News

In 2024, 8.117 billion hours were worked in Switzerland, an increase of 0.1% compared with the previous year. Between 2019 and 2024, the actual weekly hours worked by full-time employees fell by 50 minutes on average, to 40 hours and 4 minutes. This is according to the latest results from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

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

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

On 21 May, the entire Federal Council welcomed Kosovo's President Vjosa Osmani Sadriu and her husband Prindon Sadriu with military honours in front of the Federal Palace for a state visit. The delegations then held talks on opportunities and prospects for the close and wide-ranging bilateral relationship. They also exchanged views on goals for European stability and prosperity, with particular focus on the situation in the Western Balkans.

The chief negotiators of Switzerland and the EU, Patric Franzen and Richard Szostak, and the Swiss co-negotiators from the relevant federal offices initialled the agreements of the Switzerland–EU package in Bern on 21 May 2025. The initialling formally concluded the negotiation process with the EU. The Federal Council will decide before the summer whether to approve the agreements and open the consultation process, and publish the texts.

At its meeting on 21 May 2025, the Federal Council set the thematic priorities for Switzerland's OSCE chairpersonship in 2026. These will be definitively adopted following consultation with the foreign affairs committees of the National Council and the Council of States. The Federal Council also approved the budget for organising the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, which will be held in Switzerland in December 2026.

At its meeting on 21 May 2025, the Federal Council decided to grant CHF 9 million to four humanitarian organisations to support Palestinians affected by the conflict in the occupied Palestinian territory. A further CHF 10 million will be allocated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for its programme in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. CHF 1 million will also be earmarked to implement the Colonna report's recommendations for reinforcing UNRWA's impartiality.

On 21 May, the Federal Council decided to increase the capital of SIFEM AG by CHF 75 million. This will enable the federal development finance institution to stabilise its investment volume at CHF 150 million.

The Federal Council wishes to strengthen Switzerland as a reinsurance location. To this end, it initiated a consultation on amending insurance oversight law during its meeting on 21 May 2025.

The Price Supervisor has ruled that Booking.com B.V. must reduce its prices in Switzerland. Its analysis showed that the company's commission rates for Swiss hotels are too high and must therefore be reduced by almost a quarter. The reduction must be implemented three months after the ruling becomes final and will apply for three years. The ruling was necessary because the parties could not reach an agreement.

Switzerland will take part in the European PESCO project “Cyber Ranges Federation”. The EU Council approved participation today. The goal of the project is to network national cyber training infrastructures with each other to enable realistic, ambitious and efficient training in the area of cyber defence.

The fourth edition of the Point Zero Forum concluded in Zurich after three days of high-level dialogue, insight-sharing and collaboration with Switzerland and Singapore, jointly reinforcing their commitment to global financial transformation grounded in trust, inclusion and innovation. Jointly hosted by the Swiss State Secretariat for International Finance (SIF) and the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), the Forum convened 1,350 global leaders from 66 countries, including central bankers, regulators, policymakers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and academics from across Europe and around the world.