Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER

The International Space Summit, convened at the initiative of President Emmanuel Macron, was held in Paris on 9 and 10 September. High-level representatives from government, science, business, the military and civil society discussed shared visions and approaches to key issues raised by the growth in space activities. Switzerland was represented by State Secretary Martina Hirayama.

In August 2026 the consumer sentiment index stood at –33 points. This is 7 points higher than in August 2025. The following sub-indices are higher than in August 2025: economic outlook and past financial situation. The following sub-indices are lower than a year ago: financial outlook and moment to make major purchases.

For the first time, Empa researchers, in collaboration with researchers from Eawag and Agroscope, have systematically investigated how much microplastic enters the environment in Switzerland via the atmosphere. The result: More than 200 tons of plastic particles contaminate soil and water bodies each year. Of this amount, about 40 percent end up on agricultural land and in lakes and rivers.

Every year, Swiss wastewater treatment plants release around 5 tonnes of microplastics into the environment. That is relatively little: It is estimated that around twice as many microplastic enters Swiss water bodies via the atmosphere. These figures come from the largest nationwide investigation to date on ultrafine plastic particles in the air, water and soil, a joint project by Eawag, Empa and Agroscope. These figures were made possible thanks to a new approach to sampling that yields significantly more reliable results than previous processes..

On 1 June 2026, there were 45 493 vacant dwellings in Switzerland. This was 0.93% of the total dwelling stock (including single-family houses). There were thus 2962 fewer vacant dwellings compared with the previous year, a decrease of 6.1%. The downward trend in the vacancy rate observed since 2021 therefore continues. These are the latest results from the Federal Statistical Office's (FSO) Empty Dwellings Census.

The Federal Council has banned the purchase and import of gold originating in Sudan. The sale to Sudan of certain goods used in gold mining and gold extraction is also prohibited. In so doing, the Federal Council is aligning itself with the EU’s equivalent sanctions. The measures will come into force on 10 September.