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Everything that changes in Switzerland in February 2020

From Brexit to the Schengen visa system, this list covers everything which is set to change in February in Switzerland.

Published: 1 February 2020 10:51 CET
Updated: 1 February 2020 12:51 CET

Everything that changes in Switzerland in February 2020

In February the Swiss will vote in a referendum to reject a proposed ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation. AFP

A new month brings with it the chance to turn over a new leaf – particularly for anyone who still uses a paper calendar. But February 2020 has a few more changes than most, starting with the big one – Brexit – as well as two very significant issues discussed at February’s referendum.

February means Brexit

As of February 1st, 2020, the United Kingdom will no longer be a member of the European Union. While the change has huge symbolic value, the impacts on people’s day-to-day lives will be rolled out relatively slowly.

As we’ve discussed all week here at The Local Switzerland, nothing will change immediately on February 1st in relation to citizenship and other aspects such as driving licences.

The implementation period, which runs until December 31st, 2020, keeps existing rights in place until the end of the year – although it is probably best to get started early and prepare.

READ: How will Brexit impact British cross-border workers in Switzerland?

READ: What Brits in Switzerland need to know about Brexit

Schengen visa rules

Although Switzerland is not a member of the EU, it is a part of the Schengen arrangement. On the first Sunday in February – February 2nd – applicants for a Schengen visa will have to comply with new rules.

A Schengen visa is a short-stay visa that allows a people from non-EU countries to travel to any members of the Schengen Area, for stays up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes.

The new system, which was approved in 2018, seeks to “ensure a better balance between migration and security concerns, economic considerations and general external relations.”

There are a number of specific changes including higher fees for most applications, electronic application forms, longer timeframes in which to make applications and benefits for frequent travellers. More specific information (in English) can be found here.

The new framework also includes a mechanism that uses Schengen visa pricing as a way to encourage non-EU countries to comply with curbing illegal migration.

While it’s of course less relevant to people who live in Switzerland, the changes may be relevant for friends or family looking to visit.

February 9th referendum: Homophobia and affordable housing

Two things that may change in February will be up for a vote on February 9th, the next round of Swiss referenda.

They are the decision on whether to push forward with the criminalisation of homophobia – bringing it in line with other forms of discrimination based on race and gender – and a bid to make housing more affordable across the country.

Early polls can be unreliable, but it appears as if the criminalisation of homophobic discrimination will be approved, while the initiative on affordable housing – with 51 percent against and 48 percent in favour – could go either way.

We’ve done up explainers on each, so read on for more information.

EXPLAINED: What is Switzerland's referendum on affordable housing all about?

EXPLAINED: The Swiss referendum that could criminalise homophobia

Safety first

The annual siren test will take place across Switzerland on Feb. 5th. As usual, sirens will sound at 1:30 p.m. At the same time, the cantons will broadcast an alarm on the Alertswiss App.

The winter gets a little longer

February 2020 contains an extra day – the elusive February 29th – thanks to 2020’s status as a leap year.

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While we really don’t know who decided that the extra day should be in February – we would’ve preferred an extra day of Swiss summer thank you very much – at least this year it falls on a Saturday.

Bye, Bye WhatsApp (for some users)

The popular messaging service, which is owned by Facebook, has been the most-used chat service in Switzerland and much of Europe for years. Now, however, some users will have to say goodbye to WhatsApp from the beginning of February.

The reason: from then, the messenger can no longer be installed or used without restrictions on some smartphones with outdated Android and iOS operating systems.

The following two versions are affected: Android-Version 2.3.7 and all older models, and the iPhone iOS 8 and all older models.

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With the German far right coming out on top in two state elections earlier this month, the socialist-led national Berlin government has reimposed border controls on Western frontiers that are supposed to see freedom of movement in the European Union’s Schengen zone.

The Netherlands government, which includes the party of Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, announced Wednesday that it had requested from Brussels an opt-out from EU rules on asylum, with Prime Minister Dick Schoof declaring that there was an asylum “crisis”.

Meanwhile, new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the left-wing Labour Party paid a visit to Rome for talks with Italian counterpart Georgia Meloni, whose party has neo-fascist roots, to discuss the strategies used by Italy in seeking to reduce migration.

Far-right parties performed strongly in June European elections, coming out on top in France, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to call snap elections which resulted in right-winger Michel Barnier, who has previously called for a moratorium on migration, being named prime minister.

We are witnessing the “continuation of a rightward shift in migration policies in the European Union,” said Jerome Vignon, migration advisor at the Jacques Delors Institute think-tank.

It reflected the rise of far-right parties in the European elections in June, and more recently in the two regional elections in Germany, he said, referring to a “quite clearly protectionist and conservative trend”.

Strong message

“Anti-immigration positions that were previously the preserve of the extreme right are now contaminating centre-right parties, even centre-left parties like the Social Democrats” in Germany, added Florian Trauner, a migration specialist at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Dutch-speaking university in Brussels.

While the Labour government in London has ditched its right-wing Conservative predecessor administration’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, there is clearly interest in a deal Italy has struck with Albania to detain and process migrants there.

Within the European Union, Cyprus has suspended the processing of asylum applications from Syrian applicants, while laws have appeared authorising pushbacks at the border in Finland and Lithuania.

Under the pretext of dealing with “emergency” or “crisis” situations, the list of exemptions and deviations from the common rules defined by the European Union continues to grow.

All this flies in the face of the new EU migration pact, agreed only in May and coming into force in 2026.

In the wake of deadly attacks in Mannheim and most recently Solingen blamed on radical Islamists, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government also expelled 28 Afghans back to their home country for the first time since the Taliban takeover of Kabul.

Such gestures from Germany are all the more symbolic given how the country since World War II has tried to turn itself into a model of integration, taking in a million refugees, mainly Syrians in 2015-2016 and then more than a million Ukrainian exiles since the Russian invasion.

Germany is sending a “strong message” to its own public as well as to its European partners, said Trauner.

The migratory pressure “remains significant” with more than 500,000 asylum applications registered in the European Union for the first six months of the year, he said.

‘Climate on impunity’

Germany, which received about a quarter of them alone, criticises the countries of southern Europe for allowing migrants to circulate without processing their asylum applications, but southern states denounce a lack of solidarity of the rest of Europe.

The moves by Germany were condemned by EU allies including Greece and Poland, but Scholz received the perhaps unwelcome accolade of praise from Hungarian right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Moscow’s closest friend in the European Union, when he declared “welcome to the club”.

The EU Commission’s failure to hold countries to account “only fosters a climate of impunity where unilateral migration policies and practices can proliferate,” said Adriana Tidona, Amnesty International’s Migration Researcher.

But behind the rhetoric, all European states are also aware of the crucial role played by migrants in keeping sectors going including transport and healthcare, as well as the importance of attracting skilled labour.

“Behind the symbolic speeches, European leaders, particularly German ones, remain pragmatic: border controls are targeted,” said Sophie Meiners, a migration researcher with the German Council on Foreign Relations.

Even Meloni’s government has allowed the entry into Italy of 452,000 foreign workers for the period 2023-2025.

“In parallel to this kind of new restrictive measures, they know they need to address skilled labour needs,” she said.