Switzerland’s federal government is aiming to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 by making a series of changes to the way it operates. It plans to reduce air travel emissions by making greater use of trains rather than planes for short to medium distance travel in Europe, and it plans to fly […]
Chinese spy suspect to remain in detention in Switzerland
Switzerland’s federal criminal court has refused a request to liberate a Chinese researcher wanted in the US for suspected spying, according to 20 Minutes. The release request was made by the Chinese researcher who is living in Switzerland and accused of corporate espionage in the US against the drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The US embassy […]
Swiss upper house in favour of two weeks paternity leave
Recently, the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, voted 26 to 16 in favour of two weeks of paternity leave following the birth of a child, according to 20 Minutes. At the same time, the Council of States rejected the idea of four weeks of paternity leave by 29 to 14. Paternity leave has become […]
Swiss parliament insists EU deal return to negotiating table
As the 30 June 2019 expiry date for Swiss-EU stock market equivalence approaches, the National Council, Switzerland’s parliament, has given a clear mandate to extend negotiations over the nation’s relationship with the EU. The negotiations, which began in 2014, are centred on the Framework Agreement, an arrangement designed to replace the patchwork of deals Switzerland […]
Switzerland’s upper house wants incentives for people who work beyond 65
The gap between Switzerland’s official retirement age – 65 for men and 64 for women – and average life expectancy is long. Life expectancy at 65 is 20 years for men (85) and 23 for women (88). More and more people are questioning the viability of living for two decades or more without working, particularly […]
Parliament votes against stripping serious criminals of Swiss nationality
Last week, a majority of the National Council, Switzerland’s parliament, voted against stripping serious criminals of Swiss nationality, according to Le Matin. A motion to take Swiss citizenship away from those who have committed serious crimes and who have more than one nationality, was put forward by Lorenzo Quadri, a member of the Lega party […]
Swiss-EU friction rises in lead up to expiry of stock market equivalence
In 2018, Switzerland and the EU struck a deal to extend Swiss stock market equivalence until 30 June 2019, a date fast approaching. Stock market equivalence makes a trade on the Swiss stock exchange equivalent to a trade on an exchange in an EU country. This allows trades to be pooled across countries, something that supports […]
Violence and harassment against women remains high in Switzerland
In developed nations like Switzerland much progress has been made on women’s rights. However, violence and harassment against women remains high and is one of the reasons why women are striking on 14 June 2019. According to a survey by Amnesty International, 22% of women 16 or over in Switzerland have been subjected to non-consensual […]
Swiss People’s Party provokes left on immigration climate impact
In a newly launched campaign, the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) is calling parties on the left climate devils (“klimateufel”) for their stance on immigration. It argues that more immigration leads to greater strain on the environment, citing more cars, higher electricity consumption and more construction. The UDC, a party with a focus on controlling immigration, […]
60,000 imprisoned in Switzerland with no criminal trial
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, often for years at a time, in this way according to a recent estimate published by RTS. Referred to as a kind of compulsory welfare, people, including men, […]
