Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Minimum age for slow e-bikes causes row, reduced childcare costs delight Basel-City parents, and other news from Switzerland on Thursday.
Proposed minimum age for e-bikes proves controversial
The Federal Council has proposed lowering the minimum age for driving slow e-bikes up to a maximum of 25 km/h to 12 years without a driving licence – as long as an adult is present to supervise. The proposal has, however, met with mixed reviews, ZüriToday reports.
The populist Swiss People's Party, the Swiss Transport Club (VCS), the environmental organisation Umverkehr, the Automobile Club of Switzerland (ACS), the Swiss Auto Trade Association, the Association of Cities as well as the Advice Centre for Accident Prevention (BFU) have all rejected the proposal citing safety concerns as one of the reasons.
The organisations also state that reducing the minimum age to 12 years would not be a smart move from a health policy perspective.
The change in the law propositioned by the Federal Council is based on a motion by the FDP.The Liberals National Councillor Philippe Nantermod who sought to facilitate the use of electric bicycles in Switzerland’s tourist-heavy mountain regions.
The proposal, which is backed by the Swiss Association for Mountain Areas (SAB) is meant to boost tourism as bike tourism has continued to rise in popularity. The motion is also supported by the Green Party of Switzerland, the pedestrian association Fussverkehr Schweiz, the cyclists' interest group Pro Velo and the association of bicycle dealers 2radschweiz.
Bern proposes second Bundesplatz tram route
The capital’s local council has confirmed that a second tram axis is needed to relieve the travel burden on the existing infrastructure and is currently looking at three options to introduce the new tram route by 2025, BärnToday reports.
Option 1 – initially backed by Bern’s public transport operator Bernmobil - would run via Bubenbergplatz and Bahnhofplatz via Speichergasse and Nägeligasse. Option 2 also would also run via Bubenbergplatz and Bahnhofplatz via Lorrainebrücke and Viktoriarain.
Meanwhile, option 3 – the local council’s choice - would run from Hirschengraben via Bundesgasse and Kochergasse. According to the local council, which gathered feedback from neighbourhood organisations and other projects, option 3 is best suited to the already heavy traffic on both Bubenbergplatz and Bahnhofplatz.
But there is one downside: due to the many events and demonstrations that frequently take over the Bundesplatz, the area is subject to regular disruptions which oftentimes means longer travel times, the city government noted.
How does Switzerland compare for work permit salary requirements?
Several countries in Europe are reducing the salaries people from outside the EU need to be eligible for a work visa, although one – Sweden – is raising the threshold.
Switzerland has a restrictive, quota-based work permit system, with employers who want to hire from outside the EU needing to secure one of the relatively few permits issued each year.
In 2023, the federal government issued 8,500 permits for third-country employees (with UK nationals excepted).
Here's a comparison of current rules in the countries covered by The Local.
Basel pours additional 36 million into day care
The Grand Council of the canton of Basel-City has approved a number of measures that will improve the care and quality of work in day care centres while relieving the financial burden on parents, Bz Basel reports.
The canton is currently home to around 5,500 children who attend day care facilities, which corresponds to around half of all preschool children – a number that is expected to rise in the coming years.
At the moment, the costs of childcare are high, especially for high-earning parents in the canton. A family with two children who send them to day care five days a week pays up to 5,200 francs per month.
The government has now decided that from August 1st 2024, parents with two children in day care will pay a maximum of 3,200 Swiss francs per month. If someone only uses day care two days a week, they will pay a maximum of 1,280 Swiss francs per month.
Families on lower incomes who already receive state subsidies will receive further relief and only must pay at least a monthly 150 Swiss francs per full-time child placed in day care instead of the current minimum 300 Swiss francs.
Families with many children can also breathe a sigh of relief as the government has decided that from the third child onwards, the canton will cover the day care cost.
The move is meant to combat the shortage of skilled workers but also make Basel-City more attractive to work and live in.
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Proposed minimum age for e-bikes proves controversial
The Federal Council has proposed lowering the minimum age for driving slow e-bikes up to a maximum of 25 km/h to 12 years without a driving licence – as long as an adult is present to supervise. The proposal has, however, met with mixed reviews, ZüriToday reports.
The populist Swiss People's Party, the Swiss Transport Club (VCS), the environmental organisation Umverkehr, the Automobile Club of Switzerland (ACS), the Swiss Auto Trade Association, the Association of Cities as well as the Advice Centre for Accident Prevention (BFU) have all rejected the proposal citing safety concerns as one of the reasons.
The organisations also state that reducing the minimum age to 12 years would not be a smart move from a health policy perspective.
The change in the law propositioned by the Federal Council is based on a motion by the FDP.The Liberals National Councillor Philippe Nantermod who sought to facilitate the use of electric bicycles in Switzerland’s tourist-heavy mountain regions.
The proposal, which is backed by the Swiss Association for Mountain Areas (SAB) is meant to boost tourism as bike tourism has continued to rise in popularity. The motion is also supported by the Green Party of Switzerland, the pedestrian association Fussverkehr Schweiz, the cyclists' interest group Pro Velo and the association of bicycle dealers 2radschweiz.
Bern proposes second Bundesplatz tram route
The capital’s local council has confirmed that a second tram axis is needed to relieve the travel burden on the existing infrastructure and is currently looking at three options to introduce the new tram route by 2025, BärnToday reports.
Option 1 – initially backed by Bern’s public transport operator Bernmobil - would run via Bubenbergplatz and Bahnhofplatz via Speichergasse and Nägeligasse. Option 2 also would also run via Bubenbergplatz and Bahnhofplatz via Lorrainebrücke and Viktoriarain.
Meanwhile, option 3 – the local council’s choice - would run from Hirschengraben via Bundesgasse and Kochergasse. According to the local council, which gathered feedback from neighbourhood organisations and other projects, option 3 is best suited to the already heavy traffic on both Bubenbergplatz and Bahnhofplatz.
But there is one downside: due to the many events and demonstrations that frequently take over the Bundesplatz, the area is subject to regular disruptions which oftentimes means longer travel times, the city government noted.
How does Switzerland compare for work permit salary requirements?
Several countries in Europe are reducing the salaries people from outside the EU need to be eligible for a work visa, although one – Sweden – is raising the threshold.
Switzerland has a restrictive, quota-based work permit system, with employers who want to hire from outside the EU needing to secure one of the relatively few permits issued each year.
In 2023, the federal government issued 8,500 permits for third-country employees (with UK nationals excepted).
Here's a comparison of current rules in the countries covered by The Local.
Basel pours additional 36 million into day care
The Grand Council of the canton of Basel-City has approved a number of measures that will improve the care and quality of work in day care centres while relieving the financial burden on parents, Bz Basel reports.
The canton is currently home to around 5,500 children who attend day care facilities, which corresponds to around half of all preschool children – a number that is expected to rise in the coming years.
At the moment, the costs of childcare are high, especially for high-earning parents in the canton. A family with two children who send them to day care five days a week pays up to 5,200 francs per month.
The government has now decided that from August 1st 2024, parents with two children in day care will pay a maximum of 3,200 Swiss francs per month. If someone only uses day care two days a week, they will pay a maximum of 1,280 Swiss francs per month.
Families on lower incomes who already receive state subsidies will receive further relief and only must pay at least a monthly 150 Swiss francs per full-time child placed in day care instead of the current minimum 300 Swiss francs.
Families with many children can also breathe a sigh of relief as the government has decided that from the third child onwards, the canton will cover the day care cost.
The move is meant to combat the shortage of skilled workers but also make Basel-City more attractive to work and live in.
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