Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
The first voting Sunday of 2026 promises to be a busy one, with four issues on the ballot – from individual taxation of married couples to the initiative to halve the Swiss television licence fee.
In today’s selection, we also look at two Michelin-starred chefs expelled from Switzerland – not for their cuisine, but for failing a German language test.
Enjoy your reading,
At its weekly meeting, the Swiss government set the agenda for the first federal vote of 2026, taking place on March 8, and decided to relaunch its digital health record project.
On the first voting Sunday of 2026, voters will decide on four issues: the “CHF200 is enough” initiative, which seeks to cut the annual radio and television licence fee to CHF200 and exempt all companies; the government’s proposal to introduce individual taxation for married couples, aligning them with unmarried couples; the “cash initiative”, which aims to enshrine cash payments in the Constitution; and an initiative to create a climate fund to finance solar panels, building renovations and public transport.
The government also announced it is abandoning the electronic patient file, calling it overly complex and ineffective. It will be replaced by an electronic health record, to be automatically provided free of charge to all insured persons from 2030
Several Swiss companies have taken matters into their own hands, meeting directly with US President Donald Trump to lobby against steep tariffs – a move later confirmed by Switzerland’s economic ministry.
“It was a great honour to meet with high-level representatives from Switzerland,” Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social, claiming discussions focused on “trade and trade imbalances”. He did not name the participants or specify whether the meeting was held in person or online.
The Swiss economic ministry said the talks were organised by private companies concerned about the impact of new US import duties, but declined to name them. It stressed that formal trade negotiations remain the responsibility of the federal government, though it welcomed private-sector engagement.
Switzerland has been hit hard by Washington’s protectionist policies, which include a 39% tariff on a wide range of Swiss goods – one of the highest rates imposed on any US trading partner.
Authorities are expelling two Michelin-starred chefs from the Bürgenstock Resort in central Switzerland – the issue is not their culinary expertise, but their lack of German language skills.
The Bürgenstock luxury hotel complex, which hosted last year’s Ukraine peace summit, had proudly hired “the two best Asian chefs in the world”. Despite their 16 GaultMillau points, Thai twins Vilai and Virat Kanjan were forced to leave after failing the German exam required to renew their residence permits in canton Nidwalden.
“We failed the oral part of the test, so we had to go,” Virat Kanjan told Nau.ch. English remains the main working language at the international resort, which employs staff from all over the world.
Canton Nidwalden defended its language requirements, saying a command of German is key to integration. The Gastrosuisse hospitality association, however, criticised the rule as overly strict for non-EU workers in the sector.
Bürgenstock’s loss is Schloss Elmau’s gain. The luxury hotel resort in Bavaria, Germany, welcomed the two sisters with open arms: “They enrich both our cuisine and the establishment as a whole,” said the management.
While road deaths are declining across most of Europe, they are rising in Switzerland – and the Swiss Accident Prevention Bureau says parliament’s decisions are partly to blame.
Fatalities on Swiss roads have increased by one-third in the past five years, the bureau said on Tuesday. The European average has dropped by 12% over the same period.
“Switzerland, which only a few years ago was praised for its progress in road safety, is now slipping down the rankings”, the Accident Prevention Bureau noted. The organisation is calling for a coherent road safety policy and a joint commitment from all players in the field.
It cited several political decisions as contributing factors: lowering the minimum age for motorbike licences to 15 – which has doubled the number of serious accidents among minors – the refusal to make helmets mandatory for children on bicycles, and resistance to expanding 30km/h zones in residential areas.
The bureau is calling for a coherent national safety strategy and greater commitment from both lawmakers and cantonal authorities to reverse the trend.
Translated from French using DeepL/amva
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