News

Address by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) at the Swiss Media Forum – Check against delivery

On 15 May 2025, the Federal Department of Economic Affairs (EAER) has updated the document ‘Interpretative aid for sanction measures’. The modifications are visible in track changes mode.

The bicolour special coin from Swissmint commemorates the 150th anniversary of Switzerland's Federal Supreme Court: the CHF 10 special coin honours the highest court in Switzerland with the figure of Justitia – the personification of justice. It will be available from 22 May 2025.

The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) processed over 12,500 incident reports in 2024 – significantly more than in previous years, as detailed in the recently published Annual Safety Report. Incident reports contribute to the ongoing improvement of safety on the ground and in the air. Last year, there was one fatal accident in commercial aviation in Switzerland.

According to the early estimate of Switzerland's quarterly real GDP around 45 days after the end of the quarter ('GDP flash'), Swiss economic output is estimated to have increased by 0.7% in the first quarter of 2025 (Adjusted for seasonal/calendar effects and sporting events). This growth was driven significantly by the services sector, with industry also showing overall expansion. Notes: The flash estimate is based on early information available on the production components of GDP. Estimates are used where values are not yet available. The result may therefore change after the complete and updated source data become available. The regular release of quarterly GDP figures, including details on production, expenditure and income as well as updated calculations for the previous quarters, will be published on 2 June 2025.

The Producer and Import Price Index increased in April 2025 by 0.1% compared with the previous month, reaching 106.9 points (December 2020 = 100). Prices rose for machinery in particular. In contrast, petroleum and natural gas became cheaper. Compared with April 2024, the price level of the whole range of domestic and imported products fell by 0.5%. These are the results of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

FDFA State Secretary Alexandre Fasel was in Luxembourg on 13 and 14 May, representing Switzerland at the 134th session of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers. The discussions, which were chaired by Luxembourg, focused on the Council of Europe's response to the war against Ukraine and democratic backsliding.

The Federal Council decided on 14 May 2025 that Switzerland will adopt the measures in the European Union’s 16th package of sanctions against Russia, with effect from 15 May 2025. 48 individuals, 35 entities and 74 vessels were already added to the Swiss sanctions list against Russia on 4 March. The Federal Council is also extending Swiss sanctions against Belarus.

At its meeting on 14 May 2025, the Federal Council decided to give members of the Federal Assembly access, upon request, to the texts of the agreements negotiated with the EU. In making this decision, it is responding to the exceptionally high level of interest shown by Parliament in the Swiss–EU dossier. The Federal Council intends to make a decision before the summer recess on launching the consultation procedure. In this context, the texts of the agreements, applicable implementing legislation, and accompanying national measures will be published in three official languages, as previously planned.

The Swiss Confederation issued a bond by auction on 14.05.2025: 0.50%, maturity 28.05.2040 (new bond. The issuance volume (excluding own holdings) amounts to a total of 302.700 million francs.

During its meeting on 14 May 2025, the Federal Council adopted the dispatch on the international automatic exchange of information on salary data. The Federal Council is thus laying the legal foundations for implementing the exchange of information set down in agreements with France and Italy.

At its meeting on 14 May the Federal Council took note of the first implementation report on the National Cyberstrategy (NCS). The report outlines the status of national efforts to strengthen cybersecurity. It was prepared by the NCS Steering Committee in collaboration with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). The report clearly shows that progress has been made: key coordination structures have been established, ongoing projects implemented and new ones launched, and Switzerland’s international profile in the field of cybersecurity has been raised.