News

On 12 June, the Federal Council opened the consultation on the Investment Screening Ordinance, which sets out the implementing provisions for the Investment Screening Act passed by Parliament on 19 December 2025.

During its meeting on 12 June 2026, the Federal Council decided on the entry into force of several pieces of legislation aimed at strengthening measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The revised Anti-Money Laundering Act and the new Act on the Transparency of Legal Persons and the Identification of Beneficial Owners will enter into force on 1 October 2026.

Under the Schengen Association Agreement, Switzerland has decided to lift the visa restrictions it has applied to Ethiopia since April 2024. The Federal Council adopted the measure at its meeting on 12 June, following a decision by the Council of the European Union (EU) to reinstate certain visa requirements for Ethiopia in response to the country's improved cooperation on returns.

To simulate the properties of materials, researchers use crystal structures of materials stored in databases. Often, however, these lack the positions of the hydrogen atoms. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have now trained an artificial intelligence system to reconstruct these positions very quickly and efficiently. Their new method, called XtalPaint, will make it possible to simulate materials more accurately for a variety of applications: from efficient hydrogen storage to new batteries.

With just a few days to go before the G7 summit starts in Évian, representatives from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the Swiss Armed Forces and the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) joined cantonal authorities in Geneva to present the measures being taken to ensure the event's security and support the cantons involved: Geneva, Vaud and Valais. Organised by France, the summit will take place from 15 to 17 June 2026. On this occasion, President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin will welcome the heads of state and government of the participating countries to Geneva.

The Empa spin-off Swiss Cluster has received the Swiss Economic Award 2026 in the “Industry/Production” category. The young company develops equipment for vacuum-based thin-film processes. This technology can be used to protect complex components or create functional thin films with unparalleled mechanical and thermal resistance. The young company supplies research institutions around the world, but its customers also include the watch industry, electronics manufacturers, and the optics sector.

Linked Data Service (LINDAS) is an IT service provided by the Swiss Federal Archives (SFA). The Confederation, the cantons and the communes can use LINDAS to link and publish freely available open government data (OGD). LINDAS enables machines to combine information from different sources. Authorities, businesses, academia and civil society can reuse and further process the published data without restriction. The SFA set up LINDAS between 2017 and 2020, at a cost of CHF 2.2 million. It has been in use since 2020. As part of the LINDAS next project, the SFA is currently renewing the platform from a technical and organisational perspective, at a cost of CHF 1.5 million. The Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) conducted an audit to determine whether LINDAS is sufficiently mature and established both strategically and operationally to enable coordinated, widespread and interoperable use throughout the Confederation.

The Pro Helvetia (PH) foundation is the Swiss Arts Council. Its mission is to promote contemporary, professional art and culture of national interest. In 2024, the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) conducted a risk management audit. This yielded a key recommendation that PH put an effective risk management process in place that is sufficiently formalised and tailored to the foundation's size and activities. The SFAO carried out a follow-up audit on the implementation of this key recommendation.

On 10 June 2026 State Secretary of the FDFA Alexandre Fasel held political consultations in Bern with Secretary-General of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs Martin Briens. Discussions covered bilateral relations, European policy issues and international developments.

The Swiss Confederation issued a bond by auction on 10.06.2026: 0.875%, maturity 24.06.2041 (new bond. The issuance volume (excluding own holdings) amounts to a total of 415.170 million francs.

Speech given by Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) - check against delivery

Ambassadors newly accredited to Switzerland present credentials