Cluster: Democracy

Direct democracy virus spreads across Italian border

This content was published on May 2, 2015 “Unfulfilled” or “incomplete” – this is how democracy in Italy is described by activists currently fighting for a system with more citizen participation. Their main inspiration is Switzerland, with its institutions of direct democracy parallel to those of parliament. It is perhaps not surprising that a current hotbed of activism for “more democracy” in Italy…

Opinion

Democracy

Beware of a new tax trap: no to the media tax

This content was published on Apr 30, 2015 The new law on radio and television is a dangerous trap. By wanting to introduce a new tax on media, the government will massively increase the fiscal burden on citizens and the economy.

Opinion

Democracy

‘Increasing media diversity, protecting minorities’

This content was published on Apr 30, 2015 Topics such as healthcare costs, security, transport and agriculture attract a lot of media coverage. Many politicians are keen to make punchy statements and show their expertise in such debates. It’s quite a different picture when media policy is at stake: Debates on this issue have indeed had a very low profile in Switzerland. Which…

Democracy

Swiss president urges respect of direct democracy

This content was published on Apr 27, 2015 At her keynote address at the Europa Forum, which regularly brings European leaders together to discuss key political, economic and societal issues, Sommaruga compared discussions about Switzerland’s direct democracy to discussions over rules in the game of football.In sports as in politics, she said, people who question certain rules aren’t proposing removing the underlying system…

Democracy

French region complains it’s denied democracy

This content was published on Apr 27, 2015 About 40 kilometres over the Swiss border near Basel, some 20 people are gathered in the old mayor’s offices in Dannemarie, a town in the Sundgau region of France’s Haut-Rhin department. Draping the front of the building are the red and white flag of Alsace and the black and white flag of Brittany, which go…

Democracy

Initiative takes aim at inherited millions

This content was published on Apr 23, 2015 In Switzerland, wealth is more and more concentrated in the hands of a few. In 1990, 1% of the taxpayers possessed 30% of the national net wealth, while today the figure is 40%. This is according to data from the Federal Tax AdministrationExternal link. Taking into account the considerable resources of these taxpayers for fiscal…

Democracy

Swiss citizens may force firms to respect rights

This content was published on Apr 21, 2015 A broad coalition of civil society groups has launched a people’s initiative calling for stricter rules to force Swiss companies to respect human rights and environmental standards abroad as well as at home.

Democracy

Student grants torn between fairness and federalism

This content was published on Apr 21, 2015 Opponents – everyone apart from the political left – call for federalism to be respected. In Switzerland, education is a cantonal issue and this includes student grants. The cantons are free to fix their criteria and the conditions for obtaining them, as well as their size. As a result, not only the likelihood of getting…

Opinion

Democracy

More democracy through greater focus

This content was published on Apr 19, 2015 To stop the most important instrument in Switzerland’s direct democracy turning into a farce, reforms are urgently needed to improve the effectiveness of initiatives while preventing their abuse. The initiative, that keystone of Swiss direct democracy, has become distanced from its true function as a tool for expressing popular opposition. Its purpose today has turned…

Democracy

What’s a referendum?

This content was published on Apr 15, 2015 A referendum is a nationwide vote called to challenge a piece of legislation already approved by parliament. If a group opposed to the new law manages to collect at least 50,000 signatures within 100 days of the official publication of the proposed legislation, it is again put to a nationwide vote. Such a vote is…

Cluster: Democracy

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