Switzerland Today
Sunny regards from Bern!
Switzerland is known for being expensive, and health insurance premiums are no exception as they are expected to increase yet again. But foreign university students looking for work in Switzerland may have some positive news coming their way. Whether you are looking to drink away the sticker shock of the rising healthcare costs, or celebrating a university degree, a mixologist from Lucerne has the perfect cocktail for your summer needs. But a reminder from Valais to manly men and fathers – drinking doesn’t replace communication. All that in today’s briefing!
In the news: price hikes continue to deal a blow to Swiss residents but there is good news for foreign students.
- Health insurance premiums are set to increase by 6%, and some insured groups could see rise of up to 10%, according to the online price comparison portal, Comparis. The health ministry stated that health care costs rose by 2.6% last year due to a variety of factors such as bureaucracy, lack of widespread availability of medicines, increased psychotherapy treatments, the implementation of the 2021 nursing initiativeExternal link and an increase of uninsured individuals seeking medical treatment. The definite price increase for health insurance premiums in 2024 will be announced in September.
- Foreign students graduating from Swiss universities might soon have an easier time finding work in Switzerland: a decision by the House of Representatives to relax the law on skilled and qualified foreign workers was passed on Monday in parliament. Around 400 to 500 individuals could be affected by the proposal per year.
- However, while skilled foreign workers are gaining more access to Swiss employment opportunities, parliament continues to block millions of francs in funding for accommodation for refugees. Last year Switzerland registered 24,500 asylum seekers, which was 64% more than the previous year. The Italian decision to maintain a ban on re-admission of refugees from neighbouring countries also prevents Switzerland from sending refugees back to Italy.
Pub psychology?
Men from Germanic countries are thought to be rather stoic and impassive. But a men’s counselling association in canton Valais is looking to reach out to men who might feel alone with their problems – and they are reaching out by placing messages of empathy and communication on beer coasters and distributed to pubs around Valais.
The coasters are inscribed with messages including “He who stays silent cannot work things through” and “we men are full of romance and longings at our core”.
“These messages are meant to encourage men to think about being a man, to open up the dialogue,” says Christian Bayard from the men’s association of Upper-Valais to Swiss public television, SRF.External link
While communicating with men via coasters in pubs may seem clichéd to some, Simon Preisig, spokesperson for the women’s equality organisation Alliance F, says the messages are “progressive and provocative”.
But Preisig asserts that, “without expanding the willingness and capacity for part-time work for men which allows them to help in family life, it is not at all possible to implement the messages that are written on beer coasters”. That’s why he says better framework conditions are needed, such as daycare places in rural regions and better parental leave.
At the end of the day, even if the method seems to cater to a stereotype, it is important that men are made aware of the issue. As Preisig states, “it is the case that many men hardly address gender equality and are not even aware of the problem – this is in stark contrast to women”.
Swiss cocktail of the summer
An Austrian mixologist who lives and works in Lucerne has won the Germany Switzerland Austria (GSA) cocktail competitionExternal link. Pia Köfler won the competition with her cocktail, “Apfelschuss”, loosely translated to apple shot, which she said was inspired by the Swiss national legend about William Tell, who was famous for shooting an apple balanced on his sons head to avoid a death penalty. The cocktail is made of gin, vermouth, apple brandy, verjuice (an acidic juice using crab-apples) and hazelnut liqueur.
More
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
