Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
With just over a month to go until the June 14 vote, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) has published its first poll taking the pulse of voters in Switzerland and among the Swiss Abroad. How do your voting preferences differ from those in the country? Read on to find out.
There is also good news for Swiss Abroad with origins in Valais who enjoy taking part in their civic duties: soon, they may be able to vote on more cantonal issues. However, the change is not without concerns.
With just over a month until the June 14 vote, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) has published its first poll taking the pulse of voters in Switzerland and among the Swiss Abroad.
The two federal issues on the agenda are the “No to ten million” immigration initiative and the referendum against the civilian service reform.
On the immigration initiative, the poll shows a “stalemate at all levels”, says Lukas Golder from the gfs.bern institute, which conducted the survey on behalf of the SBC, Swissinfo’s parent company.
Among voters in Switzerland, support and opposition to the initiative are tied at 47%, meaning the remaining 6% of undecided voters could play a decisive role on June 14.
But what about you, dear Swiss Abroad? The survey shows that 55% of Swiss Abroad are against or somewhat against the initiative, while support stands at 38% – significantly lower than within Switzerland itself. “This is a typical pattern, as the Swiss community abroad tends to see opportunities when it comes to immigration,” says Golder.
As for the referendum on the civilian service reform, a majority of 52% support the amendment to the Civilian Service Act. Opposition levels are almost identical in Switzerland and abroad, at 40% and 41% respectively. However, the proportion of undecided Swiss Abroad voters is noticeably higher at 16%, compared with 8% among voters in Switzerland.
The results of the second SBC poll will be published on June 3.
Swiss Abroad with origins in canton Valais – we have some good news for you: soon you may be able to take part in elections for the Senate. Currently Valais residents living abroad can vote on federal referendums and elect their representatives to the House of Representatives, but they cannot participate in cantonal referendums or in elections to the Senate.
The proposal received broad cross-party backing of the Valais Parliament yesterday. All parties except the Upper Valais branch of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party supported the measure, which passed by 106 votes to 20.
Valais will join cantons Bern, Fribourg and Geneva, which already allow Swiss Abroad to elect their two representatives to the Senate. But logistical concerns remain, especially in the event of a runoff election.
For Swiss Abroad living further afield, the turnaround time of about three weeks for voting documents can be very short. As Swissinfo has previously reported, Swiss Abroad have long complained that voting materials often arrive too late – or not at all. Postal costs for returning ballots are also a source of frustration for the Swiss who want to vote from abroad.
In mid-April, the EU agreed on a reform of unemployment compensation for cross-border workers. It was already expected that the changes would come at a significant cost to Switzerland. Now, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) has published its first estimates.
Under the reform, unemployed cross-border workers would no longer receive benefits from the unemployment system in their country of residence, but from the country where they last worked.
In our April 24 briefing, CH Media newspapers estimated the additional annual cost for Switzerland at between CHF500 million ($640 million) and CHF1 billion. SECO now expects additional costs of between CHF600 million and CHF900 million. However, the department stresses that the estimates remain uncertain because Switzerland has limited data on unemployed cross-border workers. Swiss public broadcaster RTS reports that nearly 25,000 cross-border workers living in France became unemployed in 2024 after previously working in Switzerland.
The current system is financially advantageous for Switzerland. Although Switzerland reimburses neighbouring countries for unemployment payments, it still retains around CHF300 million in unemployment insurance contributions generated by cross-border workers. Under the new EU reform, this could reverse into an annual deficit of CHF300 million to CHF600 million for Switzerland.
But before the regulation can come into force, it still requires approval from both the Swiss Senate and the European Parliament in Brussels.
Low snow levels on Swiss glaciers are leaving them vulnerable ahead of the summer months.
Winter snow acts as a protective layer for glaciers as temperatures rise. The more snow accumulates, the longer glaciers remain shielded from summer heat.
This winter was unusually dry – similar to 2022 and 2023, which also recorded low snow levels on glaciers. “It was precisely in those two years that we measured record melting levels,” Matthias Huss, head of the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS), told Swiss public broadcaster SRF.
Overall, glaciers currently hold around 25% less winter snow compared with the 2010–2020 average. This means glacier melt will begin earlier and could become more severe if summer temperatures again reach recent highs.
April was also exceptionally dry, including in alpine regions. “Normally, glaciers accumulate more snow in April, even when it is already warmer in the lowlands. This year, that practically did not happen at all,” Huss said. Some glacier tongues have already begun melting.
The most affected are the Murtèl rock glacier and the Pers glacier in the Engadine valley, where snow depth this spring was 42% and 39% below the 2010–2020 average respectively. Conditions are also severe for the Rhône Glacier and the Great Aletsch Glacier, which recorded snow levels 26% and 32% below average.
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