Should roads and tunnels be mined again?

Should the explosives that had been installed in thousands of bridges and tunnels across the country be put back in?

The Swiss People’s Party is asking the government for its opinion.

For years, many important routes had mines buried in the structures - designed to be detonated in case of an invasion.

But they started to be removed in 1991 in the belief they were now redundant. The last set was taken out ten years ago.

But a Swiss People’s Party National Councillor, David Zuberbühler, is now asking if that was a mistake, given the current global situation. 

He says, given the planned expansion of the army, these defensive measures should be discussed again.

More from Bitesize News

  • Citizenship remains one of the hardest on continent

    The Council of States has rejected a popular initiative that would have let foreigners apply for citizenship after just five years, closing the parliamentary door on the biggest attempt in years to loosen one of Europe's strictest naturalisation regimes

  • More gun crime in Annemasse

    Seven people are in French police custody after a shooting Monday evening at a drug-dealing spot in Ville-la-Grand, on the edge of Annemasse

  • Geneva land ownership change

    The canton of Geneva is set to become the sole owner of the land beneath Stade de Genève, buying out a parcel held by federal railways CFF for CHF 15.84 million

  • Agriculture warning after record breaking summer

    Farmers warn that another summer like this one would eat through their remaining reserves and force cuts to herds and crops

  • SNB interest rate stable

    The Swiss National Bank has kept its key interest rate at zero, sticking with a policy that has held since June 2025 even as oil-driven inflation ticks higher

  • Phone company going to court

    A Swisscom technician who spent 38 years at the company says he was fired for helping his 80-year-old neighbour cancel a subscription she never wanted

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play