Switzerland’s government is considering forcing cantons to keep teaching a second national language in primary schools. The Federal Council said on September 19th that it would draft a law to that effect, though the rule would bite only if the 2004 compromise on language teaching were abandoned. Some German-speaking cantons have moved French from the […]
Swiss largesse endures in 2024
The Swiss gave generously again in 2024. Citizens donated CHF 2.25 billion, according to Zewo, a foundation that monitors charities. Contributions have now topped the CHF 2 billion mark for five years running—twice the level of two decades ago. Giving habits are shifting. Donations made by post or bank transfer averaged CHF 198 each, compared […]
Swiss government sets out ambitious spending cuts
Switzerland’s federal government must save CHF 2.4 billion in 2027 and CHF 3 billion in both 2028 and 2029. On Friday the Federal Council sent its austerity plan to parliament, reported RTS. The Council of States will debate it in the winter session; the National Council will follow in the spring. The country’s public finances […]
Swiss opposed to blanket 30 km/h zones in urban areas
Most Swiss are not keen on blanket 30km/h limits in urban areas. A new poll by YouGov, commissioned by the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS), finds that nearly two-thirds of respondents oppose extending the lower limit to all urban roads. Three-quarters favour the current mixed regime: 50km/h as the rule, with 30km/h zones applied case by […]
How much is your electricity price changing next year?
Swiss households on average will pay a little less for electricity next year—but the relief will be uneven. Average tariffs will fall by 4% in 2026, after a 10% drop this year, according to ElCom, the federal electricity regulator. For a household using 4,500kWh annually, that means a saving of around CHF 58. Beneath the […]
VAT not salary tax to fund higher pensions
This week, Switzerland’s lower house has narrowly backed a temporary VAT rise to finance the country’s new 13th month of state pension, reported SRF. Wage contributions are off the table and the National Council, Switzerland’s parliament, agreed only to lift VAT by 0.7 percentage points until the end of 2030. That vote puts an end […]
Switzerland to make it easier to adopt stepchildren
Switzerland’s government wants to make it simpler for step-parents to adopt. Under a draft law approved by the Federal Council, couples who have raised a child together since birth would no longer need to undergo a one-year foster-care period before adoption. The reform, which amends the Civil Code, stems from the introduction of “marriage for […]
Switzerland’s housing squeeze tightens as vacancy rate hits 1%
Finding a home in Switzerland is getting harder. For the fifth year in a row the share of vacant flats has fallen, slipping to 1%. In other words, 99% of the country’s housing stock is now occupied. The broad region with the most acute crunch is Vaud and Geneva, but shortages are country wide. According […]
Swiss upper house says no to daycare initiative
Switzerland’s Council of States has rejected a popular initiative on subsidised childcare but endorsed a watered-down alternative, reported SRF. The initiative, backed by the Social Democrats, Greens, Centre Party, Green Liberals and trade unions, would entitle every child from the age of three months until the end of primary school to supplementary childcare. Parents’ contributions […]
Swiss health declining, with poor sleep a leading problem
Fewer Swiss now say they are in good health. Only one in ten describe themselves as feeling very healthy, down from one in five when the insurer CSS began surveying well being in 2020. The decline is steepest among the young. Nearly half of those aged 18 to 35 report poor sleep, alongside exhaustion, loneliness […]
