Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER

President Guy Parmelin has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other heads of state and government at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where discussions focused on the use and international governance of artificial intelligence. Switzerland remains committed to this debate and will host an AI summit in Geneva in 2027.

More than 1,500 participants from 120 countries are expected to attend online or in person the 5th edition of the International Cooperation Forum Switzerland (IC Forum), to be held in Geneva on 26 and 27 February 2026. The event will bring together key players in international cooperation to discuss current challenges and the future of humanitarian aid. Participants will include federal councillors Ignazio Cassis and Martin Pfister, as well as the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Tom Fletcher, and Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the ICRC, who will exchange views with a range of international experts.

Many bridges in Switzerland were built before the 1980s – and are therefore approaching the end of their service life. Empa researchers are now developing a novel strengthening system to retrofit damaged reinforced concrete bridges. For the first time, they have combined ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete with memory steel, which attempts to contract after being heated, therefore prestressing concrete structures.

The Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) has been newly commissioned by the Federal Office of Public Health as the National Reference Centre for Wastewater Monitoring. This work centres around the collection of health data from municipal wastewater, and particularly that of viruses that are known to be pathogenic. A new national mandate has also been introduced for the analysis of substances related to pharmaceutical and illicit drug use.

On 18 February 2026, the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) has amended annex 2 of the ordinance on measures against Sudan. Seven individuals have been added to the annex. The measures come into force on 18 February 2026 at 11 p.m.

On 18 February 2026 the Federal Department of Economic Affairs EAER has amended the annex of the ordinance on measures against individuals and entities who support Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The entry concerning one individual has been modified and the entry concerning another individual has been deleted. The measures come into force on 18 February 2026 at 11 p.m