Municipal mergers led to the disappearance of 33 Swiss communes in 2017, according SonntagsZeitung newspaper. Another 145 municipalities have plans to merge.
Those figures reflects a broader trend towards municipal amalgamations. The past ten years witnessed the merger of 500 municipalities, the newspaper wrote, citing official statistics.
The trend is most visible in the mountain regions “where the rate of emigration has intensified once again,” according to Reto Lindegger, director of the Association of Swiss Municipalities.
To ensure their survival, smaller municipalities or communes are banding together and merging into one. Some are going even further in a bid to boost their number of residents.
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Holidaymaker becomes village chief
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It took a headhunter to find a new local council leader in Tujetsch – a man who owns a holiday flat in the mountain village.
Following the example of Albinen in the region of Valais, the nearby municipality of Varen is offering conditional financial assistance to anyone who moves there.
Swiss communes are the lowest administrative division of Switzerland. They are governed by their own elected representatives and often enjoy considerable discretionary powers.
Communes can decide on matters of education, health, transport and public security. They also collect all taxes.
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
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The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
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The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
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The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
Swiss climate activists block vehicles near Gotthard tunnel
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Around ten climate activists briefly blocked the A2 motorway near the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel on Thursday.
Watches belonging to Michael Schumacher up for auction
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Schumacher's family is auctioning off eight rare watches from his collection in Geneva. The Christie's auction will take place on Monday.
Joya Marleen and Baschi named best solo acts at Swiss Music Awards
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St. Gallen singer Joya Marleen and Baschi from Basel were named artists of the year at the Swiss Music Awards 2024 on Wednesday night.
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Refugees and locals learn to live together in Swiss town
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Bex was one of the first towns in the region to have an asylum seekers' centre and its foreign population is relatively high. So do people get along?
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Rheinau, a Swiss municipality in the outskirts of Zurich has decided to guarantee basic income to residents on a trial basis.
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Participation in town hall meetings has reached a new low, marking a 30-year decline in Swiss democracy at a local level. But all is not lost.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.