Geneva borders reopen sooner than expected; hundreds of Zurich employers underpay their workers; plus other Swiss news in our roundup this Thursday.
Geneva borders are reopening sooner than expected
For security reasons, more than two dozen border crossings between France and Geneva were closed prior to the G7 summit, which took place in in Evian on June 15th and 16th..
However, traffic through 25 closed border points is being re-established sooner than originally planned: from 6am his morning, instead of Friday.
Additionally, the more rigorous, systematic border checks introduced for the summit will now be discontinued for vehicles entering Switzerland
Hundreds of Zurich employers underpay their workers
For 2025, the canton has identified wage violations at 396 companies out of 1,927 analysed.
These cases were significantly higher among foreign employers.
Concretely, 147 of 371 companies surveyed by the Zurich Department of Economic Affairs, did not pay their employees the customary salaries.
Among Swiss companies, 249 out of 1,556 were found to have violated the local, occupational, and industry-standard wages.
Switzerland is one of the world’s worst countries for anti-tobacco policies
The country is ranked in the 36th place – out of a total of 37 – in the Tobacco Control Scale (TCS), which compares European tobacco control regulations.
Only Bosnia & Herzegovina received a lower score.
The TCS pointed out that even though some “minor amendments” to the law concerning tobacco advertising were adopted in 2025 and will come into force in 2027, “Switzerland continues to struggle to adopt legislation without significant loopholes.”
It is also the only country of the 37 surveyed that has not ratified the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the TCS added.
Swiss government found more than 14,000 suspected cases of undeclared work
According to a report published on Wednesday by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), in 2025, 14,450 companies were inspected for compliance with various labour laws.
In total, some 44,083 workers were checked.
Of those, 14,500 ‘suspicious’ cases of people working ‘off the books’ – often involving foreigners without valid permits – were reported to the competent authorities for further investigation.
Travel news: New night trains connect Zurich with Vienna
The newest generation of Nightjet trains – operated by Austria’s national rail company ÖBB – has completed its inaugural run between the two cities this week.
Compared to previous trains operating on this route, the new Nightjet offers more comfort and additional amenities, such as fixed beds, mini cabins for solo travellers, private showers and toilets in the sleeping cars, and more privacy overall.
From December, new Nightjets will be deployed on the Zurich to Amsterdam route as well.
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