News

On 17 April, Swiss president Guy Parmelin and Bahrain’s Minister of Finance and National Economy, Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, signed an investment protection agreement between Switzerland and Bahrain on the fringes of the Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and IMF in Washington.

The second meeting on gender equality between the federal government and the cantons took place today in Bern at the invitation of Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider. It brought together the head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs and the cantonal councillors responsible for gender equality with the aim of strengthening their collaboration. Discussions focused on the implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy 2030 and on the key role played by the cantons.

From 1 May, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) will resume deciding on asylum applications from Syrian nationals.

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the FDFA, will take part in the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, to be held from 17 to 19 April 2026. This occasion will allow him to discuss the conflict in the Middle East with his counterparts in the region. He will also hold a series of talks in his capacity as Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

By using biomass intelligently, Switzerland could meet a substantial percentage of its own gas needs. This is the conclusion reached by a study led by the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI. Gas imports could be significantly reduced as a result, making Switzerland less dependent on the global market. The study was commissioned by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) and published at the beginning of this year.

The UN sanctions committee has amended the list of sanctioned individuals, companies and organizations. The SESAM database has been updated accordingly. On 4 March 2016 the Federal Council has adopted the Ordinance on the automatic application of the UN Security Council’s sanctions lists. Hence, the amendments of the UN Security Council’s sanctions lists enter into force in Switzerland without delay.

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, the head of the FDFA, and Federal Councillor Beat Jans, the head of the FDJP, met with Baden-Württemberg Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann in Bern on Thursday 16 April. During the meeting, the delegations praised the excellent relations between Switzerland and the neighbouring German Federal State. Mr Cassis welcomed the closer cooperation in the fields of education, research and innovation (ERI).

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

The recovery of the ozone layer in the Earth's stratosphere could be delayed by several years, according to an international study led by Empa. The cause is persistent emissions of so-called feedstock chemicals, which are still permitted as raw materials in industry. These ozone-depleting substances have so far been excluded from international agreements because, according to the current study, their emissions and use have been significantly underestimated.

The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), is launching the first call for proposals for the SWEETER funding instrument. The theme is ‘Energy- and resource-efficient industrial processes’. The call for proposals will run until 30 June 2026.

The 2025 Annual Report is now available online. It features cases, operations and statistics relating to the work of the Federal Office of Police (fedpol), with a particular focus on the fight against organised crime and its various forms.

The Producer and Import Price Index increased in March 2026 by 0.2% compared with the previous month, reaching 99.6 points (December 2025 = 100). Prices rose in particular for petroleum products as well as petroleum and natural gas. Compared with March 2025, the price level of the whole range of domestic and imported products fell by 2.7%. These are the results of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).