News

Ambassadorial titles have been awarded and the following personnel changes have been decided on for 2026 and 2027 in the external network as well as at FDFA head office and the Federal Chancellery. This comes as part of the FDFA's periodic transfer rotation and is based on appointments made by the Federal Council.

During its meeting on 2 October 2026, the Federal Council adopted the dispatch on the continuation of international monetary assistance. Switzerland should continue to be able to provide international monetary assistance of up to a total of CHF 10 billion under the Monetary Assistance Act. The Federal Council also decided that, within the International Monetary Fund (IMF), funds may be transferred to reduce interest rates on loans to low-income countries.

The Federal Department of Finance (FDF) and the Swiss National Bank have signed an agreement on the SNB’s profit distributions for the years 2026 to 2030. The modalities remain unchanged. Provided that the SNB’s financial situation permits, an amount of up to CHF 6 billion per annum will be distributed to the Confederation and the cantons.

The annual report 2025 of the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board is available on the website of the STSB. It reports on the activities of the STSB of the last year. The STSB’s independent investigations of safety-relevant incidents make an important contribution to safety in public transport, aviation and both inland and maritime navigation.

On 30 September, an international large-scale operation resulted in the dismantling of IT infrastructure used by the “KillSec” ransomware group. The Federal Office of Police fedpol and the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) were directly involved as operational and strategic partners.

Whether on social media, in our daily working lives or when using artificial intelligence, every day we share information and leave digital traces behind: often more traces than we realise. For criminals, this information, when published on the internet, can be invaluable. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is dedicating this year’s Cyber Security Month to the topic of “Oversharing – Share with care”.

ICANN, the organisation responsible for managing internet addresses, will publish on 7 October 2026 the list of applications for new domain name extensions (top-level domain names). It aims to encourage competition and promote diversity within the domain name system. Government agencies, businesses and other organisations will be able to determine whether an application is likely to infringe upon their specific interests or rights, particularly through the misuse of a trademark.

President Guy Parmelin will travel to India from 5 to 7 October, where he has been invited to pay a state visit. Talks are scheduled to take place with Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit marks the first anniversary of the entry into force of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Mr Parmelin is taking part in a TEPA summit alongside delegations from the other EFTA states and will be accompanied by a delegation of business and academic representatives.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) remained unchanged in September 2026 compared with the previous month, at 101.5 points (December 2025 = 100). Inflation was +1.0% compared with the same month of the previous year. These are the results of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Federal Councillor Beat Jans and State Secretary Alexandre Fasel received UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk in Bern on Wednesday 30 September 2026. Discussions focused on the partnership between Switzerland and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the role of International Geneva, and current human rights challenges. Switzerland also renewed its financial support for the OHCHR for the 2026–27 period.

State Secretary Alexandre Fasel today received his counterpart from the German Federal Foreign Office, Géza Andreas von Geyr, for political talks. Their discussion centred on the close relations between Switzerland and its largest trading partner, Germany, as well as issues relating to competitiveness and security in Europe. The two state secretaries also discussed their countries' respective positions on other geopolitical developments.

On 30 September, the 17th bilateral meeting between the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation and the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space took place in Bern. During the meeting, State Secretary Martina Hirayama and State Secretary Marcus Pleyer signed a letter of intent to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in research and innovation.