Cluster: Swiss Abroad

Swiss town rejects pleas for citizenship

This content was published on Mar 13, 2000 Voters in a town in canton Lucerne have refused to grant citizenship to 48 foreign residents living in their community. They turned down pleas for naturalisation from citizens of Turkey and former Communist countries in Europe, but granted Swiss nationality to eight Italians. For 56 residents of Emmen, Sunday was a very important day. Their…

Swiss Politics

People’s Party refuses to apologise to Social Democrats

This content was published on Mar 12, 2000 The right-wing Swiss People’s Party has refused to apologise to the Social Democrats for controversial remarks made by the populist Christoph Blocher. In a widely distributed leaflet, Blocher accused the Social Democrats of being much closer to facism on a political level than his own party. In response, the Social Democrats demanded an apology. They…

Swiss Politics

Women’s quotas robustly rejected

This content was published on Mar 12, 2000 Plans for women’s quotas in the Swiss parliament and federal authorities have been robustly rejected in today’s national vote. A majority of the 26 cantons have said no to the plan, which has attracted little support from the Swiss people. The people’s initiative was expected to fail, having neither backing from the government, nor support…

Swiss Politics

Aletsch unlikely to become heritage site

This content was published on Mar 12, 2000 Attempts to include the Jungfrau-Aletsch glacier region in the Swiss Alps on Unesco’s list of World Heritage sites have received a setback. Voters in the commune of Ried-Mörel have opted out of the project. By a two to one majority, voters in Ried-Mörel turned down a proposal by the Federal Environment Agency to include the…

Swiss Politics

Swisscoy decorated for efforts in Kosovo

This content was published on Mar 12, 2000 The Swiss peacekeeping contingent in Kosovo, Swisscoy, has been awarded a medal in recognition of its efforts in the province. Swisscoy forms part of the multinational peacekeeping force, Kfor. Its members include military engineers, carpenters and mechanics. During their tour of duty, Swisscoy soldiers have taken part in a number of important projects, including the…

Swiss Politics

Direct democracy takes centre stage

This content was published on Mar 11, 2000 The Swiss people have been balloted in five separate national votes today. At stake have been proposals on justice reform, fertility treatment, traffic reduction, streamlining democracy, and improving female representation. The referendum on justice reform is the only one of the five votes to have been put forward by the government. Preliminary forecasts also suggest…

Swiss Politics

Israel warms to offer of peace summit in Switzerland

This content was published on Mar 11, 2000 Israel’s foreign minister, David Levy, has welcomed Switzerland’s offer to host a trilateral summit to take forward the Middle East peace process. After talks with his Swiss counterpart, Joseph Deiss, he said Switzerland was well suited to such a role. Relations between Switzerland and Israel seem to be on the mend, following a meeting in…

Swiss Politics

The week in Switzerland

This content was published on Mar 10, 2000 A controversial visit by the Austrian foreign minister and a key move towards Swiss membership of the United Nations were two of the stories that made the headlines in Switzerland this week. The visit to Berne by Austria’s foreign minister, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, was intended to stress the good neighbourly relations that Switzerland and Austria traditionally…

New body to represent Switzerland abroad gains parliamentary approval

This content was published on Mar 9, 2000 Parliament has backed a new project aimed at promoting Switzerland’s image abroad. An agency, called Presence Switzerland, will cooperate with embassies, consulates, business and cultural institutions. The Senate overwhelmingly approved the new promotion agency, which will have its annual budget topped up from SFr2.4 million to about SFr15 million within the next three years. Presence…

Swiss Politics

Proposals to cut asylum spending

This content was published on Mar 9, 2000 A government-appointed committee has proposed measures to cut spending on asylum seekers and to make the process more efficient. The measures include penalising those who conceal their identities. The committee’s recommendations are two-pronged. It suggests rewarding asylum seekers who cooperate with the authorities and providing incentives for cantons to streamline the asylum process. Jean-Daniel Gerber,…

Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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Swiss town rejects pleas for citizenship

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People’s Party refuses to apologise to Social Democrats

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Women’s quotas robustly rejected

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Aletsch unlikely to become heritage site

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Swisscoy decorated for efforts in Kosovo

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Direct democracy takes centre stage

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Israel warms to offer of peace summit in Switzerland

More

The week in Switzerland

More

New body to represent Switzerland abroad gains parliamentary approval

More

Proposals to cut asylum spending

Popular Stories

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