Tag: Gebirgskantone

  • Swiss TPH opens a new building in the BaseLink area

    Swiss TPH opens a new building in the BaseLink area

    The Swiss TPH combines its departments, which were previously spread across seven properties, in a new building on the BaseLink site . The Belo Horizonte building, designed by the Basel architects Kunz and Mösch , was officially opened on April 1st. On five floors, it offers 725 modern workplaces and 150 laboratory places on an area of around 13,000 square meters. According to a press release , up to 10,000 new jobs are to be created on the site.

    In her speech, State Secretary Martina Hirayama said that “the institute makes an important contribution to improving the health of people in Switzerland and around the world and drives innovation”. According to the information, the new building enables “attractive forms of interdisciplinary cooperation in order to take on global challenges and approach solutions in a spirit of partnership”.

    The director of the Swiss TPH, Jürg Utzinger, described the opening as a historic day for the Swiss TPH: “Almost 80 years after our founding – originally intended as a three-year temporary arrangement – we can call this great building our new home.” Transformation from ‘Tropeli’ to ‘Swiss TPH’ accomplished and we can push our mission even more consistently”.

    According to Nicole Nüssli-Kaiser, mayor of Allschwil, the new Swiss TPH is “an important anchor institution” in the BaseLink area, the up-and-coming life science cluster. It is in the immediate vicinity of the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area Main Campus , which will open in autumn 2022. Companies such as Abbott, Basilea Pharmaceutica, Idorsia, Johnson&Johnson and Skan have settled there.

  • Mountain cantons insist on imputed rental value

    Mountain cantons insist on imputed rental value

    The intergovernmental conference of the mountain cantons of Uri, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Glarus, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Graubünden, Ticino and Valais (RKGK) is against the Federal Council’s plan to abolish imputed rental value for second homes as well. It would result in a loss of income of around CHF 200 million a year, explains the RKGK in a press release. On the other hand, the RKGK has no objections to the planned abolition of the imputed rental value for main apartments.

    The mountain cantons have already been hit by the Second Home Act of decisive economic effects, writes the RKGK. In contrast to the Federal Council, the mountain cantons see further need for action here. Specifically, provisions are to be changed, “the application of which leads to objectively negative results or leaves insufficient scope for innovative solutions”.

    The RKGK is also calling for improvements to the message passed by the Federal Council on electricity supply with renewable energies. Among other things, the mountain cantons want to have extended the current maximum water rate. With electricity prices rising as a result of climate policy, the electricity companies are still “in a position to pay today’s water rates without any problems,” argues the RKGK.

    Furthermore, the RKGK criticizes the approach to the Postal Organization Act: Here the Federal Council has pushed ahead with a message without waiting for the results of an expert commission it has set up itself. However, the responsible commission in the Council of States has postponed its deliberations until the results have been presented. “Against this background, it cannot be tolerated in any way if Swiss Post continues to dismantle its services in the run-up to the political discussion,” says the RKGK.