Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
After a great Christmas break in the UK, I recently flew back to Switzerland expecting to be hobbled by delays and heavy snow. What a surprise to arrive home unhindered and to unusual 20 degree Celsius temperatures. The traditional new year dip in Lake Geneva looks almost inviting.
Here are some other stories from Switzerland on Monday, January 2, 2023.
In the news: record January temperature, electric cars and illegal rave.
- Switzerland recorded its highest-ever January temperature north of the Alps on January 1. The mercury hit 20.9 degrees Celsius (69.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in the town of Delemont in canton Jura in northwest Switzerland.
- Electric cars continue to gainground. Around one in four new cars purchased last year were either 100% electric or plug-in hybrid models.
- Police broke up an illegal outdoor party attended by about 500 people on New Year’s Eve at a forest near Bulle in western Switzerland, it was reported on Sunday.
New year, new laws.
The new year was a busy time as the Swiss flocked to celebrations across the country, enjoying the first coronavirus restriction-free events for the first time in two years. The unseasonably mild temperatures also helped draw crowds.
Many welcomed in the new year at packed parties and events, with champagne and fireworks.
As usual, the new year also marked important legalchanges. This article outlines a selection of the most well-known changes that came into force on January 1. For example, anyone who takes a Covid test must now pay for it themselves. New rules also apply for flying drones in the country.
On the inheritance front, testators are also more free to dispose of their estate as they wish than before. Previously, parents had to leave three-quarters of the legal share of their inheritance to their children; now it’s only half.
Switzerland could hit the nine million population mark.
Since the introduction of the free movement of people with the European Union in 2002, the Swisspopulation has grown twice as fast as that of France or the United Kingdom – and twenty times faster than that of Germany, due to high levels of immigration.
The reasons behind this: Switzerland’s high quality of life and flourishing economy, the Sonntagszeitung wrote in a recent article.
According to the latest official figures, Switzerland’s permanent resident population was 8,738,800 at the end of 2021, which is 0.8% more than in 2020. The population looks set to grow further in 2023, according to calculationsExternal link by the SonntagsZeitung.
“If the permanent and non-permanent resident population are added together, Switzerland is likely to exceed the threshold of ninemillion inhabitants thisyear,” the newspaper wroteExternal link.
There will be consequences for the environment, infrastructure and living conditions, the newspaper warned. Green areas will be built over, traffic will keep increasing and the country’s CO2 reduction targets will become even harder to reach.
Immigration is set to be a key topic during this election year, the paper added.
Swiss have a growing taste for spicy food.
Diets are changing and the Swiss are eating morespices, such as chili, pepper and ginger. This was confirmed by a recent reportExternal link by the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security, which showed that spice imports doubled between 2011 and 2021 to reach 9,525 tonnes last year.
Gingerimports tripled over the 10 years to 2,600 tonnes. Chilli came in second (2,500 tonnes), followed by pepper (almost 1,000 tonnes).
According to Yoann Cassam Chenaï, founder of Geneva-based Spices&Vanilla, this is due to severalfactors. “The closure of restaurants during the pandemic pushed people to cook at home and vary the flavours of their dishes. There is also a health factor, with the beneficial role of spices such as turmeric or ginger,” he said.
Customers have a better knowledge of spices and are always on the look-out for more specialist products, he added.
More
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
