Baselland government drops austerity plans for public transport
The Baselland government has shelved its plans to stop subsidising monthly and annual travel tickets. Part of the deal is the withdrawal of the «Ja zum U-Abo» (Yes to the U-Abo) initiative.
Talks with other cantons within the Tariff Association of Northwest Switzerland (TNW) led to the insight that a decision to remove the subsidies would not be unanimously reached, the Baselland government said on Tuesday.
As a result, the government has requested that the executive board of the parliament agree to the withdrawal of the counter-proposal to the «Ja zum U-Abo» initiative (named after the popular travel ticket).
As there were no other possibilities to make cuts to the monthly and annual travel tickets, the initiative-committee decided to withdraw the initiative. The goal of the initiative was reached by a decision of the government.
The initiative had been successfully launched with 3884 valid signatures at the end of August 2015 by the Social Democrats (SP), the Green Party, the Young Green Alliance Northwest and the Young Socialists of Baselland. The Traffic Club of both Basels and Pro Natura Baselland were also involved.
The initiative was launched when the Baselland government presented its austerity programme in the summer of 2015, which aimed to make cutbacks totalling 188 million Swiss francs. A total of 15.4 million francs would have been saved by ending the subsidies for the successful ticket system, which was introduced by the TNW 30 years ago.
Shop opening hours discussed in the Grand Council
The Grand Council of Basel on Tuesday discussed the extension of shop opening hours and passed a bill to the parliament.
The move was made in response to a motion of the Swiss People's Party (SVP) which had been transferred to the government in May 2015 with 41:40 votes. In November, the government became involved and began to work out a legislative proposal.
Two-hour extension
According to the proposal, shops in the canton should be allowed to stay open for a further two hours, opening until 10pm from Monday to Friday instead of 8pm.
Shops should also be permitted a two-hour extension on Saturdays and before public holidays, meaning they could close at 8pm instead of at 6pm. There was to be no change to the morning opening time of 6am at the earliest.
Whether shop opening hours are to be extended remains unclear. During the first discussion of the motion in parliament, the left-wing and green parties threatened to instigate a referendum.
Voters opposed it several times
The Social Democrats (SP) and the Green parties argue that voters rejected the opening hours extension several times in the past. In 2013, voters were against shops remaining open until 8pm on Saturdays. In 2002, the relaxation of shop opening hours had also been rejected.
In the opinion of the trade unions, only the larger shops and chain stores with a large number of employees benefitted from longer opening hours. Speaking in 2015, the unions said it would lead to a distortion of competition against family businesses. The shops were also struggling more with the high value of the Swiss franc than with opening hours.
easyJet increases passenger numbers in Switzerland by 9.7 per cent - thanks in part to the EuroAirport Basel
The low-cost airline easyJet transported 12.4 million passengers in 2016 - an increase of 9.7 per cent compared to last year. easyJet has grown quicker than the rest of the market, a press release from the British airline claimed on Tuesday.
Last year, easyJet increased its flight capacity by seven per cent, with a total of 14 new destinations included in their schedule. This year, a further six destinations, flying from Switzerland, will be added.
The British company runs its business from the airports in Basel, Geneva, and Zurich and employs 900 people in Switzerland. easyJet is the largest airline using Geneva Airport, with a total of 7.5 million passengers travelling to and from the city last year. The market share of the company at Geneva Airport has increased to more than 40 per cent.
Syngenta-boss expects takeover by ChemChina soon
Syngenta boss Erik Fyrwald is confident that ChemChina will soon take over the Basel agrochemical company.
«I am positive that we will strike the deal and we are making great progress,» CEO Erik Fyrwald told TV channel CNBC on Monday at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The takeover had the full support of ChemChina and the Chinese government, and Syngenta works well together with the US- and EU-authorities, he said.
The anti-cartel authorities have asked for more data due to further transactions in the sector.
Syngenta and ChemChina have offered concessions to the EU competition authority to dispel doubts about the 43 billion dollar deal. According to insiders, the concessions offered were easily manageable.