A New Year’s Eve fire at a bar in Valais claims dozens of victims, and a Swiss MP seeks tougher language rules for naturalisation — these are among the news that The Local reported this week. You can catch up on everything in this weekly roundup.
Deadly New Year’ Eve fire an a Swiss resort claims dozens of lives
At least 45 people have died and 115 were injured when a fire swept through a bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana on the night of December 31st.
Desperate family members are still searching for their loved ones – many of them teenagers and young people – as officials face the difficult task of identifying the dead, and the injured have been sent to specialised burn units at Swiss and foreign hospitals.
Authorities said more casualties are expected because severe burns can lead to death in hours and days after the fire.
READ ALSO: Families desperately search for the missing after Swiss ski resort fire
MP seeks tougher language rules for Swiss citizenship
In a recent parliamentary motion, MP Jean-Luc Addor announced he was seeking tougher language proficiency criteria for naturalisation.
Addor, from the Swiss People’s Party (SVP/UDC), argued in his motion – which will be discussed by his fellow legislators during a future parliamentary session – that proficiency in a national language of the candidate’s region is “a decisive factor in integration as well as in autonomy and independence.”
Though certain cantons had already set their own, tougher language proficiency rules, Addor wants these higher requirements to be put in place on federal level as well.
READ ALSO: New move in Switzerland to introduce stricter language rules for naturalisation
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Wealthy Zurich residents apply for naturalisation more often than others
New data reveals that affluent Zurich municipalities register more applications for Swiss citizenship, despite a low proportion of eligible foreign residents.
Not surprisingly, they come from the ‘Gold Coast’ – a wealthy area located on the lower eastern shore of Lake Zurich.
According to an analysis of official figures carried out by Swiss media, the majority of naturalisation applications are submitted at municipal offices of the Gold Coast’s most prosperous communities.
READ ALSO: How residents in wealthy Zurich areas are more likely to seek naturalisation
‘Upward’ forecast for Switzerland’s economy in 2026
According to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), “the Federal Government Expert Group on Business Cycles has slightly revised upwards its forecast for economic growth in 2026.”
Swiss gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to rise by 1.1 percent in 2026 – higher than an earlier assessment of 0.9 percent.
Though foreign trade is expected to provide a positive, albeit moderate, stimulus’ for the economy, the government’s expert group foresees the domestic demand to remain the main driver of growth..
Additionally, inflation is forecast to average 0.2 percent – the same low rate as in 2025 – and that means that “private consumption is expected to remain solid.”
READ ALSO: What are the prospects for Switzerland’s economy in 2026?
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Swiss currency will retain its legendary strength in 2026
Not surprisingly, given its past strength, the franc is expected to maintain its upward trend this year as well.
UBS projects that the EUR/CHF exchange rate will edge higher to 0.94, while USD/CHF should stabilise around 0.78.
This is due to Switzerland’s continued political stability, low debt, very low inflation rate, as well as a strong and highly innovative economy, the UBS said.
And, in a strange twist, the franc gets even stronger during economic upheavals that happen beyond Switzerland’s borders.
READ ALSO: Will the Swiss franc continue to gain strength in 2026?
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Tuition at Swiss universities will go up
Public universities in Switzerland, which depend on government contributions, will be impacted by drastic cuts in a federal budget between 2027 and 2029.
Specifically, there will be 120 million francs per year less for cantonal universities and 78 million francs less for the Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich (ETH) and Lausanne (EPFL).
At most universities, foreign students will have to pay higher fees than their Swiss counterparts.
READ ALSO: Why Swiss universities will raise their tuition fees in 2026
