On 25 May 2021, the White House confirmed that presidents Biden and Putin are to meet in Geneva on 16 June 2021. The meeting comes at a time of tension between the United States and Russia. President Biden has criticised the detention of Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader, Russia’s agression towards Ukraine and interference […]
Nearly two thirds of Swiss support EU framework agreement, suggests poll
Switzerland and the EU have been working at failing to agree on a new agreement on Switzerland’s relationship with the EU for sometime now. One point of negotiating leverage used by Switzerland is that Swiss voters would reject the deal proposed by the EU in a referendum. However, a recent poll suggests that might not […]
Swiss switched to local wine during pandemic
In 2020, wine consumption is Switzerland slumped by 6%. However, consumption of locally produced wine rose 0.3%. The biggest drop was in imported white wine (-14%), followed by imported red wine (-8%). Consumption of Swiss red wine (+0.5%) rose the most followed by Swiss white wines (+0.2%). Big drivers of falling wine consumption were the […]
Swiss referendum against gay marriage passes signature hurdle
This week, Switzerland’s federal government announced that an application for an optional referendum against gay marriage had collected enough valid signatures to clear the way for a vote on the subject. On 18 December 2020, Switzerland’s upper house voted in favour of gay marriage after it was endorsed by a parliamentary majority, clearing the way […]
Minimum wage hurting young people in Swiss canton
Around three years ago, the Swiss canton of Jura introduced a minimum wage of CHF 20 an hour (US$ 21.65). Now there is political pressure relook at the move, according to RTS. A group of cantonal parliamentarians from the PDC (CVP) is pushing for a review of the situation in response to pressure from some […]
Switzerland ranks in top 10 for gender equality
In 2021, Switzerland jumped from 26th to 10th (2020) in the WEF gender equality ranking. In 2021, Switzerland scored 0.798 overall – a score of 1.000 represents parity – up from 0.7000 in 2020. Top scoring Iceland came in at 0.892. Other nations in the top 10 included Finland (0.861), Norway (0.849), New Zealand (0.840), […]
Parliamentarian wants reference to God removed from Swiss constitution
Fabian Molina, a member of Switzerland’s National Council, has put forward a motion to have the wording of the preamble to Switzerland’s constitution changed, according to 20 Minutes. Molina, a member of the young socialists from Zurich thinks the wording of the preamble to the constitution, which opens with the words “In the name of […]
Switzerland sets timetable for Covid-19 vaccination certificates
Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has announced a timetable for the roll out of certificates providing proof of vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The government is under pressure from business groups to issue Covid-19 immunity certificates as part of a strategy to get the economy back to normal. A recent letter sent to […]
Most Swiss support giving more rights to foreigners
A recent survey suggests that most Swiss support giving more rights to foreigners. A majority of Swiss (52%) surveyed either strongly (21%) or largely (31%) agree that foreigners should be granted political rights, for example the right to vote at communal or cantonal level, believing it would help with integration. The overall percentage was 5 […]
Bernese town to become part the canton of Jura
Today, a majority of voters in Moutier, a municipality in the canton of Bern voted to break away from Bern and become part of the canton of Jura, Switzerland’s newest canton, which was carved out of the canton of Bern in 1979. Voter turnout was high (89%) in Moutier today. 2,114 (55%) voters versus 1,740 […]
