It is often said that Switzerland has 26 cantons. However, technically it has 20 full and 6 half cantons. Basel-City is one of Switzerland’s half cantons. This means it only gets one seat in the Council of States, Switzerland’s federal upper house, compared to the two each full canton gets. Some cantonal politicians in Basel-City […]
Swiss military finds unexpected billion franc hole in budget
Recently revealed financial difficulties at Switzerland’s military came out of the blue this week, reported RTS. Army head Thomas Süssli and defence minister Viola Amherd are in regular contact about the army’s finances, so politicians across the political spectrum were surprised by the size of hole in the budget. Some said they knew there was […]
High Swiss rent – little support for rent controls
Rents have risen significantly in Switzerland, something potentially affecting the 61% of the population living in rented accommodation. A survey by Deloitte places rent control at the bottom of a list of solutions. The survey, which questioned 1,900 people across Switzerland, found rent controls to be the least preferred solution to dealing with rising rents […]
Swiss cabinet supports allowing double-barrelled surnames
Switzerland’s Federal Council supports the reintroduction of double-barrelled surnames for spouses and children, reported RTS. Double-barrelled names were abolished in Switzerland in 2013. Although many still use double surnames in Switzerland, they cannot be used on official documents such as passports or other identification documents. Questions surrounding surname syntax are surprisingly political in Switzerland. Double […]
Swiss government announces first spending cuts
Like many governments, Switzerland’s federal government is spending more than it collects in taxes and other revenues. However, a constitutional mechanism known as the debt brake limits how much the government can overspend. This means, in the absence of significant economic growth or higher tax rates, the government must cut spending. This week it outlined […]
Switzerland’s disappearing municipalities
By 1 January 2024, Switzerland had 2,131 municipalities (communes/Gemeinde), 162 fewer (-7%) than 10 years ago, reported RTS. With an average of around 4,000 residents per municipality, Switzerland still has a significant number of them. England, with a population of 57 million, has only 318 municipalities (mainly councils), which comes out at an average of […]
Swiss government victim of pro-Russian cyber attack
On 17 January 2024, several federal government websites were temporarily down after a cyber attack, reported RTS. The attack was claimed by the pro-Russian group ‘NoName’ and linked to the presence of Volodymyr Zelensky at the World Economic Forum in Davos. According to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) the group launched a DDoS attack. […]
Two very different votes on Swiss pensions set for March
This week, the referendum roster was announced for 3 March 2023. There will two votes on Switzerland’s state pension system. One aims to tackle the impending funding crisis by extending the retirement age, and the other aims to alleviate old age poverty by increasing payments without a plan to pay for it. The first would […]
Swiss to vote on whether to stop motorway expansion
Motorways across much of Switzerland are clogged at peak times. Recently, the federal government agreed to expand key trunk routes to six lanes. In response, members of the Green Party (and others) started organising a vote against spending CHF 5.3 billion on wider roads. This week, they reached the required number of signatures to call […]
New Swiss rape laws to start on 1 July
On 10 January 2024, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced that new laws on consent will come into force on 1 July 2024, reported RTS. The date reflects delays needed to prepare for the new rules agreed with Switzerland’s cantons. From 1 July, the principle “no means no” will apply to sex. Rape or sexual assault will […]
