Switzerland’s Federal Council has said it would consider a nationwide ban on so-called conversion practices aimed at changing or suppressing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, reported RTS. In a new report, the government said it firmly rejects such practices, which it said can cause considerable harm. Although it considers existing legal protections broadly […]
Zurich parliament backs headscarf ban in public schools
Zurich’s cantonal parliament has backed a proposal to ban headscarves in public schools and kindergartens, instructing the cantonal government to draft legislation, reported SRF. The motion, proposed by the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), passed on Monday by 87 votes to 82, with six abstentions. It would prohibit female pupils and teachers from wearing religious head […]
Swiss shift strongly in favour of air conditioning
A hot summer has shifted attitudes towards cooling. Swiss voters also favour stronger protections for workers and pupils when temperatures soar. Air conditioning remains uncommon in Switzerland. Only about one household in ten has it. But that may be changing.A survey by Leewas for 20 Minuten and Tamedia, conducted after the hot summer of 2026, […]
Swiss government unlocks 70m to help farmers and forest owners with drought damage
Switzerland’s government is stepping up support for forestry and agriculture, two sectors hit particularly hard by drought and extreme heat. On Wednesday the Federal Council approved CHF 17.5m for forests and CHF 54m for farms. Switzerland is enduring an exceptional drought. Never before has the country recorded so little rainfall by mid-August, Albert Rösti, the […]
Swiss court rules citizenship can be revoked despite statelessness risk
Revoking Swiss citizenship requires compelling grounds. Support for terrorism can provide them. Switzerland’s Federal Administrative Court has now upheld denaturalisation in an unusual case, reported SRF. The case concerns a 36-year-old man who was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina and became a naturalised Swiss citizen as a child. Five years ago a French court sentenced […]
Swiss activists billed 90,000 francs for police costs
Police in Basel are billing two activists CHF 90,000 for the cost of an operation to remove them from a former chemical site in Klybeck in Basel, reported SRF. The eviction in early July attracted attention beyond Basel. Two activists, a man and a woman, remained on the edge of the roof of a high-rise […]
Swiss exporters set for major tariff breakthrough in China
Switzerland and China have concluded negotiations on an upgraded trade agreement that would remove tariffs on almost all Swiss exports to China. Guy Parmelin, Switzerland’s economy minister, and Wang Wentao, his Chinese counterpart, announced the deal on Thursday. Under the revised agreement, 99.8% of current Swiss exports to China would eventually be exempt from customs […]
Swiss government committee calls for an immigration tax on EU workers
A committee of Switzerland’s Council of States wants to introduce an immigration levy on workers from the European Union if migration rises sharply after the Bilateral Agreements III enter into force, reported RTS. Andrea Caroni, a member of the Council of States, says the measure could be used only after the Federal Council had successfully […]
Swiss unions want a 2% pay rise. Employers are unconvinced
With inflation running at just 0.4%, the battle over wages in 2027 may be as much about productivity growth as lost purchasing power. In any case Switzerland’s wage negotiations for 2027 are shaping up to be contentious. Travail.Suisse, a trade-union federation, is demanding an across-the-board pay rise of 2%. The Swiss Employers’ Association, by contrast, […]
Federal government sets new rules on 30km/h zones
At parliament’s request, the Federal Council said on Wednesday that, from October 1st, municipalities wishing to lower the limit on main roads will have to show that the change will not divert traffic into residential neighbourhoods, reported RTS. An expert assessment will be required to demonstrate that the lower limit is unlikely to cause undesirable […]
