MPs reject the initiative to shorten naturalisation wait; right-wing party calls for a cap on the number of foreign students in Swiss schools; and more news in our Monday roundup.
MPs reject the initiative to shorten naturalisation wait
The National Council’s Political Institutions Committee voted against the popular initiative called “For modern citizenship rights” (also known as “Democracy initiative”).
The initiative calls for the federal government (instead of individual cantons) to be responsible for naturalisation, so that the procedure is standardised.
Further, the initiative aims to cut the wait time before a foreigner can apply for citizenship from the current 10 to five years of residency.
The Federal Council had previously also spoken against the proposal because such a move “would constitute an attack on the powers of the cantons and on the federalist nature of the naturalisation procedure.”
READ MORE: What’s the new plan to cut residency periods for Swiss citizenship?
Right-wingers call for a cap on the number of foreign students in Swiss schools
At its reunion on Saturday, the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) adopted a package of demands to “save” the country’s elementary schools.
Foremost among them is a move to implement a maximum number of pupils with a foreign language background per class.
The reason, according to SVP deputy Benjamin Fischer, is that when a 20 percent of students in a class are foreigners, “teaching becomes difficult, and from 30 percent it becomes almost impossible.”
READ MORE: Do foreign children ‘have a negative impact’ on standard of Swiss schools?
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More traffic on the roads due to school vacations
In most parts of Switzerland, the traditional ski break starts in February, but in some cantons it begins at the end of this month.
The Federal Roads Office is expecting a significant increase in traffic volumes on certain Swiss roads during this period.
Additional traffic is expected on access routes to the winter sports areas, but also on highways on the Central Plateau.
Specifically, the A1, A2, A3, A8, A9 and A13 motorways will be particularly congested, as will the conurbations of Zurich, Bern, Basel, Lucerne, Chur and Lugano.
Traffic restrictions are also to be expected on the San Bernardino route between Sargans and Thusis, in the area of the Gotthard road tunnel and on the routes to the Bernese Oberland and Valais.
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Zug will cover part of residents’ childcare costs
With the start of the new school year in August, Zug families will receive financial relief, with the canton paying one-third of childcare costs.
The lump sum will not be based on family income, and will be paid in addition to the existing financial aid provided by municipalities.
This cantonal subsidy is intended, among other things, to improve the work-life balance for families.
A prerequisite is that the parents are employed or undergoing education.
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