Swiss government is setting new immigration rules, and major train disruptions are underway — these are among the news that The Local reported this week. You can catch up on everything in this weekly roundup.
Government to implement new immigration measures
The Swiss government is seeking to enforce two measures concerning foreign residents: one related to the work permit types and the other to family reunification.
The first seeks to prevent EU and EFTA nationals who are employed in Switzerland on temporary assignments from obtaining ‘regular’ work permits.
The goal of the second one is to obligate people who come to Switzerland under the family reunification rules to register with a career guidance service in order “to promote the professional integration of this target group and to put their professional potential to better use,” the government said.
READ ALSO: Switzerland to impose new immigration rules
Train travel will not be smooth this summer
The national rail company SBB will be carrying out major maintenance work on the Fribourg-Bern line — one of the most important routes in Switzerland as it connects German and French-speaking parts of the country.
This railway line will be closed from June 27th at 10:30 pm to August 25th, at 4 am ,
A replacement service will be put in place for customers, including buses every 10 minutes to replace long-distance traffic.
During the total interruption , the timetable changes are as follows:
READ ALSO: The major rail disruptions to expect in Switzerland this summer
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The price of the obligatory motorway vignette could rise
Since its inception 40 years ago, the price of Switzerland’s motorway vignette has not budged. But there is a push in the parliament to change that.
Centre Party MP Martin Candinas, who has submitted a motion in the parliament seeking a 100-percent price hike — that is, to raise the vignette’s cost to 80 francs.
However, this measure would not impact Swiss motorists, as it will be offset by less expensive petrol.
On the other hand, it may discourage foreign drivers from transiting through Switzerland, and thus serve to reduce traffic.
READ ALSO: Could Switzerland double the price of the motorway vignette?
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You should avoid hitting the road on some dates
During the summer holidays, traffic on Swiss roads is quite a bit heavier than the rest of the year, with numerous traffic jams forming at certain points, such as the motorways leading up to the Gotthard tunnel.
Swiss motoring organisation TCS has created special ‘traffic calendars’ where motorists can see which days are safe to drive from the congestion perspective, and which ones should be avoided — weekend, for example.
READ ALSO: The key dates to avoid travelling in Switzerland this summer
Bern looks to Brussels for help on beefing up security
Switzerland announced it was interested in striking a security and defence partnership with the European Union, insisting such a tie-up would not violate the country’s cherished military neutrality.
Swiss government “decided to enter into exploratory talks with the EU with a view to concluding a security and defence partnership”, it said in a statement.
“A partnership of this kind is a prerequisite for any joint procurements in the defence sector. It is compatible with neutrality and helps to strengthen Switzerland’s defence capabilities.”
READ ALSO: Switzerland wants security deal with EU to ‘help strengthen defence’
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Climate change continues to impact the Alps
Short, intense summer rainfall in Europe’s Alpine regions is likely to become more frequent and severe in the future because of global warming, according to a study released Thursday by the University of Lausanne (UNIL).
Researchers said that in a scenario where temperatures rise by two degrees Celsius, the Alps and nearby regions could experience episodes of intense summer rainfall twice as often as currently.
“With such warming, an intense storm currently expected once every 50 years could occur once every 25 years in the future,” they found.
READ ALSO: Why summers in the Alps will see far more intense rainfall in future
