Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad,

The spring parliamentary session has sprung, with politicians voting on a range of issues for the next three weeks or so. We look at the topics of particular interest to the Swiss Abroad.

In August, the government applied to parliament for a further CHF2.6 billion from the railway infrastructure fund. KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / Gian Ehrenzeller

In the news:  More money for Swiss railways, a condemnation of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and good news for home distilleries.

The Swiss parliament is spending more money on railway expansion than requested by the government. The House of Representatives agreed with the Senate when discussing changes to the 2025 and 2035 expansion stages and increased the credits by CHF350 million ($400 million).

Switzerland has condemned the use of chemical weapons in Syria. In a recently published report, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons held the terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS) responsible for such a use in Marea in northern Syria in 2015.

Small producers of distilled alcoholic drinks such as schnapps and grappa are to be granted a licence for their home distilleries again in order to preserve tradition in Switzerland.

Many issues will be discussed in this spring session. Most notably is the challenge to child pensions. KEYSTONE

The spring parliamentary session has sprung in Switzerland, with politicians voting on a range of issues until March 15. Here are the main topics of particular interest to the Swiss Abroad.

A major item of business is the planned termination of child pensions for retired Swiss Abroad, as my colleague Balz Rigendinger explains. Parents of retirement age receive a child pension if their children are still minors or in education. This is rarely the case for women, and it is mainly older fathers who benefit from this pension system.

Child pensions cost the Swiss federal government around CHF230 million ($261 million) a year. This is, however, small compared to other old-age pensions. That said, the number of recipients is growing. The pushback against retirement child pensions comes from the House of Representative’s social affairs and health committee, which argues that getting rid of retirement child pensions is a potential savings for the federal pension system.

The House of Representatives will also discuss the introduction of an electronic identity (e-ID),which would enable e-government solutions and make it easier for the Swiss Abroad to contact the authorities. “In the longer term, an e-ID could also enable a completely paperless e-voting process, which would make it easier for the Swiss Abroad to exercise their political rights,” says the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA).

For his part, parliamentarian Carlo Sommaruga intends to keep the spotlight on the ongoing e-voting trials and will make a formal request to parliament on the prospects for e-voting.

Also of potential interest to Swiss Abroad who live far away: the Green Party wants to impose a climate levy on flights. They propose a levy of CHF0.01 per kilometre of the flight. In practice, this would increase the ticket price of a flight to Berlin by CHF27 or a flight to Los Angeles by CHF115.

Read the full article to understand these issues in greater detail.