Switzerland

In 2023, residential property prices in Switzerland continued to increase, though the growth rate slowed due to interest rate hikes. The Swiss Real Estate Institute's analysis, based on actual sales prices from the Swiss Real Estate Data Pool, found that:

Swiss farmers are worried. Not only are they suffering from sharply falling incomes, but they also have to contend with consumers cutting back on food.

The vast majority of Switzerland’s 26 cantons have done little or nothing to implement the new law on cycle routes, criticises Pro Velo.

The number of flights in and out of Switzerland’s biggest airport increased by 14.5% in 2023, but activity is still 10% lower than pre-pandemic years.

A normal train service can resume between Brig in southwestern Switzerland and Domodossola in Italy. This follows a decision by the Italian authorities to extend by one year a deadline for implementing new fire protection measures for railway tunnels.

One in five new cars (20.9%) sold in Switzerland in 2023 was a battery electric vehicle. Sales continued to grow last year but at a slower pace than expected.

The marble trout, aka Salmo marmoratus, has been named the Fish of the Year 2024 by the Swiss Fishing Federation (FSP). This freshwater fish from south of the Alps is fighting for its survival.

In 2023, some 30 previously banned substances were exceptionally authorised by federal authorities, as a means of tackling growing menaces to agricultural crops.

Conservation group Pro Natura says that if the species – which belongs to the marten family – is to survive in the country, a nationwide ecological infrastructure is needed.

More than three-quarters of the Swiss population support the initiative submitted in the autumn to restrict the use of fireworks by private individuals. According to a representative survey, the main reasons for this are animal welfare and air pollution.

Three Swiss companies have once again made it into the top 100 most valuable listed companies in the world. However, more than half of the most highly valued large corporations are based in the US.

The regulations on the expansion of landfill sites are to be relaxed in Switzerland. The department of Environment Minister Albert Rösti wants to amend an ordinance to this end and has opened a consultation process until mid-April.

Two popular initiatives calling for a ban on foie gras imports and a ban on fur imports have been submitted to the Federal Chancellery. They have 106,448 and 116,140 signatures respectively.

Swiss drugs reglator Swissmedic has authorised a new medicine to treat colds and cases of acute bronchitis in infants and young children. Beyfortus is used to treat respiratory tract diseases caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Former Swiss senator and prosecutor Dick Marty died on Thursday aged 78, his party confirmed.

The Swiss have a bleak view of the coming year and expect financial losses, according to a survey. Nevertheless, they do not want to give up their car or holidays.

Marco Chiesa, president of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, will not stand for re-election at the end of his term of office in March 2024.

The mountain railways in San Bernardino in southeastern Switzerland are back in operation after ten years of standstill.

Despite inflation, consumers in Switzerland spent more money on Christmas presents in 2023 than in previous years. Cashless payments reached a record level in the run-up to Christmas.

The Swiss government intends to submit proposals to parliament in the spring to ensure that a Credit Suisse-style bank bailout will no longer be necessary in future.

Swiss bank UBS has cut a particularly large number of jobs among global banks in 2023. This was calculated by the Financial Times.

The youth section of the Swiss Social Democrats (JUSO) say they have collected enough signatures for the “Initiative for a Future”.

Most of the confiscated counterfeit Swiss watches come from China and Hong Kong. This year there have also been new payoffs targeting counterfeit Swiss watches in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt.

The weather, which was far too mild for the time of year, continued on Christmas day.

The crises in 2023 mobilised the willingness to donate in Switzerland despite the increasing pressure on purchasing power. However, this was at the expense of other donation needs.

Around 30 people evacuated after the recent landslide in the town of Schwanden in canton Glarus will probably not be able to return to their homes until the end of the year.

The Federal Intelligence Service has no indications of concrete plans for terrorist attacks in Switzerland.

Hundreds of medicines are either unavailable or difficult to obtain in Switzerland. For around 200 of these medications, the shortage poses a serious problem.

Five people refused to leave the landslide area in Schwanden, canton Glarus, on Saturday.

Despite a turbulent year, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) has met its budget targets for 2023.

The strike by employees of the ground handling company Dnata caused delays to the first flights at Geneva Airport early on Sunday morning. Dnata is involved in 85 flights on Sunday, as Geneva Airport announced on request.

Large globally active companies will be taxed at a rate of at least 15% in Switzerland in the future. The Swiss government decided on Friday to introduce part of the OECD/G20 tax reform as planned on January 1, 2024.

The companies in the Swiss Market Index (SMI) emit an average of 21 million tonnes of CO2 per year. There are huge differences between companies though, as an analysis by the news agency AWP shows.

Air traffic at Zurich Airport has put the coronavirus pandemic behind it, even at Christmas time. With almost 90,000 passengers, the volume on Friday exceeded records before the pandemic.

The Swiss franc has jumped to its highest level against the dollar since 2015, when Switzerland’s central bank abandoned its policy to contain currency strength.

Intense rainfall has triggered new landslides in the central Swiss village of Schwanden, raising fears of another evacuation for residents

The German company Global Logistics Support (GLS) has obtained a super-provisional order from an Italian court to release 25 Swiss tanks stored in Italy.

Switzerland’s CHF5.3 billion hardship payments saved up to 35,000 companies from collapse during the Covid-19 pandemic and resultant lockdowns.

Swiss diplomat Pierre Krähenbühl has been named as the next Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The Genevan will replace Robert Mardini from the beginning of April next year.

No quiet room is to be set up in the parliament building in Bern where politicians can retreat and pray during sessions

A Swiss banker has pleaded guilty to tax offences in the United States. Between 2008 and 2014, he allegedly helped wealthy US clients hide their assets from the US authorities in accounts at Zurich-based Ihag Privatbank.

Switzerland’s financial regulator is investigating Julius Bär Group over inadequate risk-control structures that contributed to the bank’s exposure to bankrupt property mogul Rene Benko.

The Swiss Solidarity fundraising organisation and several partners collected more than CHF3 million ($3.5 million) for children and young people on a national solidarity day on Thursday. The motto of the collection day was “Education for all”.

Well-known Swiss clown Gaston Häni from the Conelli circus died of cancer on Wednesday at the age of 72, as announced by the Zurich Christmas circus on Thursday.

The financial centres of Switzerland and Britain moved closer together as Swiss Fiinance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter and her British counterpart, Jeremy Hunt, signed an agreement on the mutual recognition of financial services in Bern on Thursday.