Swiss Review 2/2020

Swiss Review / April 2020 / No.2 27 news.admin.ch ✆ from Switzerland +41 800 24 7 365 ✆ from abroad +41 58 465 33 33 E-Mail: helpline@eda.admin.ch Skype: helpline-eda www.eda.admin.ch/reisehinweise ✆ from Switzerland +41 800 24 7 365 ✆ from abroad +41 58 465 33 33 www.twitter.com/travel_edadfae Online registration for Swiss citizens travelling abroad www.fdfa.admin.ch/itineris App available for free for iOS and Android Travel advice Plan well. Travel well. Federal votes The Federal Council determines voting proposals at least four months before the voting date. Everything you need to know about voting proposals (voting pamphlets, committees, recom- mendations by Parliament and the Federal Council etc.) is availa- ble at www.admin.ch/votes or via the Federal Chancellery’s VoteInfo app. The Federal Council has decided to put the following proposals to the People on 17 May 2020: ■ ■ Federal Popular Initiative “For moderate immigration (Limitation Initiative)” ■ ■ Amendment of the Federal Act onHunting and the Protection of Wild Mammals and Birds (Hunting Act) ■ ■ Amendment of the Federal Act onDirect Federal Taxation (DFTA) (Recognition of third-party childcare costs for tax purposes) Popular initiatives The following federal popular initiative has already been launched at the time of going to press (deadline for the collection of signa- tures in brackets): ■ ■ Federal Popular Initiative “For a secure and sustainable pension system” (Pensions Initiative) (05.05.2021) The list of pending popular initiatives is available in German at www.bk.admin.ch Politische Rechte > Volksinitiativen > Hängige Volksinitiativen International Information Days provide valuable advice on pensions If you live abroad and work or have worked in Switzerland, you can attend Interna- tional Information Days in a number of EU countries to obtain free personalised ad- vice on your rights and obligations with regard to old-age and survivors’ insurance (OASI) and disability insurance (DI). Experts from the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO) attend many of these events. The social security institutions of several EU countries hold International Information Days in a number of major cities in their respective national language. Foreign social security partners representing citizens from other countries can also participate. The Swiss Compensation Office (SCO) is one such institution, attending information days in neighbouring countries and other European countries with sizeable Swiss expatri- ate populations. Its consultations concern the following aspects in particular: ■ ■ Contribution periods in Switzerland and abroad ■ ■ Registering for a Swiss or foreign pension ■ ■ Conditions for receiving a pension ■ ■ How benefits are calculated ■ ■ Swiss-EU coordination ■ ■ How benefits are paid out Anyone who wishes to use this advisory service must first contact the organiser of the Information Day they wish to attend. A detailed Information Day schedule for 2020 is available online at ogy.de/sak-beratung (in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish). A number of Information Days involving the SCO have already taken place this year, but more are to follow in Germany (Cologne and Berlin), Austria (Vienna), France (Grenoble), Italy (Ragusa, Syracuse, Florence and Bologna) and Spain (La Coruña, Valencia and Alicante). Last year saw around 1,000 insured persons make use of the SCO’s consultation services at venues in Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Portugal and Spain. (CCO) Responsible for the FDFA official communications: Simone Flubacher, Relations with the Swiss Abroad Effingerstrasse 27, 3003 Berne, Switzerland Tel. +41 800 24 7 365 or +41 58 465 33 33 www.eda.admin.ch, email: helpline@eda.admin.ch