Swiss ministers to forgo free cable car season tickets
Government ministers will waive their right to a cable car season ticket from 2025 – although they will retain their free first-class Swiss Federal Railways travelcard.
Until 2023, ministers had received a free annual travelcard from the Swiss cable car association – as had members of cantonal and communal authorities, the government said on Wednesday.
In connection with investigations into gifts and benefits in some individual cantons, the cable car association asked the government in September 2023 to confirm whether or not this practice was permitted under civil service law. However, the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) concluded that the season tickets could possibly violate the ban on accepting gifts and benefits.
+ More on the fortunes of Swiss cable car operators this season
The government thus decided to step in and pay for the 2024 cable car season tickets. In a reappraisal on Wednesday, however, it said it had decided to waive these purchases for the seven ministers, the federal chancellor and their partners from 2025.
‘Rarely in the theatre’
The government is also giving up its seating privilige in a special loge at Bern Theatre at the end of the year; here, the reason given was that they hardly used it anyway.
However, ministers will continue to benefit from a Federal Railways first-class travel card for themselves and other magistrates and partners. These are provided by the Federal Railways and seen as necessary for fulfilling official duties.
To legally regulate gifts and benefits, a special authorisation under employment law will be created in the Organisational Ordinance for the Federal Council.
Former ministers and their partners also receive the Railways first-class travelcard free of charge because they occasionally represent standing ministers as part of their delegation activities.
Adapted from German by DeepL/kp,dos
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