The US Treasury recently added Switzerland to its “monitoring list”. Those on the list are trading partners whose currency practices merit close attention. The list includes: China, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland, and Vietnam. It is no secret that the Swiss National Bank (SNB) has been actively trying to weaken the Swiss […]
Trump to attend World Economic Forum in Davos
US President Donald Trump plans to attend the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos this month, according to a White House press release. The press release said a Presidential Delegation will attend the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, from January 20 to January 24, 2020. The delegation will be led by Steven […]
Switzerland’s new president for 2020
In Switzerland, the position of president is ceremonial. Switzerland’s executive is led jointly by all seven members of the Federal Council, known as les sept sages (the seven wise ones) by French speakers. Every year, the government issues a photo of the Federal Council. This year the photo (below) presents the executive as a group […]
Swiss parliament approves new 6 billion franc fighter jet purchase
Before Christmas, Switzerland’s parliament approved the purchase of a new fleet of fighter jets costing CHF 6 billion, according to RTS. The plan, which aims to defend Swiss airspace beyond 2030, has now been approved by both Switzerland’s upper and lower houses. Any contract to supply the aircraft will require a foreign supplier to invest […]
New fines for single use plastic in Geneva
From 1 January 2020, single use plastic products will be banned in the city of Geneva. Offenders will risk fines of at least CHF 100. Offering free single-use plastic bags at retail checkouts will be banned across the canton from 1 January 2020. The law enacting the ban was passed earlier in 2019 by Geneva’s […]
Number on welfare in Switzerland falls for first time in 10 years
In 2018, the number of people receiving social welfare in Switzerland fell from 278,300, or 3.3% of the population, to 272,700, 3.2% of the population. The last time the number fell was in 2008 when it dropped from 3.1% (233,500) to 2.9% (222,600) of the population. The percentage of people on welfare varies significantly by […]
Swiss government to downgrade and cut number of staff flights to reduce emissions
Switzerland’s Federal Council recently announced it aims to cut its flight emissions by 30% between now and 2030. Journeys of less than six hours will be taken by train rather than plane. In addition, staff will be required to fly in economy class rather than business class for journeys of less than 9 hours. Choosing […]
No Federal Council seat for Switzerland’s Green Party
Switzerland’s recent federal elections delivered a shift towards parties promising to deliver environmental change. The left leaning Green Party increased its seats in the National Council, Switzerland’s federal parliament from 11 (5.5%) to 28 (14%), and the Green Liberal Party’s seat count rose from 7 (3.5%) to 16 (8%). Historically, the political make up of […]
Swiss government rejects anti-tobacco advertising initiative
Tobacco is big business. The industry is expected to generate almost US$ 700 billion globally by 2021. This scale makes the industry a formidable foe for those hoping to spare people the damaging health effects of tobacco addiction. In 2018, a group in Switzerland launched an initiative to ban tobacco advertising targeted at young people. […]
Compensating victims of Switzerland’s administrative detention ahead of schedule
Up until 1981, the Swiss authorities imprisoned thousands of people who were not tried for any crime, under a procedure known as administrative detention. 60,000 were imprisoned in this way, often for years at a time, according to an estimate published by RTS. Referred to as a kind of compulsory welfare, people, including men, women […]
