Launching a vote to repeal a Swiss law requires 50,000 voter signatures be collected within 100 days. A group opposed to a Swiss law allowing the issuance of voluntary Covid certificates gathered more than 187,000 signatures in 4 weeks, setting a new record, according to 20 Minutes. Collecting as many as 187,433 signatures in the […]
How the Swiss government gets paid to borrow
Normally, those who borrow must pay out more money than they are lent in the form of interest and repayments. Currently, for the Swiss government it is the other way around. Lenders are paying the Swiss federal government to give it money. On 14 July 2021, the Swiss Confederation announced the success of its latest […]
Swiss social spending up nearly 60% in 20 years
In 1999, social expenditure in Switzerland was CHF 13,370 per resident. By 2019, the same figure had reached CHF 21,300, a rise of nearly 60%. Over the same period, total inflation was around 11%. Applying inflation to CHF 13,370 brings the figure to CHF 14,480. So why has the cost risen beyond this and how […]
Swiss president warns EU against reprisal after collapsed negotiation
Last week, negotiations between Switzerland and the EU ended after failure to find agreement on key elements of a deal governing the relationship between Switzerland and the bloc. Over the weekend, Switzerland’s president Guy Parmelin defended the abrupt break in negotiations and sent a clear message to EU strategists in Brussels. Speaking to the newspaper […]
Unisex toilets find political support in Vaud
A majority of Vaud’s parliament voted in favour of looking at a proposal to exempt those providing toilets to the public from the current legal requirement to provide separate toilets for men and women, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. Under the proposal, put forward by Vassilis Venizelos of the Green Party, establishments, such as […]
Swiss government says no to EU deal
At its meeting on 26 May 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Council evaluated the results of Switzerland’s negotiations with the EU around the institutional framework agreement, an agreement aimed at replacing the country’s current patchwork of agreements with the bloc, and decided not to sign the document as it stands and communicated its decision to Brussels. The […]
Geneva to host June meeting of Biden and Putin
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 […]
