Author: switzerlandtimes.ch

The Federal Council wants to roll out roadside displays that warn drivers when their vehicles exceed recommended noise levels, reported RTS. After adopting a report on the issue on Friday, the government said such devices could help curb excessive engine noise, which it described as an avoidable nuisance that harms quality of life and can damage health. The report examined five potential implementation models and favoured screens equipped with sound-measurement devices. These would show drivers when their vehicles exceed a noise threshold and issue an alert—such as a prompt to slow down. Other variants were discarded for legal and technical…

Switzerland’s Greens have gathered enough signatures to force a vote on a far-reaching solar initiative. On December 10th the party submitted 134,000 signatures to the Federal Chancellery—well above the 100,000 needed for a popular initiative. It is the first time in a decade the party has raised the necessary support on its own. The proposal, formally titled “For a secure supply of renewable energies (Solar Initiative)”, would require almost all suitable roofs and building facades in Switzerland to be fitted with solar panels. Exceptions would apply where heritage protection or other overriding interests make installation disproportionate.Lisa Mazzone, the Greens’ president,…

Switzerland’s National Council has voted to outlaw firecrackers, backing a parliamentary counter-proposal to a popular initiative that seeks tighter limits on fireworks, reported SRF. The measure passed by 97 votes to 85. The use of fireworks and their harmful effects will be regulated under the country’s explosives law. The popular initiative, launched by animal-welfare groups, calls for broad protections for people, animals and the environment from the noise and emissions generated by fireworks. It proposes a ban on all categories of pyrotechnics, with exemptions for major supra-regional events subject to cantonal approval. That, said Regina Durrer-Knobel of the Centre party…

Parliament has approved two Liberal Democrat (PLR/FDP) motions aimed at tightening Switzerland’s asylum regime, reported RTS. The first seeks to encourage the voluntary departure of asylum seekers. The Council of States silently endorsed a National Council motion instructing the Federal Council to introduce a system of targeted incentives and clearly defined sanctions. One element would be to process the asylum claims of convicted applicants while they are serving their sentences. Ideally, says Christian Wasserfallen, the Liberal Democrat who tabled the motion, such cases should be handled within ten days, giving applicants clarity on their status upon release. Supporters argue that…

Switzerland’s parliament has pulled the plug on funding for a planned night train linking Basel with Malmö in southern Sweden, reported RTS. After the Council of States rejected the proposal, the National Council followed suit on Tuesday, striking the CHF 10m needed to launch the service from the 2026 budget. The margin was narrow: 99 votes to 92, with two abstentions. Opponents said taxpayers should not underwrite what they saw as a leisure route. Yvan Pahud of the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) argued that subsidising such a line was unacceptable, while Alex Farinelli of the Liberal Democrats (PLR/FDP) said the…

Switzerland’s parliament has voted to make it harder for dual nationals to sidestep the country’s military obligations, reported RTS. On Wednesday the National Council adopted, in amended form, a motion already approved by the upper house. It will now return to the Council of States, Switzerland’s parliament, for further consideration. The original proposal, put forward by Mauro Poggia, a Geneva lawmaker, was aimed chiefly at Franco-Swiss citizens. Under current arrangements, some are able to to attend a one-day session in France in place of Swiss military service. Parliament has gone further, however, extending the principle to all Swiss dual nationals.…

Immigrants are more successfully integrated into Switzerland’s labour market than in most other rich countries, according to a study commissioned by the State Secretariat for Migration. At 77%, the employment rate among immigrants in Switzerland is well above the OECD average across its 38 member states, which include Germany, France, Britain and the United States. That figure is all the more striking given Switzerland’s unusually high level of immigration. More than 31% of its population was born abroad—one of the highest shares in the OECD, second in Europe only to Luxembourg. Roughly three-quarters of these migrants arrived under the EU’s…

Switzerland’s government is weighing a rise in value-added tax to help fund a rapid expansion of the armed forces, reported RTS. According to the Tages-Anzeiger, the proposal—an increase of 0.5 percentage points—was floated by Martin Pfister, the defence minister, amid growing anxiety about Europe’s security and the risk of further Russian aggression. Pfister argues that Switzerland must rebuild its military capacity faster than planned. At a cabinet meeting on security last week, he reportedly warned that Russia could mount a new attack somewhere in Europe as early as 2028 or 2029. A VAT increase, he believes, could provide a stable…

A campaign to ban the Islamic headscarf from all public schools has resurfaced in Switzerland, pushing a local controversy onto the national stage. On Monday a right-leaning group linked to the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) submitted a petition in Bern bearing 12,000 signatures, reported RTS. The petition follows a heated debate that began last summer in the German-speaking part of the country. The row started in Eschenbach, a town of about 10,000 people in the canton of St Gallen. A Muslim woman seeking to teach at a local primary school was denied a post because she wore a headscarf, after…

On 30 November 2025 the Swiss electorate decisively rejected two headline proposals: a sweeping federal inheritance and gift tax for the super-rich, and a scheme to make civic service mandatory for all citizens. The inheritance-tax measure — a 50% levy on estates and gifts above CHF 50 million — was turned down by 78% of voters and failed to find a majority in any canton. The proposal to extend compulsory national service (military, civil or social) to everyone, including women, fared even worse: it was rejected by about 84% of participants, losing in every canton. Turnout for both votes was…