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THE WEEK IN SWITZERLAND

Five big news stories from Switzerland you need to know about this week

Entry visa rules for third country nationals (including the Brits), and issues to be voted on in Swiss referendums, are among the news The Local reported this week. You can catch up on everything in this weekly roundup.

Published: 12 January 2024 15:54 CET
A British passport
You won't have to give up your previous passport under new rules. Photo by Ethan Wilkinson on Unsplash

Entry visas for third-country nationals

If you are not a citizen of the European Union country, or else Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein (EFTA), you may like to work in Switzerland nevertheless.

However, in contrast to people from the EU/EFTA nations, who can come to Switzerland freely and obtain a work permit easily, you will have more obstacles and administrative procedures to overcome before being approved for a Swiss permit.

READ ALSO: How can non-EU nationals apply for a Swiss work visa? 

Key issues at stake in 2024 referendums

Voters in Switzerland will go to the polls four times in 2024.

In the first round, to be held on March 3rd, voters will weigh in on two retirement-related reforms.

One is a proposal to add an additional, 13th, monthly payout to the state old-age pension (AHV/AVS).

The other one is calling for raising the retirement age for men and women to 66, from the current 65 for men and 64 for women (the latter to go up to 65 in 2025).

READ ALSO: What the Swiss will vote on in 2024 

Swiss banks are closing some accounts — without revealing reasons for doing so

A number of banks in Switzerland have been summarily (and arbitrarily) ‘firing’ some clients — all of them in good standing — without giving them any explanation for this action.

When questioned about this practice, the financial institutions merely invoked their “contractual right” to “terminate” their relationships with existing clients, without having to justify this move.

READ ALSO: Can your Swiss bank close your account without telling you why?

British citizens can benefit from a separate Swiss permit quota

After the United Kingdom ‘Brexited’ from the EU in January 2020, UK nationals no longer have the same free access to Switzerland’s labour market as before.

However, Swiss government has set 3,500 permits especially for the Brits; there is, however, a special procedure to follow — and strict conditions to meet as well — to obtain a work permit under the quota.

READ ALSO: How UK citizens can obtain a Swiss work permit set aside for Brits

Geneva bans outdoor smoking — but to no avail

Six months after the canton had introduced a ban on smoking within nine metres of certain public places — including public transport stops — many residents have been spotted puffing away at bus and tram stations.

Authorities blame this on the delay on the part of municipalities in putting up the signs informing the public about the new rule, as well as uncertainties about how to uniformly implement the law throughout the canton.

READ ALSO: What’s happening with Geneva’s ban on outdoor smoking?

And in case you are wondering where to eat out this weekend (or any other time), this guide will let you know where to find the best food:

READ ALSO: Where are the ‘best’ restaurants in Switzerland?

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For members

THE WEEK IN SWITZERLAND

Five big news stories from Switzerland you need to know about this week

Access to Swiss citizenship and companies recruiting US executives are among the news The Local reported this week. You can catch up on everything in this weekly roundup.

Published: 24 May 2024 15:24 CEST
Five big news stories from Switzerland you need to know about this week

A woman jogger killed by a man in park near Zurich

The attack happened in Alma Park, in the quiet community of Männedorf on Lake Zurich, around 20 kilometres southeast of Switzerland’s largest city.

A 19-year-old suspect was arrested o the scene and confessed to the crime.

He and the victim, who lived in the neighbourhood, didn’t know each other and no motive for the crime has so far been established.

The police has also not revealed how exactly the woman was killed.

Swiss media reported that the killer, who is a Swiss citizen of Croatian descent, is known to have had psychological problems in the past.

READ ALSO: Jogger killed by naked man in park was 35-year-old Swiss woman 

Wealthy, educated people have better access to Swiss citizenship

A new government survey reveals that nearly two-thirds of naturalisation applications are submitted by “highly qualified and wealthy people,” while the number of requests from “low-skilled and lower-income people has dropped considerably.”
 
The reason behind this development are more restrictive criteria for naturalisation that were introduced in 2018.

They require candidates to have not only better proficiency in a language of their region, but also “economic independence,” which means no reliance on social assistance — conditions than many low-earners can’t meet.

READ ALSO: Why are wealthy foreign residents far more likely to become Swiss citizens? 

New train timetable promises better connections

In what the national railway company, SBB calls “the biggest timetable change” in over two decades — to come into effect on December 15th — more trains will circulate to, and within, the French-speaking part of the country, which has not been as well served as its German-language counterpart.

For other regions too, more frequent connections are planned.

International lines to and from Switzerland will be expanded as well.

They include trains to Munich. Frankfurt, and Milan.
 
READ ALSO: How the Swiss train timetable’s ‘biggest change in 20 years’ will impact you 

Swiss employers seek to hire professionals from the United States

Labour shortages, especially in specialised fields, are pushing big Swiss companies to recruit executives from abroad, specifically from the United States.

Companies even go so far as to cover the rent, private school tuition fees, and sometimes even taxes and health insurance, of the senior US executives.

The high cost involved in relocating sought-after US personnel, as well as all the perks they receive once in Switzerland — typically a package ranging from five to six-figures — are worth every franc, according to a spokesperson from Roche pharmaceutical company. .

 “What matters to us is the aptitude and performance of our employees. We want to attract the best talent, regardless of their origin.”

READ ALSO:  Why Swiss employers are eager to hire US professionals 

Cross-border shopping could be less lucrative than thought

To find out whether prices in neighbouring French regions are really lower than in Switzerland, a Swiss consumer organisation went comparison-shopping for the same 32 products in several supermarkets in both countries.

Though it may surprise some people in Switzerland, the group reported that price differences for basic necessities purchased on both sides of the border “are minimal.”

While France trumps Switzerland in food and beverage costs, Switzerland has lower prices on personal hygiene products, the association found.

READ ALSO:  Is shopping abroad really cheaper for Swiss consumers? 

And on the lighter side of the news…

A Swiss association dedicated to handing out awards for “the stupidest law or the most senseless intervention of the year,” has just announced its new winner.

It is the compost police, an official post introduced in the city of Zurich!

The new waste management ordinance calls for all organic waste to be deposited in containers, and the inspectors check the compliance with the rule by private households.

READ ALSO: Why have Zurich’s compost collectors become notorious?

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