This week, Switzerland announced it is introducing USB-C as a uniform charging standard from 1 January 2024. The revision was approved by the Federal Council on 22 November 2023. From 2024, consumers in Switzerland will be able to use the same charging power supply for devices from different manufacturers. The rules will apply to mobile […]
Places in Switzerland where the sun doesn’t shine (in winter)
Mountains are beautiful. But they can also leave you in the shade. Several corners of Switzerland are so well tucked away in Alpine valleys the sun does not shine on them for several months, reported SRF. In the municipality of Oberterzen in the canton of St. Gallen the sun made its final appearance on Tuesday […]
Rising Swiss health premiums reduce disposable income once more
Since 1999, the cost of health insurance has more than doubled. Basic compulsory insurance is now 2.36 times what it was in 1999, while complimentary optional insurance is up by 30%. Overall, disposable income has been reduced by 5.3% by the rising cost of insurance over the last 25 years. Six of the last 25 […]
Sharp rise in tenancy disputes in Switzerland
The number of tenancy disputes in Switzerland jumped 42% in the first half of 2023 compared to the second half of 2022, reported the government this week. Across Switzerland a total of 17,519 tenancy or lease arbitration proceedings were initiated between January and June 2023. The rising number of disputes follows rent hikes, often triggered […]
Swiss government launches plan to stop rising rents
Switzerland, where only 36% of the population own their homes, is sometimes referred to as a nation of renters. So when rents rise, as they have recently, the subject becomes political. On Wednesday, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced that it was looking for ways to temper short term rent increases. Across Switzerland, 64% of the population […]
Switzerland experimenting with 24 hour asylum decisions
To reduce the pressure on an overloaded asylum system Switzerland has started a pilot system to processes certain asylum requests within 24 hours, reported RTS. The fast-track asylum process will be tested on groups of asylum seekers with low rates of success, in particular those arriving from the North African nations of Algeria, Libya, Morocco […]
300 tonnes of new electronic goods destroyed in Switzerland annually
A study by Greenpeace estimates as much as 300 tonnes of perfectly good new electrical goods are destroyed in Switzerland each year, reported RTS. Many of the dumped goods are items that have been returned by customers. Greenpeace pointed the finger at retailers such as Digitec, Galaxus, Fust and Interdiscount, all businesses connected to Migros […]
Cross-border shopping – Swiss government intends to cut tax free allowance
This week, the newspaper Tages-Anzeiger reported that Switzerland’s federal government is working on reducing the tax free allowance granted to people returning home from a shopping trip abroad. The amount is currently CHF 300 per person per day. The government is looking at cutting this allowance to CHF 150 per person per day, according to […]
Swiss politics poorly aligned with science
A study published this week highlights a significant disconnect between Switzerland’s scientists and politicians during the Covid-19 pandemic, reported SRF. Science and politics did not work together sufficiently during the Covid-19 pandemic, wrote the authors of the NRP 78 report. The partnership between the scientific community and government institutions was not sufficiently developed to withstand […]
The head of Switzerland’s Green party resigns
In Switzerland’s recent federal election the Green Party lost significant ground, its share of votes sliding from 14% to 10%. A significant number of former Green voters voted instead for the Socialist Party, Switzerland’s other main left leaning party. Others appear to have shifted to the centre or right. The Liberal Green Party, a right leaning […]
