A report published on 4 May 2023 cites land scarcity as the main reason behind Switzerland’s housing shortage. In the 20 years between 2001 and 2021 Switzerland’s population grew from 7.3 to 8.7 million, a rise of 1.4 million residents or 19%. And with annual net immigration of around 50,000, building enough homes to house […]
Parliament rejects use of Swiss-German for official debates
This week, parliament rejected a motion put forward by Lukas Reimann, a member of the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) from St. Gallen, to allow the use of Swiss-German in official federal political debates, reported RTS. Switzerland has four national languages, however, many Swiss tend to fluently speak only one of them, although among federal politicians […]
New fines for littering accepted by Swiss parliament
This week, Switzerland’s federal parliament voted in favour of fining those who litter or leave household refuse on public streets or walkways, something sometimes seen in Switzerland’s cities. With 136 votes to 50 Switzerland’s parliament would like to introduce fines as high as CHF 300 for anyone leaving litter in public areas. The fines are […]
Swiss inflation flat in April
Data published this week by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) show no monthly inflation in April 2023. No inflation in April shifted annual inflation from 2.9% in March to 2.6% in April 2023 as the monthly rise in prices in April 2022 fell out of the annual calculation to be replaced by zero monthly inflation […]
Swiss parliament votes in favour a new public holiday to celebrate democracy
There is a lot of democracy in Switzerland. In addition to national federal elections every four years citizens get to vote on a number of federal referenda four times a year. There are also cantonal elections and referenda along with voting at a municipal level. With all of this voting, an extra day off to […]
Swisscom could soon force price increases on existing customers
Switzerland’s strong currency and the widespread influence of the administration on many prices means the country has escaped much of the recent inflation afflicting many nations. But increasingly, inflation is entering the scene. This week, Swisscom announced it plans to change its general terms and conditions to make it possible to increase the price of […]
Reports of racial discrimination rise again in Switzerland
In 2022, 708 cases of racial discrimination were reported in Switzerland, 78 more than the year before and more than double the number in 2019, according to an annual report from humanrights.ch The rapid rise in the number reported events partly reflects a rising tendency among the population to respond to racism, says the report. […]
Funky Swiss Alphorn player dies at 39
Eliana Burki, considered by many to be the ambassador the Swiss Alphorn, passed away this week at the age of 39, reported RTS. Burki, who is from the canton of Solothurn, moved to Los Angeles and incorporated the iconic Swiss instrument into the funk and jazz music scene there describing her instrument as her “Funky […]
Initiative launched to add equality for disabled to Swiss constitution
According to a group representing the disabled in Switzerland, equality for all people including the disabled should be included in Switzerland’s constitution. A group of associations launched a popular initiative this week for a vote to effect this, reported RTS. To launch a referendum in Switzerland, organisers must collect 100,000 signatures within 18 months. According […]
Federal Council requests 132 million for asylum seekers
Faced with rising numbers of asylum seekers, Switzerland’s government is under pressure to invest more money to reduce the strain on the country’s overloaded refugee housing. This week, the Federal Council requested parliament approve a loan of CHF 132.9 million to cover the cost, reported RTS. Already in 2023, 27,000 asylum seekers have arrived in […]
