There were 67 members of the Council of the Swiss Abroad eligible to vote present at the Hotel Waldstätterhof in Brunnen when Remo Gysin, the new President of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, opened the meeting.
The delegates elected Isabelle Moret, a National Councillor from the canton of Vaud, to the Council and the OSA’s Executive Board. Davide Wüthrich was also elected to the Council of the Swiss Abroad. He is President of the Youth Parliament of the Swiss Abroad and lives in Italy. Two new members were also elected to the “Swiss Review” editorial committee, Claudia Iseli and Gaëlle Courtens.
The following societies were granted recognition by the Council of the Swiss Abroad: Asociación Suiza de Beneficencia de Madrid, Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Schweizerklub Südschweden and Comunidad Suizo Boliviana.
Contribution shortfalls upon returning
In addition to the statutory part of the meeting, the delegates addressed the issue of social insurance for the Swiss Abroad. This is the problem area of old-age and survivors’ insurance (AHV) – anyone who leaves Switzerland withdraws from mandatory insurance. People not insured abroad face contribution shortfalls when they return to Switzerland. However, voluntary admittance to social insurance schemes is not always possible. The main problem concerning health insurance schemes is that anyone residing abroad is not covered by mandatory insurance under the Swiss health insurance schemes. So what next? Questions concerning these issues were answered by Jürg Brechbühl from the Federal Social Insurance Office, Patrick Schmied of the Central Compensation Office and Oliver Peters of the Federal Office of Public Health. The Swiss banks were again a talking point in the discussion forum. The Swiss Abroad have difficulty in opening bank accounts and obtaining credit cards in their native country. They also often pay higher charges.
It was not only the meeting of the Council of the Swiss Abroad that took place in Brunnen as the 25th anniversary of the Area for the Swiss Abroad was also celebrated. The Area for the Swiss Abroad Foundation celebrated the anniversary in the presence of the President of the Swiss Confederation Johann Schneider-Ammann. A poster exhibition also took place on the site.
Picture President of the Swiss Confederation Schneider- Ammann visited the OSA in Brunnen. Photo: Ariane Roulet
Comments
Comments :
Et pour les Suisses qui ne vivent pas aux USA, pourquoi cette surtaxe, j'ai demande ? on m'a répondu : JE NE SAIS PAS.
In Santo Domingo durfte ich während 20 Jahren sehr nette und kompetente Schweizer Konsule und Botschafter kennen lernen.
In Panama wird man seit 6 Jahren von einem unfreundlichen und unkompetenten Honorarkonsul betreut, welcher sogar zu stolz ist einem die Post zuzustellen noch die Person úber Postsendungen auf dem Konsulat zu informieren und so ist mein neuerstellter Pass 3 Wochen auf dem Bürotisch des Konsuls gelegen bis mich die Botschaft in Costa Rica darüber informiert hat.
Diese Herren werden doch ordentlich bezahlt mit schweizer Steuergelder und leisten zum Teil einen absolut unverantwortlichen Service.
Giebt es noch andere Schweizer Honorarkonsule auf dieser Welt, welche zum Wohl der Auslandschweizer ersetzt werden sollten ???
Wie wird man in der Schweiz Honorarkonsul ???
Dazu kommt noch, das kaum eine Partei ein grosses interesse an uns hat! Wir wind wohl die grösste diskriminierte Gruppe der Schweiz!
Grüsse aus Panama
,, Volksvertreter,, mal Gedanken machen, ob sie die Interessen der Schweizer im Ausland noch vertreten...
2.Was die Banken sich leisten ist Verfassugswiedrig und kann angefochten werden!