Switzerland to begin digitalising naturalisation applications; Geneva court suspends burkini ban; plus other news in our roundup this Thursday.
Switzerland to begin digitalising naturalisation applications
From August 1st, the Federal Council is digitalising the processes for obtaining Swiss citizenship.
“In the future, communication between the responsible cantonal authorities and the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) can take place digitally instead of by mail,” the government said in a press release.
With this digitisation project, the Federal Council aims not only to optimise communication but also the submission of naturalisation applications via a new interface of the Central Migration Information System (ZEMIS).
The new system will initially be tested in a few cantons as part of a pilot phase, with the remaining cantons to be connected to the system after the trial period is over.
Geneva court suspends burkini ban
The cantonal law mandates that all swimwear in public swimming pools must end above the knee and leave the arms uncovered. This means that Islamic ‘burkinis’ are not allowed.
However, several municipalities and organisations have appealed this decision and Geneva’s courts have now suspended the ban on full-coverage swimsuits adopted in March by the right-wing majority in the cantonal Parliament.
The Constitutional Chamber granted a stay of execution to an appeal filed by the Coordination for Inclusive Swimming. “The appellants raise relevant grievances concerning violations of several fundamental rights,” the court wrote to explain its ruling.
Geneva MP seeks to change traffic patterns during heatwaves
The deputy in question, Julien Nicolet-dit-Félix, has submitted a motion in the cantonal Parliament proposing to alternate traffic in Geneva during heatwaves.
Concretely, his proposal is calling for vehicles with even-numbered license plates to circulate on even-numbered days, and those with odd-numbered plates to only be permitted on the road on odd-numbered days.
By halving traffic, the local population will “feel the benefits of a drop in ambient temperature,” he wrote in his proposal.
The motion has not yet been debated, but another MP, Murat Julian Alder, has already said that the idea is “absurd.”
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