News

The Federal Council approved the 2025 Foreign Policy Report at its meeting on 6 March 2026. The report gives an account of the foreign policy activities of the past year and takes stock of the Foreign Policy Strategy 2024–27 at the halfway point. The core question it seeks to address is how Switzerland can safeguard its interests in an increasingly polarised environment and play its part in advancing effective multilateralism.

On 6 March, the Federal Council discussed how to proceed regarding the negotiations on a trade agreement with the USA. Switzerland will continue negotiations with the USA even after the decision of the US Supreme Court and the subsequent introduction of a new base tariff by the US government. The Federal Council continues to pursue the goal of concluding an agreement that will stabilise bilateral trade relations and improve export opportunities for Swiss companies.

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

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

Federal councillors Ignazio Cassis and Martin Pfister, Switzerland's foreign and defence ministers respectively, met with the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Kaja Kallas, in Zurich on 5 March 2026. At the meeting, Mr Cassis and Ms Kallas signed a joint declaration on strengthening foreign and security policy cooperation. An agreement simplifying Switzerland's participation in EU peacekeeping missions was also concluded. These new agreements are not part of the Swiss–EU package (Bilaterals III).

At its meeting of 4/5 March, the ETH Board decided to put forward two versions of the organisational development project “FIT for the Future” for internal consultation within the ETH Domain. It allocated resources to the institutions of the ETH Domain for 2027 and approved the consolidated reporting for 2025 on the ETH Domain for submission to the Confederation. The ETH Board also took note of a change in the EPFL Direction.

At its meeting of 4/5 March 2026 and upon application of the President of ETH Zurich, Professor Joël Mesot, and the President of EPFL, Professor Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, the ETH Board appointed a total of seven women and twelve men as professors. It also took note of the resignations of four professors and thanked them for their services. In the last 12 months, the ETH Board has made a total of 26 new appointments for women and 25 for men; the proportion of women among these new appointments thus amounts to 51%.

On 9 March 2026, the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will open in New York. Under the theme of access to justice for all women and girls, this year’s session will focus on promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems. The Swiss delegation will be led by Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, Minister for Gender Equality.

Solid-state batteries do not use flammable liquid electrolytes and are therefore safer than conventional lithium-ion batteries. Empa researchers have developed a solid electrolyte based on a stretchable polymer. The scalable material could allow the development of better solid-state batteries and be used in flexible batteries for medical applications.

The first of around 70 diesel generators to be supplied by the Swiss Confederation in response to the worst energy crisis since the start of the conflict have arrived in Kyiv. Jean-Luc Bernasconi, head of international cooperation at the Swiss embassy in Kyiv, attended a ceremony on 4 March 2026 at which the generators – which will be used in various locations where energy infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged – were officially handed over to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU). The generators provided by Switzerland are part of the Federal Council's aid package, adopted on 11 February 2026, on the supply of urgently needed energy goods to Ukraine. Further deliveries will continue to be made on an ongoing basis.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 0.6% in February 2026 compared with the previous month, reaching 100.6 points (December 2025 = 100). Inflation was +0.1% compared with the same month of the previous year. These are the results of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Switzerland has come to the end of its two-year chairmanship of the United Nations Statistical Commission led by Georges‑Simon Ulrich, Director General of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Elected in 2024 and confirmed for a second term in 2025, Switzerland actively promoted global data governance and the modernisation of statistical systems.