Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Your interests are at the heart of today’s briefing. From Friday, the “SwissCommunity Days”, organised by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, will take place in Brunnen on Lake Lucerne. Among other things, the event will focus on strengthening the political rights of Swiss citizens abroad and improving banking services. We will be reporting on this in detail over the coming days.
As part of the “SwissCommunity Days”, organised by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) in Brunnen from August 20 to 22, the Council of the Swiss Abroad will hold its second meeting of the year. Key items on the agenda include the adoption of the legislative programme for 2025–2029 and the election of various committees.
The Council is set to adopt a catalogue of legislative objectives. Key priorities include strengthening the political rights of Swiss citizens living abroad, improving banking services, making improvements to old-age and survivors’ insurance and health insurance, and fostering a more positive perception of the Swiss Abroad in political circles and among the Swiss public.
The day before the Council meeting, delegates will work on specific future projects in workshops. Discussions will focus on how the OSA’s community platform can be made more attractive and used more widely. Participants will also explore new approaches to fundraising.
The agenda for Friday’s Council meeting also includes updates from the Consular Directorate of the Swiss foreign ministry, a discussion on e-voting with a representative of the Federal Chancellery, and financial and organisational matters concerning the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad. My colleagues Melanie Eichenberger and Emilie Ridard will be on site for Swissinfo to report on the “SwissCommunity Days”.
In a landmark reference ruling, the Federal Administrative Court has ruled that the deportation of young Afghan men is legally permissible under certain conditions. A return is deemed reasonable if the individuals concerned are in good health, have professional experience and a local family network, and are not at risk of targeted persecution by the Taliban.
The court justified its decision on the grounds of an improved security situation in the country, even though the humanitarian situation continues to be classified as critical. The ruling establishes a binding legal basis for around 200 pending appeal cases that had previously been blocked by legal proceedings.
Switzerland is thus sending a clear signal in favour of a stricter approach to the removal of rejected asylum-seekers from Afghanistan. Despite the new legal situation, however, experts point out that actually carrying out deportations remains logistically difficult due to a lack of direct flights.
While the ruling is considered groundbreaking because it lifts the general prohibition on deportations, it does not lead to automatic or mass deportations. Instead, each case must be assessed individually, taking into account the situation in Afghanistan, which remains a cause for concern.
Switzerland needs to be better prepared for future heatwaves. In light of this summer’s extreme weather conditions, several political figures are calling for an urgent debate during the forthcoming autumn session of the Federal Parliament.
As four of the six parliamentary groups are already in agreement, it is considered certain that the necessary signatures will be obtained to amend the agenda. The motion aims to hold the government to account and compel it to take concrete measures against the ongoing drought and heatwaves.
While the Greens are particularly critical of shortcomings in climate policy and building renovation, other parties are focusing on water management and the protection of forests.
The government is therefore under considerable pressure to present well-founded strategies for tackling the environmental crisis in a timely manner. This brings the issue of climate change back to the forefront of national politics after a period of relative political neglect.
The government anticipates a surprise budget surplus of around CHF800 million ($991 million) for 2026, as revenue from corporate tax is significantly higher than originally forecast.
This financial leeway enables the government to request a supplementary credit of almost CHF1 billion for national air defence, allowing it to procure defence equipment more quickly despite global supply bottlenecks.
At the same time, it was announced today that the new individual taxation system will not be introduced until 2032, the latest possible date. This generous timeframe is intended to give the cantons enough time to make the complex technical and political adjustments required to their tax systems.
Translated from German, sub-edited by Alexandra MV Andrist/ts
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