Switzerland to pay 3.3 billion francs to the European Union; study shows that Swiss glaciers have experienced ‘catastrophic’ damage; and more news in our Thursday roundup.
Switzerland to pay 3.3 billion francs to the European Union
The Council of States approved on Wednesday a ‘cohesion payment’ to the EU, totalling 3.3 billion francs, for the years 2030 to 2036.
This will be Switzerland’s financial contribution to Brussels for the purpose of reducing economic and social disparities within the EU states.
Though Switzerland is not part of the EU, the payments are part of the original bilateral agreements between Bern and Brussels.
READ MORE: What are the ‘cohesion payments’ Switzerland pays to the EU?
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Massive melt: Swiss glaciers have experienced significant damage
Switzerland’s glaciers, which are disproportionately impacted by climate change, have lost nearly 20 percent of their mass in five years, with 2026 registering the second-biggest melt on record.
Concretely, the glaciers saw 5.5-percent of their volume melt away this year, the Glacier Monitoring Network found in a new study, published after a record hot summer preceded by a winter with little snowfall.(AFP)
READ MORE: Melting Swiss glaciers face worst-case scenario
Zurich’s new leaf-raking regulation goes into effect today
Just as trees are losing their leaves, stricter regulations for leaf vacuums and leaf blowers apply in the city of Zurich from today.
They allow only electrically operated devices, while banning fuel-powered ones.
This measure was approved in a referendum in September 2025, when more than 61 percent of voters supported the restrictive rules, which authorities said would limit noise and dust pollution.
New map aims to prevent fatal hiking accidents
Every year, dozens of people die in hiking accidents in Switzerland, mostly due to falls on steep terrain.
However, a new digital traffic-light system aims to better prepare hikers for these challenges.
The Swiss Council for Accident Prevention, the Swiss Alpine Club, as well as the Swiss Hiking Trails organisation, are planning to launch a new digital map “that shows at a glance how exposed a trail is.”
A traffic-light system ranging from green to red will indicate on the map how steeply the terrain drops off immediately next to the hiking trail.
The project is currently in its final development phase, expected to be launched in 2027.
READ MORE: What are Switzerland’s most dangerous hiking trails?
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