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Swiss Politics

Centre-right faces test at the ballot box

This content was published on May 15, 2004 Centre-left groups have mounted fierce opposition to the plans put forward by parliament and the government. The campaign ahead of the May 16 nationwide votes has been dubbed a key political battle between Switzerland’s centre-right parties and the Centre-left. Emanuel von Erlach, a political scientist at Bern University, says the battle between Left and Right…

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EU agrees guarantees over Swiss banking secrecy

This content was published on May 13, 2004 Ministerial level negotiations between Switzerland and the EU will now take place next Wednesday to finalise a series of agreements after years of wrangling. Non-member Switzerland had refused to sign a dossier on taxation until the EU agreed to give Bern an exemption on part of another treaty – Schengen – to protect banking secrecy.…

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Swiss Politics

EU agrees to guarantee Swiss banking secrecy

This content was published on May 13, 2004 Ministerial level negotiations between Switzerland and the EU will now take place next Wednesday to finalise a series of agreements after years of wrangling. Non-member Switzerland had refused to sign the taxation dossier until the EU agreed to give Bern an exemption on part of another treaty – Schengen – to protect banking secrecy. “We…

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Swiss Politics

Parliament takes steps to tighten immigration

This content was published on May 7, 2004 Under the proposed legislation foreigners from outside the European Union will only be allowed to take up jobs if no Swiss candidates are available. Despite opposition from the centre-left Social Democrats, the House of Representatives voted in favour of giving priority to EU and European Free Trade Association (Efta) citizens who seek employment in Switzerland.…

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Swiss Politics

Voters set to deal triple blow

This content was published on May 5, 2004 An opinion poll commissioned by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation has found a clear majority poised to vote down proposals at the ballot box on May 16. The results, published on Wednesday, show 56 per cent of voters are against a package of tax cuts, mainly for families, property owners and shareholders. Only 23 per cent…

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Swiss Politics

Multinationals urged to prevent conflict

This content was published on May 5, 2004 A Swiss security expert says there is scope for them to play a greater role in conflict prevention. Daniele Ganser of the Centre for Security Studies at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich says businesses may themselves trigger national conflicts, and have a duty to help resolve them. swissinfo: Multinational companies are expected to…

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Swiss Politics

Joschka Fischer wins Gottlieb Duttweiler Prize

This content was published on May 4, 2004 The prize, which was awarded at a ceremony in Rüschlikon above Lake Zurich on Tuesday, recognises individuals “who have rendered outstanding services for the benefit of the general public”. More than five and a half years after leading Germany’s Green Party into a coalition with Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s Social Democrats, Fischer remains one of country’s…

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Swiss Politics

Asylum debate heats up

This content was published on May 3, 2004 The Right says the proposals should go some way towards limiting abuse of the system, but the Left argues that they are too harsh. During this week’s special session, the House of Representatives discussed amendments to the asylum law. The proposals, drawn up in 2002, state that asylum seekers arriving from so-called “safe” countries should…

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Swiss Politics

Switzerland prepares to review immigration policy

This content was published on May 2, 2004 During a week-long session beginning on Monday, it’s expected to draw up a new bill to replace the existing law, which dates back more than 70 years. Although the 1931 law has been supplemented over the years with new provisions on immigration and the admission of refugees, it is becoming outdated. Over the past 100…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss view EU enlargement with mixed feelings

This content was published on Apr 29, 2004 While many believe their country can still go it alone, others fear being left out in the cold. In 1992 the Swiss voted against joining the then European Economic Area, which would have been a first step towards full EU membership. Since then the Swiss government has negotiated a series of bilateral agreements with Brussels,…

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