10 legal provisions since 2022
Social insurance numbers
Public authorities in
Switzerland are now allowed to systematically use a person's social insurance
number in order to identify citizens.
Federal employees
From 2022, federal
employees will be entitled to four weeks of paternity leave. It is now also
easier to switch the place of work and work time model.
Gender
It is now easier for
transgender people to have their first name and gender amended in the civil
status register.
Public health
Stricter criteria apply for
doctors wishing to open outpatient practices.
Domestic violence
Victims of domestic
violence and stalking are to be afforded better protection, e.g. through
electronic monitoring of restraining orders.
Climate
Car importers will now face
fines if the vehicles they import fail to pass applicable CO2 thresholds.
Aviation
Airport staff will be
subject to tighter security checks from the beginning of the year.
Prices
New measures to tackle high prices in Switzerland, e.g. ban on geo-blocking,
a method used by online retailers to modify prices and content available to
Swiss residents.
Animals
New regulations on
slaughter methods, e.g. poultry no longer has to be killed using CO2 alone;
other gas mixtures may also be used.
Weapons
Weapon store owners will be
required to take further steps to protect against break-ins.
Federal law
www.fedlex.admin.ch
Was Einstein right?
Albert Einstein
once said that, “if the world were to end, I’d prefer to be in Switzerland.
Everything happens five years later there.” Is he right? The end of the world
could well be thrown off course in the consultation procedure, or at the very
least in Parliament. There may well also be disagreement within the Federal
Council on a reasonable time schedule for the end of the world. And, Swiss
voters will also have their say in the matter! One can assume that Swiss voters
would reject the end of the world. It looks like, for once, Einstein was wrong:
the world would not simply end a few years later in Switzerland, it would not
be allowed to end, ever.
Excerpt from a speech by Federal Councillor Alain Berset
