Author: switzerlandtimes.ch

Swiss voters will decide on five federal proposals on February 28th 2027, including lifting the ban on building nuclear power plants and approving a free-trade agreement with Malaysia. The Federal Council confirmed the list on Wednesday for the first of just two federal voting days scheduled for the election year. The other measures are the foie gras initiative, the democracy initiative and a proposal to allow wage floors below cantonal minimum wages to be made universally binding. Further contentious measures could follow on June 6th. Eight popular initiatives are pending in parliament, and opponents of the free-trade agreement with Mercosur…

About a quarter of single-parent households in 20 Swiss cities received social assistance in 2023. They were almost five times as likely to receive it as households overall. Children in single-parent families accounted for 59% of minors receiving assistance, up from 52% in 2010. Women headed about 93% of single-parent households on welfare. Foreign nationals headed about 64% of single-parent households receiving assistance, up from 53% in 2011. Work does not always offer a route out. In 2023, an average of 41% of single parents receiving assistance were employed, up from 36% in 2011. They were much more likely to…

Financial pressure and the failings of decentralisation have prompted an overhaul. Members will have the final say. Migros is rethinking its structure as financial pressures mount. Its ten regional co-operatives face stiff competition, uneven fortunes and questions about their governance. Last year the Zurich co-operative lost CHF 180m. Its troubled expansion into Germany helps explain why. An expensive German venture In 2013 Migros Zurich bought Tegut, a German organic supermarket chain. The investment has cost it several hundred million francs, and the business is now being sold. It is another failed foreign venture for the Zurich co-operative—and an example of…

Low water levels on the Rhine have strained supplies, prompting the government to draw on compulsory reserves. Switzerland is considering an 80km/h speed limit on motorways to save fuel, reported SRF. The effects of war in the Middle East and persistently low water levels on the Rhine have put fuel supplies under pressure. Petrol and heating oil normally reach Switzerland by barge from Rotterdam through Basel. Low water has severely restricted these shipments. Other routes remain open. Crude oil from America arrives by sea at Marseille, then travels by pipeline to the Cressier refinery in the canton of Neuchâtel. Rail…

Swiss Federal Railways recorded 97 cases of track distortion and buckling during the summer heatwave in 2026, according to a specialist team. The company confirmed the figure reported by the SonntagsZeitung, a Sunday newspaper. According to the paper, the total was almost four times that of the previous year. SBB said the increase in track distortion and subsidence had not affected safety. Patrick Braess, an expert at ETH Zurich, nevertheless warned in the newspaper of the risk of heat-related derailments. A task force to tackle the heat SBB regularly inspects its tracks using measuring and diagnostic vehicles. Following the exceptional…

Swiss voters are divided over a proposed increase in value-added tax (VAT) to fund an extra annual state-pension payment, according to the first representative SRG poll. The survey, conducted by gfs.bern from 5 to 18 October and published this week, found that 49% of eligible voters opposed the proposal and 46% supported it, with 5% undecided. The gap falls within the poll’s margin of error. Two years ago, voters approved a 13th annual payment under Switzerland’s old-age and survivors’ insurance scheme, known as AHV. The Federal Council and parliament now propose raising VAT by 0.4 percentage points to pay for…

Zurich’s city council will introduce new residents’ parking permits in January 2027, raising the cost of parking in blue zones, reported SRF. Concessions for tradespeople remain blocked by a legal dispute. Zurich residents will face higher costs. Under the “Biel model”, they must first use parking spaces attached to their buildings, which are considerably more expensive. They will qualify for an annual blue-zone permit only when those spaces are occupied. Higher charges for heavier cars Residents’ permits previously cost CHF 300 francs a year. Under the new system, even the cheapest are expected to cost more than CHF 50. Charges…

Snow returned to the Swiss Alps on Wednesday after an unusually warm and dry start to autumn, closing several mountain passes. More is forecast this weekend, with up to 25cm expected between the Dents du Midi and the Mont Blanc massif. Webcam images showed peaks including the Matterhorn and the Dents du Midi covered in snow. The change follows a summer heatwave that melted many of the remaining snowfields. Alpine passes close The Furka (2,429 metres), Gotthard (2,108 metres), Nufenen (2,478 metres), Grimsel (2,164 metres), San Bernardino (2,065 metres), Sanetsch (2,252 metres) and Susten (2,234 metres) passes are closed until…

Switzerland is becoming more politically polarised. The latest SRG election barometer shows support rising for parties on the left and right as the centre shrinks. It also reveals marked differences between men and women. The Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) would win 29.9% of the vote if an election were held now, up two percentage points from its 2023 election result. At the opposite pole, the Socialist Party (SP) and the Greens form a closely aligned left-wing bloc. The SP is polling at 19.3%, up one point, and the Greens at 10.3%, up half a point. Support for parties in the…

Switzerland’s busy voting calendar continues. On 27 September, voters rejected initiatives on food production and neutrality. The next round is already on the horizon: on 29 November 2026, they will decide four federal proposals covering pension funding, fireworks restrictions, taxation of married couples and arms exports. Pension funding: raise VAT The proposal would raise value-added tax by 0.4 percentage points, no earlier than 2028, to help pay for the 13th annual state pension. The reduced rate on essentials such as food and medicines would stay unchanged. The increase would bring in about CHF 1.4bn a year, meeting part of the…