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Switzerland to represent Liechtenstein consular interests at four new locations

26.04.2022 — Press release EDA
From 1 May 2022, Switzerland will also represent the consular interests of the Principality of Liechtenstein at selected locations where Liechtenstein itself operates a representation. This is another sign of the close relations that exist between the two countries. On 18 March 2022, the Federal Council gave its approval for the conclusion of an agreement with Liechtenstein.

Presidential visit to UK to focus on Swiss-British partnership and European security

25.04.2022 — Press release EDA
President Ignazio Cassis will travel to London this week where he will meet with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Minister Elizabeth Truss on Thursday, 28 April. The two sides will discuss ways of deepening bilateral relations. Other topics on the agenda include Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and its consequences, as well as the policies of Switzerland and the UK with regard to Europe.

Federal Council wants Switzerland to join six European research infrastructures

13.04.2022 — Press release DEA
On 13 April, the Federal Council submitted the Dispatch on Switzerland's access to six European research infrastructure networks to Parliament. Access to these networks will enable Swiss researchers to participate actively and on an equal footing.

Ukraine: Adoption of further EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus

13.04.2022 — Press release DEA
On 13 April, the Federal Council took the decision to adopt the new EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Amendments to the corresponding ordinances are being prepared. Furthermore, the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) has imposed financial sanctions and travel restrictions on a further 200 individuals.

Ignazio Cassis meets President Egils Levits of Latvia in Lugano

11.04.2022 — Press release EDA
During their meeting in Lugano, President of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis and his Latvian counterpart Egils Levits discussed bilateral relations between Switzerland and Latvia, the war in Ukraine and European policy. Afterwards, the two presidents visited the Museo Rainis e Aspazija, which commemorates the time spent in exile by the Latvian intellectuals in Switzerland at the start of the 20th century.

German-speaking foreign ministers address joint appeal to Russia

08.04.2022 — Press release EDA
At the invitation of Liechtenstein's Minister of Foreign Affairs, the annual meeting of foreign ministers from the five German-speaking countries took place today in the Principality of Liechtenstein. Their discussions focused on the current situation in Ukraine and its geopolitical consequences, and the humanitarian crisis created by the Russian attack on Ukraine. The five German-speaking foreign ministers jointly appeal to Russia to immediately end all use of force in Ukraine and to withdraw its troops unconditionally.

Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin to meet Bulgarian president and EU research commissioner in Sofia

07.04.2022 — Press release DEA
Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), will inaugurate the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT) in Sofia on 11 April. During this visit, he will also hold talks on research, innovation and education in the context of Swiss-Bulgarian and Swiss-European cooperation.

75% of Swiss citizens living abroad have more than one nationality

07.04.2022 — Press release EDA
At the end of 2021, more than one in ten Swiss citizens lived abroad. This was a 1.5% increase compared with 2020. Most of these citizens lived in Europe. Regardless of the continent in which they lived, the majority were aged between 18 and 64. Reflecting Switzerland's multicultural nature, many of them also had more than one nationality, according to the results of the statistics on the Swiss abroad from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

President Ignazio Cassis receives Croatian President Zoran Milanović

07.04.2022 — Press release EDA
President Ignazio Cassis met with Croatian President Zoran Milanović in Geneva on Thursday, 7 April. In addition to bilateral relations, the talks focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the situation in the Western Balkans and Switzerland’s European policy. The visit included a meeting with students from the University of Geneva.

Switzerland and Kosovo sign mutual legal assistance agreement

05.04.2022 — Press release DEA
Switzerland and Kosovo are to intensify their cooperation in the fight against cross-border crime. The Kosovar Minister of Justice Albulena Haxhiu and the Swiss ambassador to Kosovo, Thomas Kolly, signed a bilateral treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters in Pristina on 5 April. The Federal Council approved the treaty and authorised its signing on 4 March.

Transitional measures for Horizon Europe: CHF 58 million for 24 ground-breaking Swiss start-up innovations

29.03.2022 — Press release DEA
The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) is supporting 24 start-ups whose projects have been selected in the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator 2021 calls for proposals. As Switzerland is currently not associated to Horizon Europe, the start-ups will receive a ‘SERI-funded EIC Accelerator Grant’ from the federal government. This direct funding will strengthen Switzerland’s role as a hub for innovation and help bring innovative solutions to societal challenges to the market.

State Secretary Martina Hirayama on a working visit to the Czech Republic

28.03.2022 — Press release DEA
State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, Martina Hirayama, will travel to Prague on 29 March to meet with Petr Gazdík, the Czech Minister for Education, Youth and Sports and Helena Langšádlová, the Czech Minister of Science, Research and Innovation.

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ETH Board considers international cooperation and networking to be in jeopardy

27.09.2018 — Press release DEA
At its meeting of 26/27 September 2018, the ETH Board emphasised the great significance of international cooperation and networking for education, research and innovation. Without a framework agreement with the EU, there is a danger that Switzerland will be excluded from the EU’s research framework programmes. The Self-Determination Initiative, which will be put to the ballot in November, also jeopardises international cooperation and thus the success of the universities and of research in Switzerland.

Facts and figures on Switzerland’s participation in the European Framework Programmes for Research

20.09.2018 — Press release DEA
The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) today published a report on Switzerland’s involvement in the eighth European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon 2020; 2014–2020). This report shows that Swiss participation has recovered since 2016, but is weaker overall than in the previous programme generation (2007–2013). Several indicators bear witness to this decline. In the seventh programme (FP7), Swiss participations made up 3.2% of the total, whereas under Horizon 2020 this figure currently stands at only 2.4%; Switzerland’s share of coordinations has similarly fallen, from 3.9% to 2.6%; and funding received by Swiss research institutions has decreased from 4.3% under FP7 to 3.5% of all funds committed in the current programme to date. However, Switzerland’s thematic and institutional involvement in Horizon 2020 is very similar to that in FP7, with a slight increase in the degree of involvement of the ETH Domain and of small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). Moreover, the quality and thus the success rate of research proposals from Switzerland remain very high.

Ignazio Cassis holds political talks in Bulgaria and visits project to promote vocational training

11.09.2018 — Press release EDA
On an official visit to Sofia, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis met Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva. Their talks focused on the experiences of the Bulgarian presidency of the EU Council, the status of institutional negotiations between Switzerland and the EU, and bilateral issues. Mr Cassis also visited a vocational training project in Sofia which Switzerland is supporting through its contribution to EU enlargement.

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis in Romania for talks on bilateral ties, linguistic minorities and Europe

10.09.2018 — Press release DEA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis met today with Romanian Prime Minister Vasilica Viorica Dăncilă and Foreign Minister Teodor Meleșcanu in Bucharest during an official visit to the country. Talks centred on Romania's upcoming EU presidency, European policy, bilateral issues and Swiss-Romanian cooperation under the enlargement contribution. Prior to the talks, Mr Cassis met representatives of Romania's German-speaking minority in Sibiu/Hermannstadt.

Informal talks between Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and European Commissioner Johannes Hahn

24.08.2018 — Press release DEA
On Thursday 23 August 2018, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis met European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who is responsible for relations with Switzerland at the European Commission, on the margins of the Salzburg Festival.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian pays official visit to Switzerland

24.08.2018 — Press release DEA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis met France's Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian on 24 August 2018 for an official working visit to Bern, during which the two officials discussed European issues and topics of international concern. In the margins of the meeting, Foreign Minister Le Drian confirmed that President Macron would receive the President of the Confederation, Alain Berset, in Paris on 12 September 2018 for a working meeting.

ESA Earth Observation Mission: Aeolus measures the wind

20.08.2018 — Press release DEA
On 21 August 2018, the European Space Agency (ESA) will launch the scientific Earth observation mission Aeolus. The aim of the mission is the global mapping of wind profiles in the atmosphere. These observations, together with information about aerosols and clouds, contribute to an improved understanding of the dynamic processes in the atmosphere and are of great importance for weather forecasting.

Informal talks between Federal Councillor Cassis and EU Commissioner Hahn

23.07.2018 — Press release DEA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis met with EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who is in charge of relations with Switzerland at the EU Commission, for talks in Lugano on 23 July.

European policy: current state of negotiations on the institutional issues and next steps

04.07.2018 — Press release DEA
At its meeting on 4 July 2018 the Federal Council took note of the technical progress on institutional negotiations with the European Union (EU). On the basis of the existing negotiating mandate, it instructed the negotiating delegation to continue the discussions with the EU with a view to reaching agreement on the institutional issues.

Bekämpfung von Lohndruck und Schwarzarbeit

12.06.2018 — Press release DEA
Die flankierenden Massnahmen sind seit 15 und das Bundesgesetz gegen die Schwarzarbeit ist seit 10 Jahren in Kraft. Der Bericht über die Umsetzung der flankierenden Massnahmen zum freien Personenverkehr Schweiz – Europäische Union und der Bericht über den Vollzug des Bundesgesetzes gegen die Schwarzarbeit zeigen, dass die Kontrolldichte im Jahr 2017 hoch war. Lohnunterbietungen und Schwarzarbeit wurden effektiv bekämpft. Die Kontrollen erfolgten dort, wo das Risiko von Verstössen am höchsten war.

Federal Council adopts contingency measure to protect Swiss stock exchange infrastructure

08.06.2018 — Press release DEA
The Federal Council is committed to ensuring the European Commission indefinitely extends the stock market equivalence that it granted to Switzerland for only one year in December 2017. Today, the Federal Council adopted a contingency measure to protect Switzerland's stock exchange infrastructure if stock market equivalence is not extended. It will bring this into force only if necessary.

President Alain Berset visits Latvia during its centenary year

14.05.2018 — Press release DEA
On Monday, 14 May, President Alain Berset was received in Latvia for a state visit. The Baltic republic is celebrating the centenary of its independence this year. The visit provides an opportunity to acknowledge the excellent bilateral relations that exist between the two countries and discuss ways of deepening them. The discussions also covered a range of international issues.

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Coronavirus: Further easing of entry restrictions from 8 June

27.05.2020 — DEA
The Federal Council is to further relax entry restrictions in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. The restrictions will be lifted in step with the reopening of the economy. From 8 June, the cantons will begin processing applications from workers from the EU/EFTA member states. In addition, Swiss companies will be allowed to employ highly skilled workers from third countries if this is in the public interest, or if they are urgently required. To benefit the domestic workforce, companies will again be required to give notification of job vacancies, a measure that was temporarily suspended during the lockdown. Lastly, the Federal Council plans to lift all travel restrictions and re-establish the free movement of persons across the Schengen area no later than 6 July. Border controls with Germany, Austria and France will be lifted as early as 15 June, as previously announced.

Securing access to research cooperation and funding programmes in Europe

20.05.2020 — DEA
Horizon Europe, the EU’s next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, is due to start in 2021. Along with three other European initiatives, Horizon Europe forms the ‘2021–2027 Horizon package’. On 20 May 2020 the Federal Council adopted a dispatch on funding requesting Parliament to approve CHF 6,154 million in funding to secure Switzerland’s participation in the Horizon package. Provided Parliament approves this funding, the Federal Council and the EU will be able to renew their bilateral research agreement and secureSwitzerland’s continued and uninterrupted participation in the Horizon package as an associated state.

Coronavirus: Switzerland reaches agreement with Germany, Austria and France on opening borders

13.05.2020 — DEA
Switzerland plans to open all borders with Germany, Austria and France on 15 June 2020, if the epidemiological situation allows. Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter has reached agreement on this move following talks with the interior ministers of these three neighbouring countries. She advised the Federal Council of the agreement at its meeting on 13 May 2020.

New slides provide handy, up-to-date information on Switzerland’s European policy

26.11.2019 — Article DEA
Switzerland enjoys close, important and diverse relations with the European Union. They are based on the bilateral approach and influence many aspects of citizens’ lives, both in Switzerland and in the EU.

Serbian Prime Minister Brnabić attends working meeting with President Maurer

03.09.2019 — DEA
On Tuesday, 3 September, President Ueli Maurer received Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić at the Bernerhof for a working visit on the fringes of Swiss Digital Day. Discussions covered bilateral issues such as business and digital transformation, Serbia’s relations with the European Union, and the situation in the Western Balkans.

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis visits Samos refugee camp and meets new Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs

10.07.2019 — EDA
Mr Cassis's visit to Greece has mainly been concerned with the situation of refugees and the challenges posed by migration. On Tuesday, the head of the FDFA visited the refugee camp on Samos and today met Nikos Dendias, who was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs this week, and President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

Switzerland and EU adapt their insurance agreement

05.07.2018 — DEA
Switzerland and the EU have been adapting their Direct Insurance Agreement which has existed since 1989 to the new regulatory requirements. The mixed committee with representatives from both sides adopted the changes on 3 July 2018 and brought them into effect. Thereby the agreement is also in line with the future requirements of the Swiss insurance business.

Switzerland and France give go-ahead to implementation of EuroAirport agreement

19.12.2017 — EDA
At their first meeting, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian brought the issue of the tax regime at Basel-Mulhouse (EuroAirport) to a conclusion: the agreement regulating Swiss companies operating at EuroAirport will be applicable from next year. The two foreign ministers' working meeting also focused on other bilateral issues, the situation in Europe and Switzerland's policy with regard to the EU.

EU-Switzerland Financial Regulatory Dialogue held in Bern

19.10.2017 — DEA
The Swiss State Secretariat for International Financial Matters and the European Commission held their 2017 Financial Regulatory Dialogue on October 19 in Berne. The Dialogue was co-chaired by Jörg Gasser, State Secretary for International Financial Matters, and Olivier Guersent, European Commission's Director General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union. Participants included staff from the European Commission, European Supervisory Authorities, Single Resolution Board, the Swiss federal administration, the Swiss National Bank and the Swiss Financial Supervisory Authority FINMA.

European Parliament’s PANA Committee to visit Switzerland

15.09.2017 — DEA
The Swiss authorities will receive a delegation from the European Parliament's PANA Committee on 15 September. The focus of the talks will be the current system and the ongoing work to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and tax offences.

Switzerland once again a full member of partnership-funded EU innovation programmes

23.08.2017 — DEA
On 23 August, the Federal Council approved the agreements on Switzerland’s participation in the Eurostars-2 and the Active and Assisted Living research and development programmes. This means that Switzerland is once again a full member of both programmes and is co-financed by the EU. The programmes are particularly interesting for research-intensive SMEs looking to enter new European or global markets through cross-border cooperation. Switzerland’s participation in the AAL programme is one of the many measures that form part of the federal government’s Skilled Workers Initiative.

Linking of the Swiss and European emissions trading systems: big step forward

16.08.2017 — DEA
Switzerland and the European Union are preparing to link their emissions trading systems. The Federal Council approved the signing of the corresponding agreement at its meeting of 16 August 2017. The European Commission has also adopted proposals for the signature and ratification of the agreement and has submitted them to the Council of the European Union for approval. The agreement could be signed before the end of this year. Its ratification must then be approved by the Swiss and European parliaments.

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