News

The Federal Council wants to strengthen the rights of users in the digital space and oblige very large online platforms and search engines to be more fair and transparent. A new law is to define core rules for services such as Facebook, X, TikTok or Google in law. The Federal Council decided this at its meeting on 29 October 2025. Interested parties have until 16 February 2026 to submit their views.

The Federal Council took note of the current end-September extrapolation on 29 October 2025. The Confederation is reckoning on a financing deficit of CHF 0.6 billion for this year. The expected deficit is thus likely to be CHF 0.4 billion higher than forecast in the June extrapolation. However, the deficit is smaller than originally budgeted.

At its meeting on 29 October 2025, the Federal Council approved an updated agreement between Switzerland and the European Defence Agency (EDA). The agreement has yet to be adopted by the Council of the EU. In response to the changes in the security policy environment in Europe, the Federal Council is seeking to align the agreement concluded with the EDA in 2012 more strategically with Switzerland's defence capabilities.

At its meeting on 29 October, the Federal Council decided to continue assisting the armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina on a bilateral basis in developing their abilities in relation to the safe storage and management of weapons and ammunition. By sending up to 10 Swiss weapons and ammunition experts, the Federal Council is ensuring that the support project, which has been running for several years, can be brought to a successful conclusion.

On 21 October, Switzerland and the United Kingdom extended the Services Mobility Agreement until 31 December 2029. The Agreement provides Swiss companies with easy access to British service suppliers and regulates Swiss service suppliers' access to the UK market.

From environmental monitoring to future moon bases: Innovative materials, processes, and models are essential for space travel. Lorenz Herrmann, member of Empa's Directorate and Head of the Advanced Materials and Surfaces department, explains how Empa's strengths can benefit the Swiss space industry and why collaborative networks remain key.

The Swiss Statistics Meeting will be held from 5 to 7 November 2025 at the University of Geneva (Uni Mail). The 2025 event will highlight the need to focus on the essential when creating value in statistical processes – a priority made all the more urgent given the limited funding available. The programme will explore how statistical stakeholders can set priorities wisely and identify the data and analyses that benefit society most.

Due to the close interconnection of digital systems, cyberincidents can have an immediate impact on many different organisations. Successfully managing these incidents requires a coordinated approach involving all affected stakeholders, including those from the business and economic community, the cantons, and the federal government. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has developed a plan for coordinated cyberincident response, setting out how the federal government organises itself to ensure effective, coordinated management of incidents.

With its new four-part coin series, “Swiss lakes”, Swissmint is portraying the diversity of Switzerland's lakes. The first two silver coins will be issued on 30 October 2025 and are entitled “Lake Maggiore” and “Lake Lugano”, placing the spotlight on the lakes of Ticino.

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis's official visit to Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait ends today. Following his official visit to Jordan on 22 October, the head of the FDFA travelled to Iraq and Kuwait from 23 to 25 October. This trip to the Middle East gave the head of the FDFA an opportunity to discuss the geopolitical challenges facing the region, such as the situation in the Gaza Strip. These three official visits also highlight the new perspectives for political, economic and humanitarian cooperation in a region in motion.

As part of a humanitarian operation, Switzerland is evacuating an initial group of seven injured children from the Gaza Strip to Switzerland. The children and persons accompanying them will be hosted by seven Swiss cantons, where they will receive medical treatment at university and cantonal hospitals. They will also undergo an asylum procedure in Switzerland. The humanitarian operation has been jointly organised by several federal agencies and cantons, and is being carried out in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Swiss Air-Rescue Rega.

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis travelled to Amman on 22 October for an official visit to Jordan. There he met with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, for in-depth discussions on regional political developments, the humanitarian situation in Gaza and bilateral cooperation between Switzerland and Jordan. The conflict in the Middle East and the US's 20-point peace plan were at the heart of the talks.