The Council of States votes in favour of EU agreements; MP calls for rent reduction for heatwave-impacted apartments; and more Swiss news in our Tuesday roundup.
The Council of States votes in favour of EU agreements
After hours of debate on Monday, the upper house of the Parliament approved – by 29 votes to 15 – the new package of treaties between Switzerland and the EU.
Deputies emphasised that the European Union is Switzerland’s primary economic partner, as well as its overall importance to the country.
Therefore, “the question is not whether or not Switzerland should have close ties with the EU, but how to structure these relations” said deputy Tiana Moser.
The discussions on this topic will continue until Wednesday.
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MP calls for rent reduction for heatwave-impacted apartments
During the summer’s record-breaking heatwave, many tenants sweated within the walls of their rented accommodations..
Now, Social Democrat MP Ueli Schmezer is calling for apartments that become excessively hot in summer to be classified as having a defect under tenancy law.
“As tenants, we pay for an apartment that is habitable,” he pointed out in a motion he submitted in the Parliament. “If someone can no longer sleep well due to badly ventilated rooms, the threshold for a defect has been crossed.”
His motion therefore calls on the Federal Council to define specific criteria for determining when excessive indoor temperatures constitute a defect in the rental property. Landlords would then be required to remedy the issue or reduce the rent.
Social Democrats unveil their new initiaitve to lower health insurance premiums
Specifically, the plan involves credits: for adults, this would mean two free monthly premiums, while for children, the plan calls for six free monthly premiums.
According the proposal’s instigators, the scheme would be funded by a new tax surcharge on high-income individuals.
Critics of the plan point out, however, that the initiative resembles a previous bid – rejected by voters in 2024 – which also focused on redistributing the financial burden for the health insurance.
The collection of signatures to bring this issue to the ballot box will now begin.
Zurich makes progress with its project to replace asphalt with trees
Following the adoption of the “Healthy Urban Climate” initiative in 2024, the city has achieved one-third of its greening target – that is, repurposing of street spaces for the benefit of pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport.
In total, municipal authorities aim to redesign a total of 600,000 square metres of street space, and to ‘green’ an additional 145,000 square metres.
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