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Switzerland is in a bad situation. By 2030, the share of the population living below the poverty line is expected to decline. The Federal Council set itself this goal several years ago. But in recent years the opposite has happened: the number of people affected by poverty in Switzerland has increased – from 534,000 in 2014 to 745,000 in 2021. That corresponds to 8.7 percent of the population.
The development gives politicians food for thought far beyond the left-wing camp. The new SP parliamentarians Estelle Revaz (34) from Geneva and Simon Stocker (42) from Schaffhausen are calling on the state government to take action. Switzerland urgently needs a national strategy to combat poverty, they demand in two identical proposals.
The subsistence minimum in Switzerland is about 2,300 francs for a single person and just under 4,000 francs for a family of four. From the federal government’s perspective, anyone who has to make do with less is considered poor.
The federal government is making savings in the fight against poverty
93 National Council members have co-signed the demand – almost half of the council. In addition to many parliamentarians from the SP and Greens, politicians from the center, GLP, FDP and some SVP members also support the demand.
The federal government currently spends 250,000 francs a year on projects to combat poverty in Switzerland. Significantly less than a few years ago. The program will expire at the end of 2024. What happens next is still completely open. Schaffhausen SP State Councilor Simon Stocker (42) fears that the Federal Council will want to make even further cuts here given the tight federal finances.
“That would be a very bad sign,” he thinks. Cooperation between the federal government, cantons and municipalities in this area is going very well today. You should definitely stick to that. And Rivaz goes one step further: “The fight against poverty also means investing in social cohesion and the economy.” All scientific research ultimately showed that this would pay off.
Exact numbers? It is not there (yet).
More specifically, Stocker and his colleague Revaz call for the program to combat poverty to continue – and expand – at least until 2030. Today, the federal government mainly has a coordinating function. Now he has to see where he can operate the lever himself. For example, Stocker is considering additional services for families or resources for early support for children.
Until now, the Federal Council has almost always successfully resisted increased responsibility. According to him, the cantons have a responsibility. The government was reluctant to collect more figures on poverty in Switzerland. There are currently no detailed assessments at national level – and cantonal statistics vary too widely to be compared. In 2020, Parliament decided to close this data gap. For the first time in 2025 and every five years in the future, the federal government must present a poverty monitoring system for the whole of Switzerland.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
