Passes in the Swiss Alps are set to reopen for cars; Lausanne may lose its title as Vaud’s capital; and other news from Switzerland in our Wednesday roundup.
Swiss mountain passes to reopen to car traffic soon
Closed for the winter, passes in the Swiss Alps are scheduled to re-open to car traffic within the next weeks, weather in the mountains — including no further avalanche risk — permitting.
The winter closure at Oberalp is scheduled to be lifted at the end of April, the Uri Construction Office announced on Tuesday.
The opening of the other Alpine passes is as follows: the Gotthard and Klausen Passes in mid-May, the Furka Pass at the end of May, and the Susten Pass in mid-June.
In preparation for the reopenings, snow clearing, the installation of guardrails and railings, as well as rock clearance are underway.
MPs seek to deprive Lausanne of its status as the Vaud capital
In a decidedly odd move, 23 Vaud deputies signed a motion submitted to the cantonal parliament asking to amend an article in the Vaud constitution, which states that : “Lausanne is the capital of the canton.”
Instead, they want the main municipality of the canton’s 10 districts to take turns, in the alphabetical order, as Vaud’s capital for a year.
The idea behind this proposal is to “invigorate” the canton “by bringing power closer to all regions,” the motion states.
If the parliament green-lights this idea, Vaud voters would have the final say.
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Faced with market instability, more and more Swiss want to buy property
The major turmoil unleashed by US tariffs is boosting a demand for housing in Switzerland, seen as a safe investment.
“In times of economic uncertainty, demand for properties increases,” according to the Immoscout24 index.
Consequently, prices of real estate have gone up by an average of 1.3 percent overall; in central Switzerland, the hike even reached 5.2 percent.
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Debt collection and bankruptcy cases increased in in 2024
The total number of official proceedings opened against businesses and individuals under the Debt Enforcement and Bankruptcy Act rose for the fourth year in a row, reaching a record 17,036 cases in 2024.
This is the finding o the Debt Collection and Bankruptcy Statistics that the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) released on Tuesday.
Despite a higher number of cases, however, there was a marked decrease in financial losses resulting from debtand bankruptcy proceedings — 26.5 less than in 2023.
One of the reasons for the increase is the prevalent ‘buy now and pay later’ mentality, which makes it easier for people to “make purchases, even without having the money to pay for them at the time,” said Pascal Pfister, Secretary General of Debts Advice Service.
READ ALSO: How foreigners in Switzerland can get help if they are in debt
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