Switzerland’s push to meet its climate targets is colliding with a severe housing shortage. In French-speaking regions, large-scale evictions linked to energy renovations are becoming more common, leaving hundreds of tenants scrambling for new homes, … [Read more...]
News and Features
Swiss government waters down nursing reforms
Switzerland’s lower house has watered down plans to improve working conditions for nurses, despite a looming staff shortage. Meeting in special session, the Swiss National Council diluted several elements of a government reform tied to the … [Read more...]
How too many livestock keep Switzerland from feeding itself
Switzerland could produce far more of its own food while cutting environmental damage, according to a study published late last year, which argues that eliminating inefficiencies in the food system—especially feed production and waste—would sharply … [Read more...]
New EU employment rules could be costly for Switzerland
A planned overhaul of unemployment rules for cross-border workers in the European Union could prove costly for Switzerland. Ambassadors from EU member states have backed a change that would shift responsibility for unemployment benefits from a … [Read more...]
A new proposal to make it easier to become Swiss reaches parliament
A proposal to ease Switzerland’s naturalisation rules has reached the Swiss National Council, Switzerland's parliament. The so-called Democracy Initiative has already cleared the first hurdle. Backers gathered 104,782 valid … [Read more...]
Guides
Setting up a business in Switzerland – a guide
Brought to you by Winbiz online accounting for Swiss businesses. So you have decided to start a business. You have a business plan and are ready to get started. Before you launch you need a name and possibly a company. Broadly there are two options … [Read More...]
15 things you should know about Swiss health insurance
It's health insurance season. Average premiums are increasing in 2018. Compulsory basic Swiss health insurance can generally only be changed once a year. To change you must notify your current provider by 30 November. This article explains the basics … [Read More...]
Activities
How Switzerland’s best river swim became a summertime commute
Most people float down the Aare River in Bern just for fun. For Evelyn Schneider-Reyes, it was her summertime commute home. “I only had like 30 seconds walking from my office to the river,” she recalls. “I had an ‘Aare Bag’, where I put all my … [Read more...]
Halloween in Switzerland in 2024
Many expats, particularly north Americans, may be surprised to discover that Halloween is not a big event in Switzerland. But it is catching on. Long before Halloween existed, a Gaelic festival known as Samhain marked the end of the harvest … [Read more...]
Vaud’s vineyard touring and wine tasting season is fast approaching
The wine tasting season is approaching in Vaud, the Swiss canton stretching around the shores of Lake Geneva. With its six distinctive wine growing regions and eight appellations, Vaud is Switzerland’s second largest wine producing region. … [Read more...]
