News

With the new “ESA” special coin, Swissmint is honouring Switzerland's space programme and its contribution to European space exploration. The silver coin will be issued on 11 June 2026, and will showcase Switzerland's cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA).

Swissmint is launching the four-part series “The Four Seasons” with its new special coin dedicated to summer. Issued on 11 June 2026, the first silver coin highlights the changing of the seasons.

91.7% of young people who turned 15 between 2010 and 2014 had obtained an upper-secondary level qualification 10 years later. This proportion varies considerably between regions and from canton to canton. It is lower in large urban communes such as Zurich (88%), Basel (86%) and Geneva (82%), but also varies markedly between neighbourhoods. In the Langstrasse district of Zurich, the upper-secondary qualification rate was 80% and in the Fluntern district 96%. These are the main findings of a new publication by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), which provides a detailed picture of the geographical distribution of the upper-secondary and Swiss baccalaureate qualification rate.

The Swiss hotel sector recorded 18.7 million overnight stays during the winter tourist season (November 2025 to April 2026). Compared with the same period last year, overnight stays increased by 1.1% (+198 000 overnight stays). Demand by foreign visitors rose slightly, by 0.5% (+46 000 million) to 9.3 million overnight stays and domestic demand rose by 1.6% (+152 000) to 9.5 million overnight stays. These are the provisional results from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

On 4 June 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 5 June 2026 at 11 p.m.

Switzerland is to provide USD 70 million in support of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG). The Federal Council took this decision at its meeting on 5 June. PIDG mobilises private sector capital to develop sustainable basic infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia.

On 5 June, the Federal Council discussed the next steps regarding the US Trade Representative’s Section 301 investigations. The Federal Council strongly rejects the allegations raised in the investigation into imports of goods produced with forced labour and will set out its arguments in writing once again. At the same time, trade negotiations are continuing.

At its meeting on 5 June 2026, the Federal Council adopted a revision of the Ordinance on Fees in the Field of Statistics, including a comprehensive update of the rules governing services provided by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) and other producers of federal statistics.

Switzerland is expected to contribute around CHF 323 million by 2027 to the Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI), part of the Schengen states' Integrated Border Management Fund. As this figure is slightly higher than originally planned, the Federal Council referred a dispatch to Parliament on 5 June to this effect. In return, Switzerland will receive additional funding for measures of its own. The BMVI enables countries at the EU's external borders in particular to strengthen their border management and visa procedures.

At its meeting on 5 June 2026, the Federal Council decided to provide CHF 25 million in funding to the global research partnership CGIAR for the 2026–27 period. CGIAR conducts agricultural research to strengthen global food security and receives funding in the context of Switzerland's international cooperation work, thereby reinforcing the country's position as a centre for research.

To ensure security at the G7 summit, which is being hosted by France in Évian from 15 to 17 June, the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) and the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans’ Affairs have drawn up a Joint Procedural Document (JPD). This document sets out the framework for military cooperation between Switzerland and France during the summit. Its purpose is to ensure the smooth running of any joint activities, particularly on Lake Geneva and in the airspace, thereby contributing to security. The Federal Council approved it at its meeting on 5 June. The Federal Council approved it at its meeting on 5 June, adding to the measures taken in preparation for the summit.

Thirty years after joining the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF), Switzerland has reaffirmed its commitment to the organisation at a time of increasing geopolitical polarisation and financial constraints. At a meeting in Bern with the secretary general of the IOF, Louise Mushikiwabo, federal councillors Ignazio Cassis and Elisabeth Baume-Schneider stressed the need to support a useful and effective IOF, while continuing to invest in diversity in language and culture. In particular, they stressed the importance of language learning as a vector for dialogue and mutual understanding, and highlighted the challenges of digital governance.