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Today in Switzerland For Members

Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Monday

Helena Bachmann
Helena Bachmann - [email protected]
Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
The Swiss want closer ties with their European neighbours. Photo by François WALSCHAERTS / POOL / AFP

Beware of travel disruption to and from Germany; Swiss want closer ties with their neighbours, and other news in our Monday roundup.

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Reminder: Strike in Germany makes travel difficult 

German unions have called for a day-long strike in the transport sector today, meaning travel there — both by air and rail — will be disrupted.

SWISS airline has canceled all flights between Switzerland and Munich on Sunday and Monday, with flights to Frankfurt being suspended today.

The flights to Berlin, on the other hand, are not affected by the strike and are taking place as planned.

As for rail traffic, German rail operator Deutsche Bahn also announced it would completely suspend its long-distance traffic, affecting connections to Switzerland as well.

As a result, Swiss Federal Railways said its usual Germany-bound trains will run only until the border.

READ MORE: SWISS airline cancels flights to Munich and Frankfurt due to strike in Germany 

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EU ties are ‘contribution to Swiss prosperity’
 
Bilateral agreements with the European Union are still the best option in the eyes of the Swiss population, according to a new survey.
 
While in the past there had been some reluctance among the population towards closer ties with the EU, this has changed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In the latest survey, carried out by gfs research institute, 59 percent now see benefits of the tighter cooperation with the Union — up from 53 percent in 2022.

The advantages cited are access to the export market, the need to recruit specialised personnel from abroad, and access to European training and research programmes. In all, most respondents see the bilateral treaties as a “contribution to Swiss prosperity.”
 
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: What is Switzerland's deal with the EU?

This is one record Geneva can (probably) do without
 
Switzerland’s second-largest city holds a variety of world and European records — it is, for instance, among the most expensive cities, but also offers one of the highest qualities of life.

Now comes yet another record that the city authorities are probably not too keen to advertise: it ranks at the top of European cities in terms of marijuana use.

According to the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction, which analysed wastewater from 104 European cities for drug residues, Geneva is in the first place, having ‘outperformed’ even the all-time record-holder, Amsterdam. 

In fact, Switzerland as a whole holds the pot smoking record, as two other Swiss cities are also featured in the top 10 — Zurich is in the fifth place and Basel in the sixth.

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Ahead this week:
 
Don’t forget to file taxes by Friday

Swiss tax declarations are due on March 31st. Filing late without having previously asked for an extension will incur penalties, the amount of which depends on your canton of residence and income.

This article explains how you should ask for a new deadline:

EXPLAINED: How to get an extension on your tax deadline in Switzerland

Don’t put it off: as unpleasant as paying taxes is, there is no escaping this burden.

The only valid excuse for not filing on time (or at all, for that matter), is death. But do you really want to go that far?

If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]

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