Switzerland Today
Sunny regards from Bern!
What goes up, must come down, as the saying goes. This is true for prices and as well as the temperature.
The heat is rising and so is the call of the Alps! Luckily for Swiss commuters using public transportation, prices of public transport are not to increase as high as previously announced. This is especially great news as outdoor enthusiasts have been flocking to the Swiss mountains in droves, as seen in the increase in the number of gondola users.
All of this in today’s Briefing from Switzerland.
In the news: China rejects NGO participation in human rights talks, high-speed internet for all in Switzerland, and capping daycare costs
- Switzerland seemingly caved to Chinese demands to uninvite NGOs to take part in bilateral human rights talks. According to Amnesty International, China had missed a rare opportunity to engage in critical discussions and demonstrate a willingness to address human rights concerns.
- In an attempt to avoid a “digital divide”, the Swiss Federal Council is proposing a fibre-optic network expansion for rural areas in Switzerland, a project which is set to cost between CHF3.7 billion ($4 billion) and CHF6 billion.
- The authors of a so-called daycare initiative are demanding that the cost of daycare places be capped at 10% of parents’ income. The necessary 100,000 signatures have been submitted to the Federal Chancellery.
- Another 100,000 people cycled to work in 2023 as part of a “bike to work” campaign. This is an increase of 21% as compared to 2022.
- Let’s hope those individual biking are wearing protective gear, and not just on their heads, but on their face too: a study by the University Hospital Zurich and the University of Basel found that air pollution can increase the risk of diabetes.
Some prices go up, others go down…
Inflation and interest rates in Switzerland are at an all time high. According to a reportExternal link by the tabloid Blick, many Swiss residents are deeply in debt. This despite Switzerland’s reputation for high wages.
According to the Federal Statistics Office, 11.5% of all Swiss households are in debt.
The primary reasons for debt among Swiss households is people giving up self-employment and shouldering debts from their time as self-employed, gambling addiction debts, tax debts and healthcare insurance debts.
Interestingly, Switzerland has seen a record rise of start-ups in the first half of 2023, so it remains to be seen how these newly created companies will fare and how this will affect the personal debt levels in Switzerland in the future.
The Blick reports that the Swiss organisation which deals with personal debt is calling for the restructuring of the debt system. While personal debt was carried by the individual (and sometimes the family) until the debt was paid off, the organisation wants to relieve debt repayment, after a certain amount has been repaid.
However, that’s not all in the news for Swiss consumers costs.
The cost of stamps and package delivery prices are set to increase next year.Letters will beExternal link CHF0.10 more expensive in 2024 and the price of sending parcels will increase by CHF1.50 (about $1.67) on the cost of the parcel weight.
But there is some good news!
The price of a general pass (GA) that allows for unlimited travel across the entire public transport network in the country will not increase as much as previously announced. Starting at the end of 2023, a second-class GA will go upExternal link to CHF3,995, instead of CHF4,080, after an intervention by the price watchdog, Stefan Meierhans. This change in the price increase will save Swiss GA holders CHF12 million. For non-GA ticket holders, normal ticket prices are set to rise by 3.7%, instead of the originally planned increase of 4.3% at the end of the year.
Speaking of ups and downs – Swiss gondolas have started the summer in full swing…
Time to put on your hiking shoes and ready your walking sticks! The Alps are calling.
The mountains are no longer only a favourite for winter sports enthusiasts.
Both the number of guests and the turnover in passenger transport are clearly above the results of the last few years, reports the BlickExternal link.
The number of gondola passengers increased by 16% in both May and June as compared to 2022. The cable car profits have also increased by 19%. When comparing data from the past five years, the number of passengers in Switzerland as a whole has increased by more than a third.
This is due to a surge in popularity of outdoor activities, such as hiking and mountain biking.
Central Switzerland saw the biggest boost in profits, which soared by as much as 63%, as over a quarter more visitors used the gondola system. In canton Valais, passengers increased by 20% and turnover by 27%.
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