Second Swiss parliament chamber rejects cuts to Swissinfo

The Swiss government wanted to cancel federal contributions to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC)’s international services. This would have severely affected the financing of Swissinfo. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted against the proposal, following a similar vote in the Senate in December. The savings measure was one of 65 cost‑cutting proposals from the Federal Council. Scrapping federal contributions to SBC’s international services appeared as item 24 in ‘savings package 27’, the government’s broad plan to reduce spending across nearly all federal areas. The House of Representatives discussed this package on Monday and Tuesday. The deciding vote for SBC’s international services was clear: 104 votes in favour, 84 against and five abstentions. Following the Senate, the House of Representatives also wants this service to continue to be financed by the federal government. Swissinfo – the platform you are currently reading – can now breathe a small sigh of relief.