The new laws for 2022

New year, new legal situation. For some people and groups, 2022 will bring decisive changes, for example for insurance customers or for people with trans identities. An overview.

Anyone who will be using an e-bike in Switzerland in the future will also have to switch on the light during the day.

Gaetan Bally / Keystone

Always with light on the e-bike

From April 1, 2022, e-bike riders will also have to turn on the lights during the day; just as it has been mandatory for drivers since 2014. The Federal Council expects this to make road traffic safer.

Those who are already at it can upgrade their e-bike right away with a view to 2024. From then on, some electric-powered bikes will also have to have a speedometer, according to the Federal Roads Office “so that the maximum speeds are adhered to, namely in 20 and 30 km / h zones”. This obligation will apply to fast e-bikes that offer the rider support up to 45 kilometers per hour, but not to the slower e-bikes (support up to 25 kilometers per hour).

In addition, the weight limits for certain commercial vehicles with environmentally friendly drive are increased because these are usually heavier than the corresponding vehicles with diesel or gasoline engines because of the battery. Specifically, it is about e-delivery vans, which can now be driven with a category B driver’s license weighing up to 4250 kilograms instead of just 3500 kilograms.

No more geoblocking for Swiss customers

Foreign online retailers are no longer allowed to automatically redirect Swiss customers who want to shop on a French or German website to a Swiss site. In some cases, consumers can therefore benefit from significantly lower prices. The amendment to the law is an indirect counter-proposal to the fair price initiative. Parliament passed it in March 2021, shortly afterwards the initiators withdrew their project.

However: The foreign suppliers are still not obliged to deliver their goods to Switzerland. Some German-speaking Swiss have their shopping goods sent to an address near the border, for example in Waldshut or Lörrach, and pick them up there themselves. This is allowed, but of course the import and customs regulations must be complied with when importing the goods, similar to the one after the day of shopping in Constance.

More rights for insurance customers

A whole series of changes in the Insurance Contract Act come into force: Firstly, very long-term insurance policies can be terminated after three years. Second, customers have a 14-day right of withdrawal. So if you want to withdraw from an insurance contract within two weeks, you can do so without giving a reason.

Thirdly, anyone who disputes the amount of a payout with their insurance company in the event of a claim can also demand that the insurance company pays the undisputed minimum amount ahead of time. What is meant is the sum that the insurer is also willing to pay. So far it has occasionally happened that the insurance company withheld this undisputed part while the proceedings were still in progress; depending on the situation, this brought customers into financial difficulties.

Fourth: In liability cases, injured parties can now also register their claims directly with the insurer of the other party. This change was made because injured parties sometimes fail to make claims if they know the other party well.

Fifthly, the supplementary health insurers lose the right to unilaterally terminate the contract in the event of a claim; In future, this can only be done by the insured person.

The revision had taken some years and was quite controversial on some points. The Swiss Insurance Association (SIA) warned against “maximum consumer protection”, which could ultimately harm the collective of insured persons. The SIA finally supported the 2020 revision of the law and spoke of a balanced package.

Free movement of people with Croatia

From January 1, 2022, full freedom of movement will also apply to Croatia. Croatians now have the same rights as all EU citizens to live and look for work in Switzerland. Croatia, a country of 4 million, joined the EU in 2013 and remains the youngest member of the Union to this day.

In the first nine years after accession, there was still a transition phase between Switzerland and Croatia, as had previously been negotiated with the 10 states of the first eastward expansion in 2004 and with Romania and Bulgaria after their accession in 2007. Because Croatia is a rather small country, the effects on the Swiss labor market are likely to be limited.

If the immigration of Croatian workers exceeds a certain threshold, Switzerland can still apply a safeguard clause from 2023 to 2026 at the latest, i.e. continue to temporarily limit the number of newcomers.

Change the gender

From January 1, 2022, people with a trans identity can enter their gender and first name in the civil status register The Federal Council decided at the end of October to change “quickly and unbureaucratically”. Parliament had already approved the underlying amendment to the law at the end of 2020.

The person concerned only has to make a declaration to the civil registry office; Cost: 75 francs. “The declaration can be made by anyone who is internally convinced that they do not belong to the gender entered in the civil status register,” writes the Federal Council.

Same-sex marriage

On July 1, 2022, a major change in the law will come into force, which the Swiss voted with a large majority a few months ago: same-sex couples receive full marriage and adoption rights. From this date onwards, they can enter into a marriage or have a registered partnership converted into a marriage. Existing registered partnerships can be continued, but couples can no longer enter into new ones.

source site-111