German woman whose naturalisation bid was denied wins court battle for Swiss citizenship; second-pillar pension recipients to get higher payments from 2027; and more news in our Thursday roundup.
German woman whose naturalisation bid was denied will receive her Swiss passport after all
A 49-year-old primary school teacher from Freienbach, canton Schwyz, sought to obtain Swiss citizenship in 2025 but her attempt was rejected – even though her husband and children completed the process successfully.
She failed, however, because she could not answer a question relating to a little-known local lore. The municipal naturalisation committee had therefore turned down her application.
But the woman appealed the decision and the administrative court had just ruled in her favour, saying that the lore in question is so obscure that even local Swiss citizens would not be able to answer questions about it.
READ MORE: The bizarre reasons applicants have been denied Swiss citizenship
Second-pillar pension recipients will get higher payments from 2027
The Federal Council is raising the minimum interest rate for occupational pension schemes from 1.25 percent currently to 2 percent starting next year, the government announced on Wednesday.
This increase will allow insured individuals to receive higher returns.
For instance, currently, a sum of 100,000 francs in the mandatory portion of the second pillar pension yields at least 1,250 francs per year, but this amount will rise to 2,000 francs in 2027.
READ MORE: What is Switzerland’s ‘second pillar’ pension and how you will benefit from it?
Twint launches new payment feature
Following the introduction of its own shopping list, Switzerland’s very popular and widely used cashless app, Twint, is further expanding its functionality: Users can now pay QR-coded invoices directly within the app, thus eliminating the need to go through e-banking.
This is made possible by the newly introduced Twint invoice function.
“With this, we are fulfilling customer requests to be able to pay bills easily and without detours,” said Twint spokesperson Ettore Trento. “This means that users can now easily scan the QR code on an invoice to pay it directly.”
Switzerland to pay medical costs for Italians hurt in ski resort fire
The Swiss government agreed Wednesday to cover the medical costs of Italians injured in a New Year blaze at a ski resort bar that killed 41 people and injured 115 others.
Six Italians perished and more than a dozen were injured.
Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland Gian Lorenzo Cornado decried the “absolutely exorbitant” hospital bills received by some Italian patients, insisting his country would not pay them.
In an apparent effort to de-escalate events, Switzerland’s government said it would not seek the reimbursement for Italian victims’ medical costs.
“In light of the scale and repercussions of the tragic fire in Crans-Montana, as well as the support provided by Italy during the disaster, … Switzerland will – on an exceptional basis – waive any claims for the reimbursement for victims insured in Italy,” it said. (AFP)
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at news@thelocal.ch
