Swiss Review 6/2019

Swiss Review / November 2019 / No.6 34 OSA news The full article is available at swissinfo.ch, the online service of the Swiss radio and TV company (SRG SSR) published in ten languages. Do you also live abroad? Mark your pictures on Instagram with #WeAreSwissAbroad. A Swiss receives permission to restore holy Buddha statue Alfred Soland from Basel settled in Thailand after living in Hollywood and Las Vegas. According to the local media, he is the first foreign artist to receive permission to restore a Buddha statue. His music: Since he was young, Alfred Soland has been passionate about music. “I played bass in a group called Sidi Brahim. In 1981, we received an award for being the best jazz rock band in Switzer- land,” he recalls. He later studied sculpture and painting and founded an advertising agency. His American experience: He suffered a midlife crisis at 32. In California, he qualified as a composer and musical arranger for orchestras. He then made it into the film business. However, af- ter six years Soland decided to completely change direction: he moved to Las Vegas, where he spent five years as a professional poker player. His awakening: The loss of a good friend stirred something within him: “I wanted to see as much of the world as possible while I still could.” He travelled to Thailand and started meditating. “Medita- tion enabled me to start over.” His body gradually changed as the years went by and he now looks younger. “People don’t believe me when I say I’m nearly 60.” His Buddha: Soland made the acquaintance of a monk through his Thai girlfriend. The monk needed an artist to restore a four-me- tre-high statue of Buddha in his temple. His work has not gone un- noticed: “The journalists were almost lost for words. They said that no foreigner had ever been granted that particular privilege.” 34 SWISS ABROAD COMMUNITY Am I entitled to unemployment benefit after returning to Switzerland from a non-EU/EFTA country? “I am a Swiss expatriate who has been living in a non-EU/EFTA country for the last two years. What would be my rights with regard to unemploy- ment benefit if I returned to Switzerland?” People who have most recently been working in a non-EU/EFTA country can register at a regional employment centre (RAV) in their home municipality after returning to Switzerland. They will be entitled to unemployment benefit (for up to 90 days) provided they can prove (with salary statements) that they have been in paid employment in a non-EU/EFTA country for at least 12 of the previous 24 months. In addition, they need to prove that they have worked for at least six months in Switzerland during that time. This is because, as of 2018, this standard two-year time frame must also comprise a six-month contribution period in Switzerland. In other words: in the 24 months preceding the date on which you apply for unemployment benefit, you need to have been in gainful employment in Switzerland in order to qualify. Anyone who has worked for a Swiss-domiciled company and consequently made Swiss unemployment insurance contributions during their time abroad will be treated the same as anyone who works in Switzerland. (US) Further information: www.treffpunkt-arbeit.ch Money transfers to Cuba? The OSA has been looking into the matter PostFinance discontinued all payments to Cuba on 1 September 2019. What does this mean for Swiss Abroad who live in Cuba and receive a Swiss pension? The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) contacted the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO) to ask what the impact will be and whether any measures are being taken to help pensioners living in Cuba. The SCO assured the OSA that it is following the geopolitical situation and associated impact on payment transactions closely. Fortunately, payments from the SCO to Cuba are subject to an exemption, hence old-age and survivors’ insurance (OASI) will continue to be transferred in euros to Cuba. At the political level, member of the Council of States and OSA Vice-Presi- dent Filippo Lombardi (CVP, canton of Ticino) has filed a parliamentary interpellation. Lombardi is asking whether the Federal Council intends to take action to ensure that PostFinance executes payments to Cuba – especially in regard to Swiss pensioners who live in the country. If no action is planned, Lombardi wants to know what alternatives the Federal Council has in mind to ensure that Swiss expatriates in Cuba receive their pension benefits. The interpellation has still to be considered. (MS) The OSA’s Legal Service provides general legal information on Swiss law, particular- ly in areas which concern the Swiss Abroad. It does not provide information on foreign law or intervene in disputes between private parties.