Health insurance, plants, SBB You need to know these changes in September now

In September 2024, there will be numerous changes in Switzerland again. blue News shows you the innovations and adjustments that are coming up.

September 2024 will once again see numerous changes in Switzerland. A ban on the sale of certain invasive plants, stricter rules for health insurance companies when advertising for customers and the preventive shooting of wolves - these are just some of the changes coming into effect in the new month.

blue News gives you an overview of all the changes.

From September 1, health insurance companies will no longer be allowed to simply advertise their products. Specifically, they will be banned from cold calling. With the amendment to the ordinance, the Federal Council wants to put a stop to unwanted calls from health insurance companies or companies that refer customers to health insurance companies.

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Insurers are now prohibited from contacting people who have never been insured with this insurer or who have not been insured with this insurer for more than three years. The new regulation also stipulates that insurance brokers are obliged to draw up a protocol during a consultation and have it signed by the customer.

There is also a new upper limit for compensation for intermediary activities. Insurers who violate these rules will face a fine of up to CHF 100,000.

From September 1, certain alien plants may neither be given away nor sold in Switzerland. Importing them into the country will also be prohibited once the amendment to the ordinance adopted by the Federal Council comes into force.

The plants affected include cherry laurel, butterfly bush and bluebell tree. Plants that are already in gardens are not affected by the ban.

With the new regulation, the state government implemented a request from parliament. In doing so, it also extended the so-called ban on movement. This means that a number of invasive, alien plants may no longer be used. They may not be placed on the market, planted or propagated.

This ban applies to the tree of heaven, ragweed and giant hogweed, among others. The aim of the measures is to prevent the affected species from spreading and causing damage to the environment.

From September, SBB will be introducing so-called bodycams for transport police officers throughout Switzerland. The body-worn video cameras are intended to de-escalate conflicts and contribute to the safety of passengers and employees.

Each patrol will be equipped with at least one bodycam, SBB announced. A total of 100 cameras will be procured. The transport police are deployed throughout Switzerland with over 200 police officers in public transport areas and on trains.

When the Gotthard Base Tunnel reopens in September, SBB will introduce a full half-hourly service on the Gotthard axis. This was originally planned for December 2023, but had to be postponed due to the accident in the tunnel.

In addition, the direct trains to Bologna and Genoa, as well as the EC Basel-Lucerne-Milano and the tri-national Frankfurt-Zurich-Milano train will run again from September when the Gotthard Base Tunnel reopens, as SBB announced on Tuesday. According to current planning, the Gotthard Base Tunnel should be back in normal operation from September.

From September 15, a new data protection framework will enable the secure exchange of personal data between Switzerland and certified US companies. The Federal Council has thus added the USA to the list of countries with an adequate level of data protection.

In particular, the certification for US companies and a new US data protection court will in future allow the transfer of personal data from Switzerland to certified companies in the USA without additional guarantees.

From September 1 and until the end of January, the cantons can once again obtain approval from the federal government for preventive wolf culls. This means that wolves can be shot before they cause damage.

The canton of Graubünden announced in mid-August that it intended to shoot two thirds of all this year's young wolves and two entire wolf packs in the fall and winter. In total, at least 35 of the approximately 120 wolves living in Graubünden are involved.

The Federal Council brought the legal basis for preventive shooting - which is part of the revised Hunting Act - into force for a limited period in November 2023 and amended the corresponding ordinance at the same time. This meant that shooting was already possible between December 1 of last year and January 31, 2024. Around 50 animals were shot during this period.

From 1 September, the quota for imported eggs will be increased by 7,500 tons to 24,928 by the end of the year. This corresponds to an increase of 43 percent. The Federal Council approved the egg sector's application to the Federal Office for Agriculture in mid-August.

The aim is to ensure that consumers are supplied with eggs for the coming months, as demand for eggs remains high. Every year, 17,428 tons of table eggs may be imported at a low rate of duty. In the current year, half of this partial tariff quota was already used up by the end of April 2024, i.e. three weeks after Easter. At the end of July, less than 20 percent of the quota remained.

With material from Keystone-SDA