This legislature will be one of referendums. The day after the left’s victory against the occupational pension reform (LPP), on September 22, President Lisa Mazonne warned the right that this legislature will be one of referendums.
Next November 24 is a good example, since the four objects submitted to the people are the result of four referendums from the left against decisions from the right of Parliament, supported by the Federal Council.
The first referendum targets the federal decree of September 2023 on national roads. This provides for the widening of six sections of motorway for an amount of 4.9 billion francs. Only one section is in French-speaking Switzerland, that between Le Vengeron and Nyon. For the right and the Federal Council, the objective is to fight against bottlenecks and traffic jams.
But for the referendum associations (around thirty environmental organizations): “the widening of highways will only generate more traffic while aggravating the urban funnel effect by trying to dump ever more cars into neighborhoods.”
After the dissatisfaction of environmentalists and other climate friends, it is the tenants who are dissatisfied. Two referendums were launched against decisions to modify tenancy rights. The first concerns a modification of the subletting conditions which is more restrictive for tenants. The second aims for relaxation in favor of the owner when he wants to terminate a lease by asserting “his own needs”.
Finally, the fourth referendum aims for in-depth reform of the financing of health services. This is the project called “Uniform financing of outpatient and inpatient services”, which goes by the acronym EFAS.
This is the most complex subject of these votes. Currently, outpatient services are financed by health insurance companies. On the other hand, for hospitalizations, home care or in EMS, the cantons cover around half of the costs. For the Federal Council and the majority of Parliament, this system creates bad incentives, which the new system should correct by making savings.
Parliament has decided that all basic insurance benefits will be financed jointly by the cantons and health insurers according to the same distribution key. The cantons will cover a minimum of 26.9% of the costs for all services and the health insurers a maximum of 73.1%.
The unions have launched a referendum against this change, because this reform would give too much financial power to health insurers and will have the consequence of degrading working conditions in the health sectors.
