More public holidays and higher child allowances for the population of Moutier
Published: Monday, Sep 23rd 2024, 13:00
Volver a Live Feed
When Moutier joins the canton of Jura on January 1, 2026, people's everyday lives will change a little. They will have more public holidays and higher child allowances, but will have to get used to new store opening hours, for example.
A look at the various changes that Moutier is facing after the Bernese and Jura electorate voted in favor of the change of canton shows this.
The Catholic canton of Jura has 13 public holidays. These include Corpus Christi and Assumption Day, but also Labor Day (May 1) and June 23, which commemorates the founding of the canton of Jura. The canton of Bern has only ten public holidays or non-working days.
Families in Moutier can look forward to higher allowances. The child allowance is likely to rise from 230 to 275 francs, and the education allowance from 290 to 325 francs. The canton of Jura also has a birth allowance of CHF 1,500. Unlike the canton of Bern, it has also introduced a minimum wage.
Stores close earlier
Following the change of canton, drivers in Moutier will no longer be allowed to take their vehicles to a car wash on Sundays. The population will also have to familiarize themselves with new store opening hours. Today, stores are allowed to stay open until 8pm during the week. In the canton of Jura, they close at 7 pm.
Moutier already shares a special feature with the canton of Jura: there are no red traffic lights, apart from those at roadworks or level crossings. In the Jura, the last traffic lights disappeared in 1999, in Moutier as early as 1989, when a traffic circle was built.
JU instead of BE
The cars from Moutier will of course have license plates with the abbreviation JU. This will affect around 5600 vehicles. Replacing the plates will be free of charge, as will changing the vehicle registration document.
According to Jura legislation, the cantonal police can set up a municipal police force in Moutier if it so wishes. Unlike Bern, the canton of Jura does not have the concept of a single police force.
Extension of political rights
Unlike in the canton of Bern, foreign nationals can participate in political life under certain conditions. They will be able to take part in elections in the canton of Jura as early as 2025 - but only as voters, not as candidates. At communal level, they can run for the legislature and the executive, but not for the presidency of the commune.
The residents of Moutier do not yet know how the change of canton will affect their wallets. The city of Moutier is responsible for setting the tax rate and will have to decide on this in 2025. The current tax rate in Moutier cannot be compared with the tax rate of a Jura municipality, the canton of Jura emphasizes on its website.
©Keystone/SDA
Spanish 
English 
German 
French 
Arabic