Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Proposals to make foreign students pay more to study in Geneva; the situation on Switzerland's property market; and more news in our roundup on Thursday.
Right-wingers want foreign students to pay more to study in Geneva
The University of Geneva's share of public subsidies is expected to increase substantially by 2027.
To offset this hike, at least partially, the populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) is proposing that foreign nationals who study at this university pay higher tuition fees which, at 435 francs per semester, are the same as for the Swiss population.
“Instead of burdening Geneva taxpayers, we must impose a higher financial contribution on foreign students,” said Vincent Schaller, a SVP municipal councillor.
Geneva's is one of five universities where Swiss and foreign students pay the same amount. At 435 francs per semester, it is the cheapest in the country.
READ ALSO: How much universities in Switzerland charge foreigners compared to locals
Switzerland’s passport is powerful, but others are stronger
The Swiss don’t like to hear that anything 'foreign' is better than their own.
That's the case with passports.
It turns out that Switzerland passport ranks fifth out of 199 surveyed in the new Henley Passport Index 2024, which used data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to find out which passports offer its holders most visa-free entries.
On the other hand, however, Switzerland shares the fifth place with other countries like Malta, Czechia, Greece, Australia, and New Zealand.
What’s more, Switzerland’s neighbours France, Germany, and Italy (along with Spain, Singapore, and Soiuh Korea) all rank in the first place, and thus ‘outdo' Switzerland in this respect.
In all, a Swiss passport allows visa-free entry to 190 countries, while 36 nations require Swiss citizens to have a visa.
Travelling with a Swiss passport is relatively easy, according to a new ranking. Photo: Norbert from Pixabay
Prices for single-family homes are falling but apartments are becoming more expensive
In the last three months of 2023, the cost of residential property in Switzerland was marked by both hikes and decreases.
According to the analysis carries out by Raiffeisen bank, single-family homes became cheaper, but people purchasing condominiums had to pay more.
Specifically, prices for single-family homes fell by 1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023 when compared to the previous months, the bank said on Wednesday.
In contrast, condominium prices increased by 1.7 percent during the same period.
Overall, houses cost 2.2 percent more, and the price of apartments rose by 5.9 percent.
Basel adopts a new, all-inclusive Gender Equality Act
Basel-City’s parliament passed a new equality law on Wednesday, focusing on a diversified gender principle.
The Basel Equality Act “is intended to cover all conceivable gender ideas and forms of sexual orientation, and protect those affected from discrimination,” the law states.
While men and women remain “explicitly included” in the new legislation, so are gender identities of non-binary, trans-identity and intersex individuals.
Several people injured after maintenance train crashes on viaduct
A maintenance train collided with a track excavator in Zurich on Wednesday night, injuring several people.
The accident at the Wipkingen viaduct happened around 10.30pm.
According to Swiss outlet BRK News, it's still unclear how many people were injured in the accident.
Several ambulances were deployed at the scene.
The cantonal and municipal police, as well as the fire brigade and the SBB fire and rescue train, were also in attendance.
"In addition to rescuing injured people, the task was to bind leaking liquids such as diesel and hydraulic oil," said BRK News.
The cause of the accident is not yet known.
Woman in wheelchair has miracle escape after falling onto Swiss train track
An elderly woman in a wheelchair was miraculously left largely unscathed despite a close call with an oncoming train after having fallen on the tracks, Swiss police said on Wednesday.
The incident happened on Tuesday afternoon at a train station in northeast Switzerland, police in the canton of Aargau said.
The woman, 70, was "very lucky in her misfortune", because she fell exactly between two rails, police said.
The result was that the passing train barely touched her as it passed over her.
She was taken to hospital, as was another person on the platform who was mildly injured by flying parts of the electric wheelchair.
The incident caused delays in traffic at the station in Kaiseraugst, near Basel for several hours.
Police have so far ruled out any third-party involvement in the incident.
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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Right-wingers want foreign students to pay more to study in Geneva
The University of Geneva's share of public subsidies is expected to increase substantially by 2027.
To offset this hike, at least partially, the populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) is proposing that foreign nationals who study at this university pay higher tuition fees which, at 435 francs per semester, are the same as for the Swiss population.
“Instead of burdening Geneva taxpayers, we must impose a higher financial contribution on foreign students,” said Vincent Schaller, a SVP municipal councillor.
Geneva's is one of five universities where Swiss and foreign students pay the same amount. At 435 francs per semester, it is the cheapest in the country.
READ ALSO: How much universities in Switzerland charge foreigners compared to locals
Switzerland’s passport is powerful, but others are stronger
The Swiss don’t like to hear that anything 'foreign' is better than their own.
That's the case with passports.
It turns out that Switzerland passport ranks fifth out of 199 surveyed in the new Henley Passport Index 2024, which used data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to find out which passports offer its holders most visa-free entries.
On the other hand, however, Switzerland shares the fifth place with other countries like Malta, Czechia, Greece, Australia, and New Zealand.
What’s more, Switzerland’s neighbours France, Germany, and Italy (along with Spain, Singapore, and Soiuh Korea) all rank in the first place, and thus ‘outdo' Switzerland in this respect.
In all, a Swiss passport allows visa-free entry to 190 countries, while 36 nations require Swiss citizens to have a visa.
Prices for single-family homes are falling but apartments are becoming more expensive
In the last three months of 2023, the cost of residential property in Switzerland was marked by both hikes and decreases.
According to the analysis carries out by Raiffeisen bank, single-family homes became cheaper, but people purchasing condominiums had to pay more.
Specifically, prices for single-family homes fell by 1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023 when compared to the previous months, the bank said on Wednesday.
In contrast, condominium prices increased by 1.7 percent during the same period.
Overall, houses cost 2.2 percent more, and the price of apartments rose by 5.9 percent.
Basel adopts a new, all-inclusive Gender Equality Act
Basel-City’s parliament passed a new equality law on Wednesday, focusing on a diversified gender principle.
The Basel Equality Act “is intended to cover all conceivable gender ideas and forms of sexual orientation, and protect those affected from discrimination,” the law states.
While men and women remain “explicitly included” in the new legislation, so are gender identities of non-binary, trans-identity and intersex individuals.
Several people injured after maintenance train crashes on viaduct
A maintenance train collided with a track excavator in Zurich on Wednesday night, injuring several people.
The accident at the Wipkingen viaduct happened around 10.30pm.
According to Swiss outlet BRK News, it's still unclear how many people were injured in the accident.
Several ambulances were deployed at the scene.
The cantonal and municipal police, as well as the fire brigade and the SBB fire and rescue train, were also in attendance.
"In addition to rescuing injured people, the task was to bind leaking liquids such as diesel and hydraulic oil," said BRK News.
The cause of the accident is not yet known.
Woman in wheelchair has miracle escape after falling onto Swiss train track
An elderly woman in a wheelchair was miraculously left largely unscathed despite a close call with an oncoming train after having fallen on the tracks, Swiss police said on Wednesday.
The incident happened on Tuesday afternoon at a train station in northeast Switzerland, police in the canton of Aargau said.
The woman, 70, was "very lucky in her misfortune", because she fell exactly between two rails, police said.
The result was that the passing train barely touched her as it passed over her.
She was taken to hospital, as was another person on the platform who was mildly injured by flying parts of the electric wheelchair.
The incident caused delays in traffic at the station in Kaiseraugst, near Basel for several hours.
Police have so far ruled out any third-party involvement in the incident.
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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