Author: switzerlandtimes.ch

With four federal proposals heading to a vote on March 8th, opinion polls suggest one contest remains finely balanced, while voters appear to have made up their minds on the other three. According to a mid-January survey commissioned by SRG, the initiative targeting the public broadcaster is deadlocked. By contrast, individual taxation commands broad support, the climate fund looks headed for defeat, and the cash initiative will hinge on a tie-breaker. The most uncertain contest concerns the so-called SRG initiative, which proposes cutting the household media fee, which effectively all households must pay, to CHF 200 and abolishing it altogether…

Internal migration across Switzerland’s linguistic borders sometimes tests local integration. In the canton of Fribourg, growing numbers of French-speakers are settling in German-speaking municipalities, drawn by cheaper housing and proximity to the canton’s capital. The shift is quietly reshaping local administration, schools and civic life, reports SRF. In villages such as Giffers and Tentlingen, construction has boomed in recent years. Many newcomers come from the French-speaking part of the canton. Municipal offices have adapted pragmatically: in Tentlingen, around half of staff speak French. Requests for documents in French are increasingly common, though the authorities insist the commune remains German-speaking. Confusion…

Switzerland’s largest party, the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), wants to curb the number of pupils in primary school classes who do not speak the language of instruction, arguing that rising immigration is undermining primary education, reported SRF. Meeting in Näfels in the canton of Glarus, party delegates approved a set of demands billed as an effort to save primary school. According to the UDC/SVP, schools are increasingly failing to teach basic skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic. Benjamin Fischer, a member of the National Council, said teaching becomes difficult when a fifth of pupils in a class speak a…

Swiss exports hit a new high in 2025, buoyed by strong demand for chemicals and pharmaceuticals, despite a tariff dispute with the United States under Donald Trump. Exports rose by 1.4% to CHF 287bn, according to the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security. Shipments to the United States increased by 3.9% to CHF 54.7bn, even as imports from America fell by 5.7% to CHF 13.3bn. Exports to the US were 19% of the total. Imports overall climbed by 4.5% to CHF 232.7bn, the second-highest level on record. As a result, Switzerland’s trade surplus narrowed to CHF 54.3bn, down from…

Switzerland’s government plans to raise value-added tax (VAT) temporarily to finance a substantial increase in military and security spending. The Federal Council wants to raise an additional CHF 31bn over ten years through a 0.8-percentage-point increase in VAT. A detailed proposal is due in March. According to the defence minister, Switzerland is ill-prepared for an international conflict and could itself become a target. Only about one-third of the armed forces is currently adequately equipped to defend the country. Although defence spending is set to rise to 1% of GDP by 2032, the government concedes that this will not be enough…

Switzerland’s state railway, Swiss Federal Railways, reported its best punctuality on record in 2025, with only 1 in 17 trains (5.9%) arriving late, down from 6.8% in 2024. In 2025, an average Swiss train commuter making the daily trip to and from work would have arrived late only 28 times across the year. Overall, 94.1% of Swiss passenger trains running on the federal network arrived on time. That was an improvement of 0.9 percentage points on the previous year. The company said the most punctual day in its history came on December 28th, when 98.6% of services reached their destination…

Drivers using Swiss motorways have until January 31st to buy the motorway vignette for 2026. But the Swiss authorities are urging caution: reports of fraud linked to the electronic version have risen sharply in recent weeks. Unofficial websites are charging inflated prices, sometimes bundling the purchase with hidden subscriptions. Some unwittingly buy a vignette from a non-official site, paying more than the official price of 40 francs. The surcharge might be up to 10 francs more and might come with a sneaky annual auto renewal. Cancellation is typically difficult. Because these sites are not directly issuing the vignette, they need…

The campaign in favour of the initiative has been formally launched. The organisers’ central argument is cost. The proposal, which would cut Switzerland’s radio and television licence fee from CHF 355 per household to CHF 200 a year, will be put to a vote on March 8th. Consumers must be relieved of the financial burden, said Thomas Matter, a National Councillor from the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) and one of the initiative’s leading proponents. He argued that reducing what he called the world’s highest broadcasting fee was justified at a time when households are struggling with rising rents and health-insurance…

In the last decade, finance has not only experienced typical shifts, it has transformed at a pace that would’ve seemed impossible at the start of the century. Central to this change as of late has been artificial intelligence (AI). While applications of the technology continue to evolve and its potential seemingly growing by the minute, AI has already significantly changed the way banks operate, innovate, and serve customers. While many traditional players have finally begun integrating AI to their operations, a select few like Black Banx have long been making the most of what AI has to offer, and…

Tempers are flaring in Bern over how to implement Switzerland’s initiative on nursing care, reported RTS this week. Following a successful vote (approved by 61% of voters) in 2021 to improve life for nurses, Switzerland’s federal government has put forward a package of measures aimed at improving nurses’ working conditions, including shorter hours and better compensation for work on public holidays. But a committee of the National Council has branded the proposals too expensive and wants to water them down. The left accuses the centre-right majority of disregarding the mandate handed down by voters. The text adopted from the vote…