Switzerland opts out of state insurance
The Swiss Federal War Transport Insurance (BKV), whose beginnings date back more than 60 years, is being discontinued. On 4 June 2021, the Swiss Federal Council decided to withdraw this state insurance offer, since the risks of international transports carried out to ensure the country’s economic supply can be equally well insured by private companies today.
When carrying out international transports on behalf of the national economic supply, operators could use the BKV to insure their means of transport as well as the goods and valuables transported. Most recently, the BKV was only taken out by the owners of Swiss ocean-going vessels.
After the Swiss government suffered a three-digit million loss with the guarantees for ocean-going vessels, CHF 55 million will flow back to the general federal treasury when the BKV is dissolved at the end of 2021. (cd)