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Today in Switzerland For Members

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

Helena Bachmann
Helena Bachmann - [email protected]
Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Surgeries to repair post-op complications cost a lot of money. Image by Debora Alves from Pixabay

One canton makes naturalisation more restrictive; government to seek solutions to the housing crisis; and other Swiss news in our roundup on Wednesday.

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Aargau MPs vote to tighten cantonal naturalisation rules

On Tuesday, the Aargau parliament accepted a motion seeking to make conditions for naturalisations stricter. 

The rule requires a "good knowledge of German as a prerequisite for naturalisation:" the B2 level for both written and oral, which is higher than the current level of B1 for oral and A2 in writing — a standard in most cantons.

Even prior to Tuesday’s move, Aargau’s naturalisation criteria were already among the strictest in Switzerland.

In 2020, 64 percent of canton’s voters approved a law under which candidates who have received social assistance for a period of 10 years prior to the application would not be eligible for citizenship. In other cantons, the period is three years.
 
READ ALSO : Can I still get Swiss citizenship after claiming social benefits? 

Switzerland to be ‘short’ of nearly 50,000 homes

The housing shortage in Swiss cities is becoming more and more serious.

Predictions that nearly 50,000 accommodation units will be ‘missing’ within three years have prompted Economy Minister Guy Parmelin to organise a meeting on Friday May 12th to discuss the impending housing crisis.  

City and canton officials from all over Switzerland, as well as representatives of various associations from the construction and housing sectors, will participate in the brain-storming session.

Housing shortage and lack of affordable dwellings have been subjects of an ongoing debate, but no concrete measures have been taken up to date. 

READ ALSO: How can Switzerland solve its housing shortage and curb rents? 

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Plastic surgery ‘tourism’ strains the Swiss healthcare system
 
Complications after cosmetic surgeries performed abroad are impacting Switzerland’s health system, according to the latest issue of Swiss Medical Weekly. 

Some people choose to have cosmetic surgeries done abroad because it is cheaper, and Swiss health insurance doesn't refund the cost of cosmetic procedures.

Basing its findings on data from the University Hospital Zurich (USZ), the journal reports that out of a total of 228 patients treated at USZ for post-surgery complications in recent years, 84 percent were operated on in foreign countries.

Those cases cost the country’s already over-burdened healthcare system 720,000 francs.

The study didn’t report on similar cases — and subsequent costs — in other Swiss hospitals, so the total price tag is likely much higher.

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Most millionaires live in these Swiss communities

If you are wondering where exactly the wealthiest people choose to live, now you will know.

They are mostly concentrated in 10 towns which have, not coincidentally, relatively law tax rates, according to a report in Zurich’s daily newspaper, NZZ:

1. Wollerau, Schwyz
2. Feusisberg, Schwyz
3. Vandoeuvres, Geneva
4. Cologne, Geneva
5. Walchwil, Zug
6. Freienbach, Schwyz
7. Pierrafortscha, Fribourg
8. Rossenges, Vaud
9. Buchillon, Vaud (1.9 percent)
10. Küsnacht, Zurich

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