These changes come into force in Switzerland on October 1
Published: Tuesday, Sep 24th 2024, 09:10
Updated At: Tuesday, Oct 1st 2024, 05:51
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Stricter sales, advertising and reporting regulations for tobacco products and electronic cigarettes, a ban on rock gardens in the canton of Solothurn and a new code of conduct for the federal administration. These new regulations come into force in Switzerland on Tuesday, October 1.
YOUTH PROTECTION: From October 1, stricter sales, advertising and notification regulations for tobacco products and electronic cigarettes will apply in Switzerland. These include a uniform nationwide ban on sales to young people under the age of 18 as well as stricter advertising restrictions, for example on posters, on public transport, in cinemas, in publicly accessible buildings such as train stations and airports and on sports grounds. Wherever there is already a smoking ban, this will now also apply to heated products and electronic cigarettes. The sponsorship of events with an international character or for an underage audience is no longer permitted. There are also new pictorial warnings on tobacco packaging, for example.
MINORITIES: From 1 October, organizations can submit applications for the protection of minorities at any time. By amending the ordinance accordingly, the Federal Council wants to be able to react better to changes in the security situation. As an example, he cited the terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, which showed that the current practice does not correspond to the volatile security situation. Previously, organizations were able to submit applications for additional security measures to protect against terrorist or violent extremist attacks by the end of June. In the second half of the year, the applications were reviewed and financial aid was granted for the following year. Applications can now be submitted at any time due to unforeseeable security risks. This applies until the available funds of five million francs per year have been exhausted.
CONSTRUCTION REGULATIONS: New rock and gravel gardens will be banned in the canton of Solothurn from October 1. The cantonal council passed the ban in the spring, against the opposition of the SVP. Its representatives argued that such a ban would be a massive encroachment on the property rights of homeowners and the autonomy of the municipalities. The supporters had emphasized that it was not an absolute ban. The law continues to allow rock gardens as long as they are overgrown with saxifrage or other plants and therefore count as eligible green space.
FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION: The new Code of Conduct comes into force in the Federal Administration on October 1. It explicitly states, for example, that sexist behavior, sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination in particular will not be tolerated in the Federal Administration. With the increasing importance of digitalization, information security and data protection are also becoming more of an issue. Employees are also being made more aware of the use of social media. The Code emphasizes the principle of economical use of the financial resources entrusted to it and stipulates environmentally conscious conduct in the workplace. It explicitly states that no indiscretions will be tolerated. It also specifies that employees are legally obliged to report serious offenses, in particular acts of corruption, of which they are aware in their professional capacity. The Code now explicitly mentions the existing "whistleblowing reporting office" at the SFAO.
SECONDARY DWELLINGS: From October 1, less stringent building regulations will apply in municipalities with a large number of second homes. The Federal Council has brought the Second Homes Act, which was relaxed by Parliament in the spring, into force on this date. Houses built before March 11, 2012 will be allowed to be demolished, rebuilt, renovated, extended to a certain extent and used without restriction. This means that less stringent rules apply to apartments and buildings that were built before the vote on the second homes initiative.
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