The week in Switzerland
Dear Swiss Abroad,
A woman with a headscarf walks into a Swiss bar … and is turned away. This week a Muslim woman said a bar in Geneva had refused her service because she was wearing a headscarf. What does Swiss law say about that? You might be surprised.
Also in this week’s news round-up: why almost a third of the Swiss population are struggling financially, and why olive trees are shooting up in French-speaking Switzerland.
Finally, Switzerland and Sweden – often confused – could soon by linked by a night train, travelling three times a week between Basel and Malmö via Copenhagen. Köttbullar and surströmming, anyone?
When may a bar or restaurant refuse entry to a guest? On Monday a Muslim woman claimed on social media she had been refused entry to a bar in Geneva because she was wearing a headscarf.
In principle, landlords can choose their guests – but there are limits. A bar is allowed to issue dress codes, lawyer Marc Weber told Swiss public broadcaster, SRF, on Thursday. “Private hosts are basically free to decide whom they want to serve.” For example, they could say no flip-flops or ripped trousers. Such restrictions are also conceivable for head coverings, he said – “as long as these restrictions are not discriminatory”.
Which raises the question: when does a rule become discriminatory? It’s tricky, admits Urs Saxer, professor of constitutional law at the University of Zurich. But discrimination can be assumed if a rule violates the anti-racism law, for example if a business explicitly excludes guests because of their skin colour, origin or religion. However, a general ban on head coverings is not discriminatory per se, he said.
So there’s no obligation to serve guests? No. No one has an automatic right to enter a restaurant. “Theoretically, you can also turn away guests completely arbitrarily,” Weber said. “As long as you don’t discriminate.” He pointed to nightclubs, where bouncers can decide whether to let someone in or not depending on their look and attitude.
The woman said she would sue. The bar told Swiss public broadcaster, RTS, that it had never intended to discriminate against anyone, explaining that the measure had been introduced at the request of some customers who wanted “a neutral space without visible religious signs”. It added that this regulation had since been changed. The restaurant owner had also apologised to the woman.
Almost a third of the Swiss population are struggling financially, according to a survey. Savings are mainly being made on clothes, electronics and going out.
Even in supposedly wealthy Switzerland, many people are worried about their finances. In a survey of more than 1,000 people conducted by the comparison service Comparis, 27% said they expected their financial situation to deteriorate this year compared to 2024. Some 6% even believe that their situation will be much worse than last year; just under 24% expect their situation to improve, 20Minuten reported on Thursday.
Health insurance premiums are the main financial burden. Almost one in six respondents regularly has difficulties paying premiums.
Nevertheless, when looking five years into the future, many are confident: 44% think their financial situation will be better or even much better in 2030 than in 2025, 31% expect their situation to remain the same, and only 25% fear that their financial situation will be rather or even much worse.
Switzerland: a land of milk and honey – and, increasingly, olives. More than 10,000 new trees could be planted in French-speaking Switzerland in the coming months.
Because of rising temperatures, olive trees are now growing in regions where it was previously unthinkable. An association of around 30 producers in the western part of the country will be founded by the end of the summer, Frank Siffert, one of the pioneers of the branch, told Swiss public broadcaster, RTS. The aim is to develop the entire sector, from production to distribution via advertising.
By the end of 2026 there could be up to 20,000 new olive trees in the region, twice as many as today, Siffert said. “We’ll far surpass Ticino,” where olive growing has been established for several years, he declared.
Siffert added that production in Switzerland differed from that of the major Mediterranean producers, whose quality he sometimes found questionable. “We have an excellent hand to play by emphasising ‘Swiss made’, quality and the attractiveness of local products,” he said.
The thought of going to sleep in Switzerland and waking up in Sweden from as early as next year generated a fair bit of excitement this week.
The Federal Office of Transport plans to introduce a Basel-Copenhagen-Malmö night train service from April 2026, Swiss public broadcaster RTS reported on Tuesday. Operating three times a week, this route would be spared government budget cuts.
The office said this line would be given priority and that CHF1.2 million ($1.5 million) would be spent on preparatory work in 2025. Between now and 2030, the Swiss government plans to subsidise the line to the tune of CHF47 million – the aim being to promote means of transport that emit less greenhouse gas.
The final decision will be taken by parliament as part of the debate on the 2026 budget.
The week ahead
The Euro 2025 women’s football tournament (pictured) is coming to an end, with the two semifinals being played on Tuesday and Wednesday (in Geneva and Zurich respectively) and the final on Sunday (in Basel).
Many Swiss companies will announce their first-half figures for the year, among them Lindt & Sprüngli and Givaudan on Tuesday and Nestlé and Roche on Wednesday.
The six-day Paléo open-air music festival, the largest in Switzerland, gets going on Tuesday, with artists including David Guetta, Macklemore, Simple Minds and the Sex Pistols (minus Johnny Rotten).
Edited by Balz Rigendinger/ac
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