Author: switzerlandtimes.ch

The Pact on Migration and Asylum, a new EU plan to manage migration agreed upon by EU countries last year and officially endorsed by Switzerland’s executive last week, faces resistance from both the left and the right, RTS reported. The pact requires more asylum applications to be processed in the countries where migrants first arrive at the EU’s external borders. Those who do not qualify for asylum can then be directly returned to their home countries. The Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive, argues that the revised Schengen/Dublin system will reduce the number of unvetted migrants reaching Switzerland. However, some Swiss politicians…

On 1 March 2025, new laws allowing the use of self-driving cars came into force in Switzerland. The only catch is that no self-driving vehicle has been approved for use on Swiss roads, reported RTS. The new law makes it legal to use self-driving technology on specified stretches of roads specified by Switzerland’s cantons. At the same time the law requires drivers to be ready to intervene at any moment. However, the biggest problem for those keen to let their vehicles ease the burden of driving in dense traffic, is that no vehicles with the required technology have yet been…

Switzerland came second in this year’s World Digital Competitive Ranking, which ranks 67 nations across the world. The 2024 World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, produced annually by IMD, placed Singapore at the top, followed by Switzerland and Denmark. This year’s ranking is the highest for Switzerland over the eight years that the report has been published. Switzerland progressed significantly in high-tech exports (9th), e-participation (up 11 places to 27th), and cyber security (11th). Its key strengths are intellectual property rights, international experience, communications technology, knowledge transfer, and drawing highly skilled foreign personnel. In 2023, Switzerland was ranked fifth.  Switzerland typically leads the…

An analysis of 20 brands of honey sold in Switzerland found 17 were adulterated. The testing, run by SRF, involved looking at the DNA present in the products. It looked at the types of DNA present and absent in the samples, which were taken mainly from low-priced imported products. The tests, which involve identifying more than 10 million DNA sequences in the honey samples, have been criticised by retailers. Based on the tests only 3 products were deemed authentic and unadulterated. Honey DNA profiles are complex and follow distinct patterns making it easy to identify fraud. The DNA testing was…

This year’s edition of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Democracy Index is notably downbeat. It explores what’s wrong with representative democracy and why the democratic model developed over the past century is in trouble. Popular disaffection with democratic government is increasingly being expressed in an anti-incumbent backlash and rising support for populist insurgents. Some may argue that the success of populist insurgents at the expense of mainstream parties proves that representative democracy is working well. However, the scale of the backlash suggests that representative democracy has not been working satisfactorily for some time, according to the EIU. In addition, much…

To coincide with International Women’s Day on 8 March, The Economist publishes an annual study on the best places to be a working woman across the OECD. This year, Switzerland is ranked 26th out of 29 nations, the same position as last year. Only Japan, Turkey and South Korea rank lower. The main reason behind Switzerland’s poor rank is likely well known to most families where both mum and dad work: the high cost childcare. Switzerland has the highest childcare costs in the OECD. The average cost across the OECD is 14% of the average wage. In Switzerland the average…

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 season and the descent into winter darkness. Some believed it was the time when the souls of the dead roamed the earth. The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to come from an old practice of people disguising themselves as spirits and demanding rewards in exchange for good fortune. Impersonating departed souls was believed to offer protection from them. One version…

This week, a Swiss court upheld the acquittal of former FIFA president Joseph Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini on fraud charges, SRF reported. The public prosecutor had sought suspended prison sentences of one year and eight months for the two defendants over questionable payments. However, both Blatter (89) and Platini (69) were acquitted. The pair were previously cleared in 2022 after prosecutors failed to prove fraud beyond reasonable doubt. Following that verdict, the federal prosecutor appealed, seeking a retrial. The prosecution alleged that payments authorised by Blatter and made to Platini were not for actual work, as the…

Swiss citizenship is typically for life, except in rare cases where it was obtained fraudulently or if an individual with another nationality is deemed to seriously harm the interests and reputation of Switzerland and in doing so compromise the nation’s security – this happened in 2019 for the first time. However, retaining Swiss citizenship was not always as automatic as it is today, RTS reported. Until 1952, Swiss women automatically lost their citizenship upon marrying a foreign national. From 1952 to 1992, women who married foreigners could retain their Swiss nationality only if they applied to keep it within ten…

Many Swiss car insurance providers plan to substantially raise premiums this year, according to research by RTS. Some customers are already reporting hikes of around 20%. According to RTS, most insurers, including AXA, Generali, Helvetia, Postfinance, Zurich and Smile Insurance, are planning to increase their premiums. Some insurance companies justify the premium increases as necessary to cover rising repair costs. Cars have become more high tech and this is pushing up the cost of repair. Cars are covered in cameras and sensors that are costly to replace. Other insurers blame inflation. Smile Insurance said it was increasing premiums due to…