What is the main theme of the meeting between the State Council and the Deputation?

The meeting on 27 August 2026 in Bellinzona addressed the increasing transfer of burdens from the Confederation to the Cantons and its impact on regional budgets. At the centre: the precautionary suspension of refreshments and the ongoing dialogue with the Swiss Confederation and the Lombardy Region for the beneficiary Italian municipalities. The year-end deadline for navigation concessions on the lakes of Lugano and Maggiore was discussed as a critical element of the cross-border negotiation.

When is the autumn parliamentary session held?

The Swiss autumn parliamentary session will take place from 14 September to 2 October 2026. During this period, the Ticino Deputation, chaired by National Councillor Bruno Storni, will meet with Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and, for the first time in institutional history, the new Director General of Posta, Pascal Grieder. These meetings will serve to further Ticino concerns about cross-border refreshments and relationships.

What does the precautionary suspension of refreshments mean?

Refunds represent the portion of tax at source that Switzerland pays to the Italian municipalities of residence of border workers according to bilateral agreements. The precautionary suspension temporarily interrupts this financial flow, impacting Italian municipal finances and local public services. It is not a final decision but a precautionary measure awaiting resolution between the Swiss Confederation and the Lombardy Region, requested by Ticino for the administrative instability it generates.

What other topics were addressed at the meeting?

In addition to the refreshments, the meeting discussed: the extension of the S statute for asylum, social aid for those who have lived in Switzerland for five years, the financing of the thirteenth AVS, the consultation on the 'Transport '45'project, the parliamentary message for the regions affected by the June 2024 flood, the revision of the Law on Languages, the regulation of Lake Maggiore and the protection of workers during heat waves.

How can border workers monitor the evolution of restaurants?

Border workers can stay informed through: communiqués of the Ticino Deputation on the website of the Swiss Parliament, declarations of the Lombardy Region and Italian border mayors, mailing lists of the Municipalities of residence. The mayors of Chiasso, Mendrisio, Lugano, Varese and Como spread news about the negotiations. The year-end deadline is critical to complete the resolution of this cross-border issue.

Ticino and Bern: the crucial issue of refreshments (cross-border guide)

Di Marco Ferrari · Published on 27 August 2026

Bellinzona, Ticino State Council seat, where the Parliament delegation met on August 27, 2026

On 27 August in Bellinzona, discussion on the suspension of refreshments and negotiation with the Confederation and the Lombardy Region

Context

In a nutshell

The Council of State of Ticino met today with the Deputation to the Chambers for the autumn session of the Swiss Parliament (14 September-2 October)
Central theme: precautionary suspension of refreshments and dialogue with the Confederation and the Lombardy Region
The Deputation, chaired by Bruno Storni, received delegations on tourism and security policy

Key facts

What: Meeting of the Ticino State Council and the Ticino Deputation to discuss cantonal concerns in view of the parliamentary session
When: 27 August 2026; parliamentary session from 14 September to 2 October
Where: Bellinzona (main meeting); Gordola (celebrations for the President of the Deputation)
Who: Council of State of the Canton of Ticino; Ticino Deputation to the Federal Chambers (chaired by National Councillor Bruno Storni)
Border issue: Cautionary suspension of refreshments; ongoing dialogue with the Confederation and the Lombardy Region
Deadline: End of year for navigation concessions on the lakes of Lugano and Maggiore

Bellinzona, the traditional meeting precedes the autumn session

The Ticino State Council met today with Ticino representatives in the Federal Parliament — the usual preparatory meeting for the autumn session that will start on 14 September and end on 2 October. At the center of the political confrontation, the recurrent theme of the increasing transfer of burdens from the Confederation to the Cantons and the impact

Operational details

The refreshment mechanism and its meaning for border workers

Refreshments represent one of the fundamental mechanisms that link the Swiss tax system to the Italian border municipalities and directly affect the daily reality of the Ticino border worker. For those who work in Switzerland and reside in Italy, understanding the dynamics of refunds means understanding how income taxation is redistributed between the Swiss authorities and the Italian municipalities of the provinces of Varese, Como and Brescia.

Refunds constitute the portion of the tax at source that Switzerland pays to the Italian municipalities of residence of border workers according to the bilateral agreements between the two States. When this transmission is cautiously suspended — as occurred and discussed in today's meeting in Bellinzona — the financial flow to the beneficiary Italian municipalities is temporarily interrupted. This interruption has a direct impact on municipal finances and, consequently, on the local public services that border workers resident in Italy use daily: from road maintenance to public transport services, from educational services to local welfare.

The Ticino Deputation emphasized the precautionary suspension during today's meeting because it represents an element of administrative instability that affects both the Italian host communities and the well-being of the border workers themselves. Suspension is not a final decision,

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Key points

How cross-border workers can monitor the evolution of the issue

For the cross-border worker who resides in Italy and works in Switzerland, monitoring the evolution of the issue regarding remittances means staying informed about official communications from the Swiss Confederation, the Ticino Parliamentary Delegation, and the Lombardy Region. During the autumn session of the Swiss Parliament — which starts on September 14 and concludes on October 2 — the Ticino Parliamentary Delegation will presumably bring updates on this bilateral negotiation. The mayors of border municipalities (Chiasso, Mendrisio, Lugano, Varese, Como) are often the first to disseminate news on negotiation outcomes, as they are directly interested in maintaining remittances in their budgets.

A useful information channel is the following: the official website of the Ticino Parliamentary Delegation will publish reports from the autumn session in which this issue will be discussed. Furthermore, press releases from the Lombardy Region and the interested mayors will be disseminated through Italian local media (Como and Varese provinces) and Swiss media (Ticino media). The cross-border worker can subscribe to the mailing lists of their municipalities of residence in Italy to receive official updates on this matter.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main theme of the meeting between the State Council and the Deputation?: The meeting on 27 August 2026 in Bellinzona addressed the increasing transfer of burdens from the Confederation to the Cantons and its impact on regional budgets. At the centre: the precautionary suspension of refreshments and the ongoing dialogue with the Swiss Confederation and the Lombardy Region for the beneficiary Italian municipalities. The year-end deadline for navigation concessions on the lakes of Lugano and Maggiore was discussed as a critical element of the cross-border negotiation.
When is the autumn parliamentary session held?: The Swiss autumn parliamentary session will take place from 14 September to 2 October 2026. During this period, the Ticino Deputation, chaired by National Councillor Bruno Storni, will meet with Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and, for the first time in institutional history, the new Director General of Posta, Pascal Grieder. These meetings will serve to further Ticino concerns about cross-border refreshments and relationships.
What does the precautionary suspension of refreshments mean?: Refunds represent the portion of tax at source that Switzerland pays to the Italian municipalities of residence of border workers according to bilateral agreements. The precautionary suspension temporarily interrupts this financial flow, impacting Italian municipal finances and local public services. It is not a final decision but a precautionary measure awaiting resolution between the Swiss Confederation and the Lombardy Region, requested by Ticino for the administrative instability it generate
What other topics were addressed at the meeting?: In addition to the refreshments, the meeting discussed: the extension of the S statute for asylum, social aid for those who have lived in Switzerland for five years, the financing of the thirteenth AVS, the consultation on the 'Transport '45'project, the parliamentary message for the regions affected by the June 2024 flood, the revision of the Law on Languages, the regulation of Lake Maggiore and the protection of workers during heat waves.
How can border workers monitor the evolution of restaurants?: Border workers can stay informed through: communiqués of the Ticino Deputation on the website of the Swiss Parliament, declarations of the Lombardy Region and Italian border mayors, mailing lists of the Municipalities of residence. The mayors of Chiasso, Mendrisio, Lugano, Varese and Como spread news about the negotiations. The year-end deadline is critical to complete the resolution of this cross-border issue.