Cluster: Swiss Abroad

Political parties return to the fray after summer break

This content was published on Aug 18, 2000 The three parties, holding delegate meetings in different parts of the country, will spell out their positions on two issues – a proposed tax on non-renewable energy and a move to limit the number of foreigners to 18 per cent. Both questions will be decided in a referendum on September 24. While the centre-right parties…

Swiss Politics

Education reforms to dominate Swiss Abroad Congress

This content was published on Aug 18, 2000 Ahead of the congress, 100 representatives of the governing council of the Swiss abroad were meeting on Friday for the annual assembly. Among the issues on the agenda were the bilateral accords with the European Union, and Switzerland’s plans to join the United Nations. The new organisation to promote Switzerland’s image abroad, called Presence Switzerland,…

Swiss Politics

Return of ethnic minorities from Kosovo postponed

This content was published on Aug 17, 2000 The federal office for refugees said on Thursday people from ethnic minorities could stay in Switzerland until the end of May next year. They were originally supposed to have left by the end of this month. The refugee office said there were still problems facing Roma gypsies, ethnic Serbs and members of the Albanian-speaking Ashkali…

Swiss Politics

Prominent figureheads launch anti-racism campaign

This content was published on Aug 17, 2000 The petition was launched by a committee, which is also campaigning against an initiative aimed at cutting back the proportion of foreigners in Switzerland to 18 per cent of the total population. In addition, the panel has called for a new approach to policy towards foreigners. The first 500 signatories of the “Appeal for a…

Swiss Politics

Switzerland renews offer to help in Korean reunification process

This content was published on Aug 16, 2000 The Swiss mission at the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, which monitors the 47 year-old ceasefire between the two Koreas, is also willing in principle to take on additional tasks. Switzerland’s willingness to play a greater role in the region comes as North and South Korea take the first concrete steps towards forging closer ties. The…

Swiss Politics

Supporters defend quotas for foreigners

This content was published on Aug 14, 2000 They are calling for the number of foreigners in Switzerland to be kept to 18 per cent of the population. Speaking at a news conference on Monday, supporters of the “18 per cent initiative” denied it would harm Swiss business or that it was xenophobic. However, they admitted the initiative was unlikely to succeed, saying…

Swiss Politics

Swiss officials agree to keep dangerous Kosovar refugee

This content was published on Aug 14, 2000 It was the first time the UN in Kosovo (UNMIK) had refused the repatriation of a Kosovar from Switzerland. The man, who has not been identified, was said to be psychologically disturbed, and have a criminal record. “The man was very violent. He threatened to blow up bombs on a number of occasions. He was…

Swiss Politics

Swiss group steps up fight against Turkish dam project

This content was published on Aug 14, 2000 It accused the government of complicity to breach international law for awarding export risk guarantees to companies engaged in the project. The Swiss foreign ministry has rejected these accusations out of hand, but welcomed the expert report as a good document. The report, released by the Berne Declaration on Sunday, is based on research done…

Swiss Politics

Initiative to limit number of foreigners in Switzerland losing impetus

This content was published on Aug 13, 2000 The initiative, which is designed to limit the number of foreigners to 18 per cent of the population (currently at 19.3 per cent), would be clearly rejected by voters in the forthcoming vote, according to a new poll. The poll, which was published in the “SonntagsBlick”, says half of all voters would reject the initiative,…

Swiss Politics

More Swiss choosing to live abroad

This content was published on Aug 11, 2000 The latest figures, released on Friday, show that the number of Swiss choosing to emigrate has steadily increased over the past 10 years. In the past 12 months, nearly 7,500 Swiss set off to seek a new life abroad. Since 1990, 126,000 Swiss have emigrated, with around 60 per cent choosing to settle in the…

Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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