News

A new final report (railways) is available on the website of the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board STSB.

The Swiss Armed Forces have successfully completed their mission as a partner of the Canton of Nidwalden to ensure the safe conduct of the LAKE LUCERNE SUMMIT on the Bürgenstock in the canton of Nidwalden. Approximately 1,300 military personnel were on duty each day. A total of five violations occurred in the restricted airspace. Two aircraft were escorted out of the restricted airspace by the Air Force.

The Commission for Historically Problematic Cultural Heritage held its inaugural meeting on 13 March 2026. The ten-person committee is thus now operational and will address issues relating to historically problematic cultural heritage in the National Socialist and colonial context.

The Commission for Historically Problematic Cultural Heritage held its second meeting on 12 June 2026. The agenda included a consultation with the Federal Office of Culture on dealing with historically problematic cultural goods owned by the Confederation and the preparatory work for treating one-off cases.

The execution of sentences and measures is implemented as a joint task in Switzerland. The cantons are responsible for the planning, construction and operation of correctional facilities, while the federal government helps to finance them with construction contributions amounting to 35% of the eligible construction costs. The Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) is responsible for awarding these subsidies. The Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) conducted an audit to determine whether the FOJ awards construction contributions in compliance with the law and in an economical manner, ensuring that the subsidised institutions meet the requirements regarding the execution of sentences and measures. It concluded that the FOJ interprets the applicable specifications too broadly and that there is a lack of evidence concerning subsidy impact.

On 22 June, President Guy Parmelin attended the Ministerial Conference of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in Reykjavik. The ministers of the four EFTA states commended the significant progress made towards an imminent conclusion of negotiations on a comprehensive free trade agreement with Viet Nam. Iceland, Norway and Switzerland signed updated bilateral agricultural agreements with the Palestinian Authority. On the fringes of the ministerial conference, a working meeting took place between President Parmelin and Icelandic Prime Minister, Kristrún Frostadóttir.

The Federal Council is in favour of Switzerland hosting the 2038 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. At the start of this year, it set out the main criteria for supporting this major sporting event. During the consultation process, the proposed planning decision was widely supported. This provides for a federal contribution of CHF 200 million. At its meeting on 19 June, the Federal Council took note of the results of the consultation and approved the dispatch for submission to Parliament.

In 2025, tourism expenditure in Switzerland and abroad continued to grow but at a slower pace than in previous years. It grew slightly more among Swiss residents travelling abroad, however. Swiss residents travelling abroad spent CHF 19.3 billion, an increase of 1.9% over 2024. In comparison, revenue from foreign visitors to Switzerland rose by 1.6% to CHF 20.5 billion. These developments negatively affected the tourism balance. While remaining positive at CHF 1.2 billion, the balance was lower than in 2024 according to initial estimates from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

The Federal Council acknowledges the ‘Future of protection status S’ proposal, which states that extending protection status S beyond March 2027 may continue to ensure effective protection and relieve pressure on the asylum system. The Federal Council will make a decision on this in the summer, following consultation with the relevant stakeholders. In addition, the Federal Council is considering whether to exclude Ukrainian men liable for military service from protection status S in future. At its meeting on 19 June, it also decided to give the cantons greater discretion regarding social assistance.

As part of the FDFA's periodic rotation policy and on the basis of appointments made by the Federal Council, in 2026 the following personnel changes will be made and an ambassadorial title conferred in the external network and FDFA head office in Bern.

The Federal Council intends to adjust the tariff model for the corporate radio and television fee in line with a decision by the Federal Supreme Court. The consultation on the partial revision of the Radio and Television Ordinance will open on 23 June 2026. In future, companies with higher turnover will be required to contribute proportionately more than smaller companies.

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have developed an AI platform that stains tissue images from computed tomography as if they had been made from classical tissue sections. This could in the future enable non-destructive and three-dimensional analysis of pathological changes. The study was published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.