pandemic, was replaced and a new chancellor was elected, reported SRF. Beat Jans, Basel-Stadt Socialist Party district president Beat Jans will succeed Alain Berset and Viola Amherd will be Federal […]
Swiss Rail launches a new pass
The previously announced half price plus rail pass, which has some of the features of an annual pass, will be available from mid-December 2023, reported Swiss Rail this week. The pass comes in three flavours: Half-Fare travelcard PLUS 1000, Half-Fare travelcard PLUS 2000 and Half-Fare travelcard PLUS 3000. They all work the same. You essentially […]
Swiss inflation down in November
After rising in October 2023, Swiss inflation dipped in November by 0.2 percentage points to bring annual inflation to 1.4%, reported Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) this week. November’s fall brings the rate 0.6 percentage points below the Swiss National Bank’s (SNB) preferred maximum of 2% – the SNB equates price stability with a rise […]
The high cost of training Swiss doctors
Switzerland has a shortage of doctors. Training more is one way the government hopes to alleviate the problem. However, the high cost of training and the high level of staff turnover are formidable head winds. In Switzerland, becoming a doctor requires six years of study. At an average annual cost of CHF 120,000, the total […]
Swiss widows pensions to be cut to remove discrimination
The rules around state pensions for widows and widowers are significantly different, something deemed discriminatory by a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2022. To remove the discrimination, the federal government plans to cut pensions for widows to bring them into line with those for widowers. Currently, women get a lifelong […]
Switzerland’s birth rate – from baby boom to bust
Before the pandemic, the number of births in Switzerland was falling. Then the number shot up as the pandemic waned. Between 2020 and 2021 the birthrate rose by 4%. However, in 2022, the rate fell by nearly 10%, according to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO). In 2022, the birth rate was lower than it has […]
