Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Moves to raise child allowances are underway in parliament; experts warn Switzerland's housing is insufficient to accommodate more residents; and more news in our roundup on Monday.
MPs move to increase family allowances
A National Council commission is seeking to increase child allowances to at least 250 francs a month — a recommendation it is passing on to its counterpart commission in the Council of States.
While a number of cantons — including Geneva, Basel-City, and Vaud — already pay more than this amount, others contribute only 200 francs a month per child.
MPs stressed that higher child benefits will help many low and middle-income families compensate for the increased cost of living and reduce the risk of children falling into poverty.
READ ALSO: What welfare benefits can you get if you have children in Switzerland?
Warning: Switzerland doesn’t have enough housing to accommodate 10 million people
Demographers are expecting Switzerland’s current population of just over 9 million to pass the 10-million-mark in the next decade.
However, “the available resources will barely be sufficient to absorb the entire expected population growth,” said Daniel Steffen, an economist at the University of Applied Sciences Lucerne (HSLU), who conducted research into this problem.
“Therefore, in the years to come, the shortage of living space will continue to worsen.”
One of the solutions is to attribute more land to new constructions and ease administrative burdens involved in issuing building permits, experts say.
READ ALSO: What Switzerland needs to do to accommodate 10 million residents
Mysterious banging noises puzzle Zurich residents
Inhabitants of several districts in the city report “strange” explosion-like sounds they liken to those emitted by heavily loaded pallet crashing to the ground.
Officials have no clue what this noise is or where it is coming from, having ruled out construction sites.
“Our current projects cannot be the cause," according to a spokesperson for the city's civil engineering department.
Another, as yet unsubstantiated theory, is that the banging noises could possibly come from so-called sheet pile walls found in the construction pits which are secured with the corrugated metal structures.
But why these sounds can be heard throughout the city still remains an unsolved mystery.
Spring ‘will be exceptionally warm’ in Switzerland this year
From March until May, temperatures exceeding 10.5 degrees on average can be expected in the Swiss-German part of the country — though this may not sound like a lot, average temperatures for this time of year are typically below 10C, according to national weather service, MeteoSwiss.
In French-speaking Switzerland, an average temperature of more than 11C is forecasted, while Ticino residents will enjoy 12.8C on average.
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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MPs move to increase family allowances
A National Council commission is seeking to increase child allowances to at least 250 francs a month — a recommendation it is passing on to its counterpart commission in the Council of States.
While a number of cantons — including Geneva, Basel-City, and Vaud — already pay more than this amount, others contribute only 200 francs a month per child.
MPs stressed that higher child benefits will help many low and middle-income families compensate for the increased cost of living and reduce the risk of children falling into poverty.
READ ALSO: What welfare benefits can you get if you have children in Switzerland?
Warning: Switzerland doesn’t have enough housing to accommodate 10 million people
Demographers are expecting Switzerland’s current population of just over 9 million to pass the 10-million-mark in the next decade.
However, “the available resources will barely be sufficient to absorb the entire expected population growth,” said Daniel Steffen, an economist at the University of Applied Sciences Lucerne (HSLU), who conducted research into this problem.
“Therefore, in the years to come, the shortage of living space will continue to worsen.”
One of the solutions is to attribute more land to new constructions and ease administrative burdens involved in issuing building permits, experts say.
READ ALSO: What Switzerland needs to do to accommodate 10 million residents
Mysterious banging noises puzzle Zurich residents
Inhabitants of several districts in the city report “strange” explosion-like sounds they liken to those emitted by heavily loaded pallet crashing to the ground.
Officials have no clue what this noise is or where it is coming from, having ruled out construction sites.
“Our current projects cannot be the cause," according to a spokesperson for the city's civil engineering department.
Another, as yet unsubstantiated theory, is that the banging noises could possibly come from so-called sheet pile walls found in the construction pits which are secured with the corrugated metal structures.
But why these sounds can be heard throughout the city still remains an unsolved mystery.
Spring ‘will be exceptionally warm’ in Switzerland this year
From March until May, temperatures exceeding 10.5 degrees on average can be expected in the Swiss-German part of the country — though this may not sound like a lot, average temperatures for this time of year are typically below 10C, according to national weather service, MeteoSwiss.
In French-speaking Switzerland, an average temperature of more than 11C is forecasted, while Ticino residents will enjoy 12.8C on average.
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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