Female retirement age rise gets the green light No turning back now – the female retirement age in Switzerland is to rise in stages from 64 to 65. The electorate voted for the change two years ago, narrowly endorsing a comprehensive reform of the old-age and survivors’ insurance (OASI) scheme that incorporated the increase. The only snag was that the Federal Council had given an overly gloomy assessment of the financial state of OASI, later admitting it had miscalculated its projections. The Green Party and the women’s wing of the SP consequently went to the Federal Supreme Court (FSC) to demand that the vote be declared null and void. But the FSC dismissed the case on 12 December 2024. It criticised the blunder but concluded that any annulment would undermine the rule of law. (MUL) “Zürcher*innen” still allowed in Zurich Gender-inclusive language is a tricky issue for German speakers. It is fair to say that not everyone is a fan of the gender-neutral “gender star” (as in “Zürcher*innen” to denote a person or persons from Zurich). The slightly more discreet colon (as in “Schweizer:innen”/Swiss) is now quite popular; “Swiss Review” has been using it for the last four years. The capital “I” (as in “AusländerInnen”/foreigner(s)), common for a good while, is on the decline, which is why the city of Zurich discarded it in favour of the gender star in 2022. Campaigners subsequently launched a popular initiative demanding that the city of Zurich be prohibited from using the gender star. But in Switzerland’s first-ever plebiscite on gender-inclusive language, voters emphatically rejected the proposal on 27 November 2024. “Zürcher*innen” is still allowed. (MUL) Basel gives ESC 2025 the thumbs up. This year’s Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), the world’s largest live music event, is to go ahead in Basel as planned. The ultra-conservative Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland (EDU) initiated a referendum to try to prevent the ESC from taking place, labelling the competition a satanic, immoral and unjustifiably expensive “freak show”. Basel will spend 35 million Swiss francs in taxpayer money on hosting the event. The city canton’s electorate disagreed with the EDU, with a clear majority of voters approving the funding plans on 24 November. See also: www.revue.link/ escbasel. (MUL) Opposition to the 30 km/h speed limit Our online edition of the magazine offers additional content. For example, read more about why cutting the road speed limit in Switzerland’s built-up areas continues to divide opinion: www.revue.link/speed30 (MUL) Laurent Debrot In the book “The Little Prince”, there is a man who lights and puts out his lamp every minute. Is it just as absurd for every road in Switzerland to be lit up at night? Yes, says Laurent Debrot from the canton of Neuchâtel. Debrot, a retired organic farmer, campaigned to have the lights switched off in his home municipality of Val-deRuz. It took a while for everyone to acquiesce, but street lights in the villages of Val-de-Ruz are now turned off between midnight and 4.45 a.m. This makes Val-de-Ruz the first municipality in Switzerland to remain dark at night. Darkness is good for both animals and humans, returning the night to its natural state. Neuchâtel’s other municipalities have since followed suit. Street lights throughout the canton have been switched off from midnight since 2022. Laurent Debrot, a former Green member of Neuchâtel’s cantonal parliament, backed up his campaign with facts. In 2017, he measured the light intensity at a pedestrian crossing situated in front of the local cantonal driver and vehicle licensing office in Malvilliers. “The crossing is rarely ever used during the day, and the people in the offices opposite clock off by late afternoon anyway,” he said. “You wonder what the point of these street lights was in the first place.” While touring Val-de-Ruz with a group of journalists, Debrot complained that the crossing had been exempted from the new night-time ruling. “It defeats the object.” The matter has since been resolved. In Le Locle, for example, every street light is now turned off, zebra crossings included. Debrot is happy because he thinks street lights at pedestrian crossings can cause more danger by lulling pedestrians into a false sense of security. He recently conducted a survey among the inhabitants of Le Locle and was pleased with the result. “The reaction has been positive.” STÉPHANE HERZOG Swiss Review / January 2025 / No.1 8 Top pick News
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjYwNzMx