Switzerland’s parliament has re-elected Social Democrat, Simonetta Sommaruga (54) to the Federal Council to become the new President of Switzerland. She received 181 votes (well over 80%) in Wednesday’s parliamentary vote in Bern. She replaces Didier Burkhalter, the Foreign Minister. Sommaruga was first elected to the seven-strong cabinet in 2010 where she took over the […]
Switzerland’s initiatives: Too much democracy?
Взять онлайн займ на карту. The overwhelming vote on 30 November against even more limited immigration (Ecopop); an end to special tax rates for wealthy foreigners and minimal gold reserves enabled the Federal Council in Bern, which had opposed all three initiatives, to sigh with relief. What the government did not need were more obstacles […]
Surprising consensus on Ecopop’s destructively negative consequences
UBS, Switzerland’s leading bank, says that it is proving difficult to determine the precise impact anti-migration initiatives could have both on the economy and the country’s relations with the European Union. Nevertheless, the bank did not mince words by stating that not only was the 9 February vote to restrict mass immigration from the EU […]
Switzerland’s Ecopop: Environmental sustainability in wolf’s clothing
GENEVA The proposed Ecopop referendum on 30 November ostensibly claims to be an effort to limit Switzerland’s rising population and to preserve its natural resources by restricting foreign immigration to 0.2 per cent a year over three years. Backed by a bizarre mix of individual greens, socialists and right-wingers, it also seeks to appeal to […]
Millionaire exodus after tax vote?
GENEVA Next 30 November, the Swiss will vote both on a federal and cantonal basis whether their country should continue to provide special tax privileges to foreign millionaires. The arrangement allows wealthy expatriates to declare a fiscal ‘forfait’ (tax package) based on their lifestyles and not the actual amount of their fortunes. On average, their […]
International Olympic Committee and FIFA attacked at UN General Assembly
UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai today called on international sports bodies, including FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to respect universally recognized human rights at their events, especially the right to peaceful assembly. Maina Kiai condemned “private multilateral bodies” and singled out Switzerland-based IOC and FIFA in a speech to the UN General Assembly. […]
Swiss environmental group, Ecopop calls for birth control boost
On 30 November, Switzerland’s voters will decide whether to pass a controversial amendment put forth by Ecopop, a group of Swiss environmentalists. The initiative calls for boosting birth control in developing countries as a way to curb immigration, which according to the group shouldn’t exceed 0.2 per cent of the Swiss population over three years. […]
The ICRC – Doing the impossible
Earlier this month, Laurent DuPasquier, a 38-year-old Swiss national, was killed when a cluster bomb landed near the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the Ukranian town of Donetsk. DuPasquier had been working for the Geneva-based humanitarian organization for more than five years in Pakistan, Yemen, Haiti, Egypt and Papua New Guinea. For […]
The Snowden effect: Switzerland’s cyber security business
Could NSA leaker Edward Snowden find refuge in Switzerland? It is a notion that has been seriously discussed in Swiss political circles recently. Snowden does not qualify for political asylum, as he is not under immediate threat in Russia. But he could be granted legal immunity and invited to testify as a material witness if […]
Swiss language row continues
A recent poll shows a majority of Switzerland’s politicians want cantons to be required to teach a second Swiss language at primary school, reported swissinfo. Two thirds of the 246 politicians surveyed said national cohesion could be threatened. The canton’s of Thurgau and Nidwalden recently changed the rules to delay French until secondary school and […]
