Five big news stories from Switzerland you shouldn't miss this week
Cheaper imported goods and more expensive brand-name drugs are among the big news stories in Switzerland this week. Catch up on everything in this weekly roundup.
Many imported products will become cheaper in 2024
From January 1st, the government will abolish duties on 95 percent of all imports.
This is good news for Switzerland’s consumers because the duty-free status will make many products more affordable (as long as they are imported rather than manufactured in Switzerland).
Among them are cars, clothes, footwear, personal care products, and bicycles.
READ ALSO: Why some things in Switzerland will become cheaper in 2024
Buying your ticket after you board the train is an offence
If you have ever purchased your ticket on your Swiss railway (SBB) app just as the train was pulling out of the station, you may have (inadvertently) committed an offence.
That’s because one of SBB’s regulations states that a ticket is not valid if it is purchased after the departure of the train, even if by a split second.
Anyone who does this, for whatever reason, is considered a fare dodger and must pay a 90-franc fine.
READ ALSO: Can you buy tickets after boarding trains in Switzerland?
Plan to let non-EU graduates remain in Switzerland is moving forward, though slowly
MPs have been debating for months allowing certain students from non-EU /EFTA nations to stay in the country after graduation.
The political will to do so is there, but the project has hit a setback when it became clear that there is no legal basis for such a measure to be implemented.
The MPs have now asked the Federal Council to handle this project from the constitutional point of view, by exempting a limited number of third-country graduates from the quote requirement.
READ ALSO: Will Switzerland's plan to let non-EU graduates stay ever get green light?
Buying brand-name drugs in 2024 will become more costly
From January 1st, the out-of-pocket expenses for brand-name drugs in Switzerland will increase sharply.
In order to reduce soaring health costs, which drive health insurance premiums upwards, the co-pay amount for branded (also called ‘original’) medications will rise from the current 10 or 20 percent to 40 percent, in cases where a generic alternative, which contains the same active ingredient, is available instead.
READ ALSO: Why you will pay more for certain drugs in Switzerland 2024?
The number of alcohol-related accidents is on the rise, especially in one canton
The number of road accidents in Switzerland linked to drinking alcohol and driving has reached a new record high, according to new figures.
The number of road accidents in which alcohol was the chief cause rose by 19 percent in Switzerland in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to figures from Touring Club Suisse (TCS).
The situation is worst in Geneva: for the past six years, the French-speaking canton has been holding on tight to its dubious record as the place in Switzerland for most car accidents caused by drink driving.
READ ALSO: Where in Switzerland is the worst for drink-driving?
And in case you want to celebrate Christmas like the Swiss do, you still have time to prepre some typical holiday dishes:
READ ALSO: The Christmas food that brings comfort and joy to the Swiss
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Many imported products will become cheaper in 2024
From January 1st, the government will abolish duties on 95 percent of all imports.
This is good news for Switzerland’s consumers because the duty-free status will make many products more affordable (as long as they are imported rather than manufactured in Switzerland).
Among them are cars, clothes, footwear, personal care products, and bicycles.
READ ALSO: Why some things in Switzerland will become cheaper in 2024
Buying your ticket after you board the train is an offence
If you have ever purchased your ticket on your Swiss railway (SBB) app just as the train was pulling out of the station, you may have (inadvertently) committed an offence.
That’s because one of SBB’s regulations states that a ticket is not valid if it is purchased after the departure of the train, even if by a split second.
Anyone who does this, for whatever reason, is considered a fare dodger and must pay a 90-franc fine.
READ ALSO: Can you buy tickets after boarding trains in Switzerland?
Plan to let non-EU graduates remain in Switzerland is moving forward, though slowly
MPs have been debating for months allowing certain students from non-EU /EFTA nations to stay in the country after graduation.
The political will to do so is there, but the project has hit a setback when it became clear that there is no legal basis for such a measure to be implemented.
The MPs have now asked the Federal Council to handle this project from the constitutional point of view, by exempting a limited number of third-country graduates from the quote requirement.
READ ALSO: Will Switzerland's plan to let non-EU graduates stay ever get green light?
Buying brand-name drugs in 2024 will become more costly
From January 1st, the out-of-pocket expenses for brand-name drugs in Switzerland will increase sharply.
In order to reduce soaring health costs, which drive health insurance premiums upwards, the co-pay amount for branded (also called ‘original’) medications will rise from the current 10 or 20 percent to 40 percent, in cases where a generic alternative, which contains the same active ingredient, is available instead.
READ ALSO: Why you will pay more for certain drugs in Switzerland 2024?
The number of alcohol-related accidents is on the rise, especially in one canton
The number of road accidents in Switzerland linked to drinking alcohol and driving has reached a new record high, according to new figures.
The number of road accidents in which alcohol was the chief cause rose by 19 percent in Switzerland in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to figures from Touring Club Suisse (TCS).
The situation is worst in Geneva: for the past six years, the French-speaking canton has been holding on tight to its dubious record as the place in Switzerland for most car accidents caused by drink driving.
READ ALSO: Where in Switzerland is the worst for drink-driving?
And in case you want to celebrate Christmas like the Swiss do, you still have time to prepre some typical holiday dishes:
READ ALSO: The Christmas food that brings comfort and joy to the Swiss
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