Switzerland Archives

In Europe

Italy: Switzerland has been removed from the blacklist for natural persons

September 13, 2023 by Francesco Florenzano 2 Mins Read

Pursuant to Law No. 83 of 13 June 2023 (which ratified the protocol signed in Rome on 23 December 2020 between Italy and Switzerland related to the income taxation of cross-border workers) the ministry of finance issued the decree of 23 July 2023, which removed Switzerland from the blacklist contained in the decree of 4 May 1999. The blacklist is aimed at tackling fictitious transfers of residence abroad by Italian citizens. The removal reflects a political agreement formalized on 20 April 2023 between the finance ministers of Italy and Switzerland and it will be effective from fiscal year 2024.

In Data Privacy

Switzerland: The revised Data Protection Act – need for action for employers?

September 3, 2023 by Christoph Stutz, Alessandro Celli, Johanna Moesch (Mösch), Dr. Peter Reinert, Serge Pannatier, Andreas Becker, Nadine Charrière, Sandra Marmy-Brändli, Meera Rolaz, Nicole Schön and Muriel Binder 5 Mins Read

The revised Data Protection Act (nDPA) and the revised Data Protection Ordinance (nDPO) will enter into force on 1 September 2023. The revised Swiss data protection law is “a GDPR-like” legislation and provides for certain (new) obligations not contained in the current data protection law.
In an employment relationship, an employer inevitably processes employees’ personal data for various purposes. This client alert aims to inform employers about their data privacy obligations under the new data protection law and provides an opportunity to test data protection compliance.

In Tax

Switzerland’s route to Pillar 2 implementation

June 23, 2023 by Susanne Liebel-Kotz, Mario Kumschick and Kilian Perroulaz 4 Mins Read

On 18 June 2023, the Swiss electorate voted in a public referendum in favor of a constitutional amendment to implement the global minimum tax. After the vote, the focus now shifts to its technical implementation. MNEs now have the required certainty to proceed with their preparations and planning for Pillar 2.

In Trade and Foreign Investment

Switzerland: Investment control law

June 15, 2023 by Roger Thomi, Philippe Reich and Boris Wenger 4 Mins Read

Following pressure from parliament, the Swiss Federal Council last year launched a consultation process on new legislation for the review of foreign investments. In May 2023, the Swiss Federal Council has taken note of the results of the consultation on the proposed investment control law. A majority of the participants in the consultation argued that the proposed investment control law would weaken Switzerland’s attractiveness as a business location, while a significant minority sees a clear need for action and is in favor of introducing foreign investment screening also in Switzerland.

In Product Regulation & Liability

Switzerland: Federal Council announces extension of transitional periods of MedDO and IvDO

April 12, 2023 by Dr. Peter Reinert and Tiziana Hongler 4 Mins Read

On 29 March 2023, the Swiss Federal Council, the executive body of Switzerland, announced its decision to implement an extension of the transitional periods for the certification of medical devices under the Swiss Medical Device Ordinance (“MedDO”) and the Ordinance on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices (“IvDO”), in line with the amendment of transitional provisions in the European Union under Regulation (EU) 2023/607.
The implementation of these amended transitional provisions requires the formal amendment of the MedDO and the IvDO. These amendments are expected to be adopted in autumn 2023.

In Environment

Switzerland: Current global sanctions environment – the new normal for Swiss companies

February 16, 2023 by Sven Bates, William Devaney, Terence Gilroy, Olof König, Christoph Kurth, Philippe Reich and Meera Rolaz 1 Min Read

The current global sanctions environment — the new normal for Swiss companies: This was the topic of a Russia-focused seminar with members of Baker McKenzie’s global sanctions and investigations team, on 7 February 2023.

In Sanctions

Switzerland implements the 9th package of EU sanctions against Russia

February 6, 2023 by 1 Min Read

Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled Switzerland implements the 9th package of EU sanctions against Russia on 1 February 2023. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.

In Sanctions

Switzerland Implements Further EU Sanctions Measures

January 11, 2023 by Philippe Reich and Hayley Ryerson 1 Min Read

Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled Switzerland Implements Further EU Sanctions Measures on 9 January 2023. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.

In Product Regulation & Liability

Switzerland: Zurich Administrative Court deems animal designations in labelling of meat alternatives not misleading

December 22, 2022 by Roger Thomi and Dr. Fabienne Bretscher 8 Mins Read

The legal framework for the labelling of vegan and vegetarian alternatives to meat is continuously evolving and also differs from country to country. In Switzerland, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office had put forward a very strict interpretation, deeming as deceptive and thus prohibited any use of animal designations in the labelling of vegan and vegetarian meat alternatives. In a recent decision, the Administrative Court of the Canton of Zurich rejected this strict approach and deemed the use of the terms “planted.chicken”, “like chicken”, “like pork”, “pulled pork”, “vegan pork” or “chicken from plants” on the packaging of vegan meat alternatives as not deceptive.

Switzerland: Swiss Federal Supreme Court affirms information exchange with the United States

December 21, 2022 by Lyubomir Georgiev, Caleb Sainsbury and Christiana Desrosiers 8 Mins Read

On 2 November 2022, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court upheld the Swiss Federal Administrative Court’s ruling that information can be exchanged to investigate criminal tax matters pursuant to an information exchange request by a foreign tax authority. However, use of the information exchanged for non-tax enforcement purposes is impermissible.