A citizen initiative to limit the use of noisy fireworks handed in over 136,000 signatures to the Federal Chancellery in Bern on Friday.
The signatures were deposited in Bern after 18 months of collection, the initiative committee said in a press release. The text still has to be discussed by the Swiss government and parliament before being put to a popular vote.
The committee said a peak in signature-collection followed the firework-friendly dates of August 1 (Swiss national day) and the New Year.
However, a great deal of work was required to inform the public about the reasons for the initiative, which was often perceived as “a pure and simple ban on fireworks”. ...