Fighting the pandemic has been expensive. The latest figures show the country is CHF 12.2bn in the red. That’s twice as much as budgeted.
CHF 14bn was spent on Covid measures, including compensation for reduced working hours, hardship cases and loss of earnings allowances.
But last year was still just under a billion francs less expensive than 2020.
The government says there should be no further extraordinary costs and the budget should return to normal next year – with CHF 600,000 surplus.
Govt looks to cut forest protection
The Federal Council is scrapping the CHF 25 million a year that Parliament voted to help forests adapt to climate change, despite two clear parliamentary decisions.
Federal Councillors heckled by protestors
Federal Councilors were out across the country marking National Day on Saturday - but not without controversy.
Further pressure on Swiss football head
Pressure is mounting on Zurich-based FIFA and its Italo-Swiss president Gianni Infantino after North America's football body demanded a complete overhaul of his presidency.
Politicians carry stereotypes
Elected politicians in Switzerland carry more gender stereotypes than the voters they represent, a new University of Geneva and University of Lausanne study finds.
Illegal rave hits pastures
A thousand young people left a mountain pasture in the Vaud Jura unsuitable for grazing after an illegal rave.
More Swiss firefighters head to France
A second team of 33 firefighters from French speaking Switzerland will travel to south-western France this weekend to relieve colleagues battling the wildfires.
