Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Switzerland is ready to begin negotiations with the EU; citizens won't be obligated to perform public service; and more news in our roundup on Monday.
Swiss–EU relations: Federal Council approves ‘definitive’ negotiating mandate
Bern and Brussels have been preparing to resume bilateral talks for several years, ever since Switzerland walked out of the negotiations in May 2021.
During its meeting on Friday, the government green-lighted the negotiating mandate with the European Union in its "definitive form,” the Federal Council said in a press release.
The adopted mandate takes into consideration the results of the consultation with the foreign affairs committees and other parliamentary groups, the cantons, as well as social and economic sectors.
In other words, everyone concerned by the Swiss – EU relations has had a chance to have their say.
Negotiations will begin as soon as the European Commission has adopted its own definitive mandate, expected sometime still this month.
READ ALSO: What is Switzerland's deal with the EU?
Popular initiative for mandatory civil service is turned down
Even though it collected more than the 100,000 signatures required to bring a proposal to the ballot box, the so-called ‘Citizen Service Initiative’ will not go to a referendum.
The initiative calls for all adult Swiss citizens to annually provide a service for the general public and the environment.
Die mutigste Lösung von allen: Unsere #ServiceCitoyen-Initiative💪Get ready @vbs_ddps Das Volk will eine sinnvolle Reform des Dientpflichtssytems https://t.co/CZwefjKvd2
— ServiceCitoyen.ch (@ServCitoyenCH) January 6, 2024
On Friday, however, the Federal Council rejected this move, suggesting that both chambers of the parliament do the same.
Among the reasons cited by the Federal Council is that “the economic consequences of the citizen service would be considerable,” as people would have to leave their workplaces to perform this mandatory service.
MPs seek to prevent forced marriages involving minors
Every year, about 350 forced marriages of minors are reported in Switzerland — the figure that the government finds “alarming,” especially as many of these unions, contracted abroad, “are results of coercion.”
The Council of State’s Legal Affairs Committee is therefore seeking not only to regard marriages with children under 16 as criminal offences and impose penalties for such acts, but also to extend the right to invalidate these unions until the minor reaches 25 years of age; currently, the annulment is only possible until 18.
Swiss intelligence services under fire for not stopping anti-Semitic attack in Zurich
The Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) is under criticism for failing to stop the stabbing of an orthodox Jewish man in Zurich on March 2nd.
The assailant, a 15-year-old radicalised teenager, had several social media accounts closely linked to the Islamic State terrorist group, and posted threats there. The day before the attck, he had even clearly indicated his intentions on Instagram.
However, nothing was done to prevent him from acting.
The reason is that FIS employees “are confused about what they can and can't do without permission,” according to a report in Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) on Sunday.
That’s because there are “no criteria or structured guidelines” on what the legal framework in such cases is.
And this is not the first time that the FIS has ignored a terrorist threat announced publicly on social networks, NZZ said: in another case, it was only thanks to the intervention of a foreign intelligence service that a suspected terrorist could be arrested in Switzerland.
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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Swiss–EU relations: Federal Council approves ‘definitive’ negotiating mandate
Bern and Brussels have been preparing to resume bilateral talks for several years, ever since Switzerland walked out of the negotiations in May 2021.
During its meeting on Friday, the government green-lighted the negotiating mandate with the European Union in its "definitive form,” the Federal Council said in a press release.
The adopted mandate takes into consideration the results of the consultation with the foreign affairs committees and other parliamentary groups, the cantons, as well as social and economic sectors.
In other words, everyone concerned by the Swiss – EU relations has had a chance to have their say.
Negotiations will begin as soon as the European Commission has adopted its own definitive mandate, expected sometime still this month.
READ ALSO: What is Switzerland's deal with the EU?
Popular initiative for mandatory civil service is turned down
Even though it collected more than the 100,000 signatures required to bring a proposal to the ballot box, the so-called ‘Citizen Service Initiative’ will not go to a referendum.
The initiative calls for all adult Swiss citizens to annually provide a service for the general public and the environment.
Die mutigste Lösung von allen: Unsere #ServiceCitoyen-Initiative💪Get ready @vbs_ddps Das Volk will eine sinnvolle Reform des Dientpflichtssytems https://t.co/CZwefjKvd2
— ServiceCitoyen.ch (@ServCitoyenCH) January 6, 2024
On Friday, however, the Federal Council rejected this move, suggesting that both chambers of the parliament do the same.
Among the reasons cited by the Federal Council is that “the economic consequences of the citizen service would be considerable,” as people would have to leave their workplaces to perform this mandatory service.
MPs seek to prevent forced marriages involving minors
Every year, about 350 forced marriages of minors are reported in Switzerland — the figure that the government finds “alarming,” especially as many of these unions, contracted abroad, “are results of coercion.”
The Council of State’s Legal Affairs Committee is therefore seeking not only to regard marriages with children under 16 as criminal offences and impose penalties for such acts, but also to extend the right to invalidate these unions until the minor reaches 25 years of age; currently, the annulment is only possible until 18.
Swiss intelligence services under fire for not stopping anti-Semitic attack in Zurich
The Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) is under criticism for failing to stop the stabbing of an orthodox Jewish man in Zurich on March 2nd.
The assailant, a 15-year-old radicalised teenager, had several social media accounts closely linked to the Islamic State terrorist group, and posted threats there. The day before the attck, he had even clearly indicated his intentions on Instagram.
However, nothing was done to prevent him from acting.
The reason is that FIS employees “are confused about what they can and can't do without permission,” according to a report in Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) on Sunday.
That’s because there are “no criteria or structured guidelines” on what the legal framework in such cases is.
And this is not the first time that the FIS has ignored a terrorist threat announced publicly on social networks, NZZ said: in another case, it was only thanks to the intervention of a foreign intelligence service that a suspected terrorist could be arrested in Switzerland.
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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