National Council calls for measures against high magazine prices
The National Council is calling for measures to address the high prices of foreign magazines in Switzerland. It wants to instruct the Federal Council to work with the Competition Commission and the Price Supervisor to find a solution that will bring prices down.
On Monday, the National Council adopted a motion from its Economic Affairs Committee (WAK) by 102 votes to 82 with 2 abstentions. Many consumers were annoyed by the high prices, said Prisca Birrer-Heimo (SP/LU) on behalf of the committee.
The price watchdog has noted that the difference between prices in Switzerland and abroad has increased significantly in recent years. Foreign magazines are up to 158 percent more expensive in Switzerland. Birrer-Heimo said that the efforts made so far had not yielded any results. The problem was being passed back and forth between the various players.
A right-wing minority of the committee opposed the motion. Thomas Aeschi (SVP/ZG) doubted the usefulness of the mandate to the Federal Council. He criticized the proponents for demanding an "efficient and unbureaucratic" solution without knowing what this could look like. A vague motion would achieve nothing.
Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann also opposed the motion. He stated that no violation of applicable law had been proven to date. The Federal Council rejected state price regulation. There was no constitutional basis for this. The motion will now go to the Council of States. (SDA)
