News

The UN sanctions committee has amended the list of sanctioned individuals, companies and organisations. The SESAM database has been updated accordingly. On 4 March 2016 the Federal Council has adopted the Ordinance on the automatic application of the UN Security Council’s sanctions lists. Hence, the amendments of the UN Security Council’s sanctions lists enter into force in Switzerland without delay.

The Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse delivered the Modular Subsystem Simulators (MTSS) for the 12 cm Mortar 16 to the Tank and Artillery Training Unit on the military training area Bière at the beginning of November. The simulator systems are used for training the future crews of the 12 cm Mortar 16 and enable realistic training under various different operating conditions.

The Producer and Import Price Index rose in October 2026 by 0.9% compared with the previous month, reaching 101.6 points (December 2025 = 100). Prices rose in particular for petroleum products, petroleum and natural gas, electrical equipment, computer, electronic and optical products, and machinery. Compared with October 2025, the price level of the whole range of domestic and imported products rose by 0.9%. These are the results of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

On Thursday 12 November, President Guy Parmelin attended the ninth summit of the European Political Community (EPC) in Dublin. The summit was held under the theme ‘Europe – strong, secure and connected’. Mr Parmelin also represented Switzerland as host of the next EPC summit, which will take place in Zurich on 15 April 2027. On the sidelines of the Dublin summit, he held bilateral talks with heads of state and government.

The Swiss Science Council welcomes representatives of European science, technology and innovation councils.

The 29th meeting of the Joint Committee between Switzerland and the European Union (EU) on the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) took place on 12th November 2026 at the House of the Cantons in Bern. It was chaired by Switzerland. Both delegations noted the mutual benefits of the AFMP.

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

The Chief Science Advisors Roundtable (CSAR) is an international forum supported by UNESCO, where chief science advisers from governments around the world exchange views and achieve consensus on the role of scientific policy advice. At the fourth CSAR meeting, held in Paris on 10 November 2026, State Secretary Martina Hirayama linked her remarks to the international AI summit that Switzerland will host in Geneva in June 2027.

Proteins are the building blocks of life – and the docking sites for pharmaceutical compounds. Therefore, understanding exactly how proteins function and react to stimuli opens up new possibilities in pharmaceutical research. Four researchers have now been awarded a prestigious ERC Synergy Grant to investigate how proteins respond to electric fields. Their method will be prototyped using the X-ray free-electron laser SwissFEL at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, with the aim of expanding to other large research facilities in the future.

The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) and the Federal Office of Police (fedpol) have carried out a large-scale, internationally coordinated operation against a suspected criminal organisation. The operation targeted individuals suspected of involvement in a criminal organisation, of committing offences under the Narcotics Act, and of engaging in aggravated money laundering.

Federal Council Vice-President Ignazio Cassis will represent Switzerland at the 20th Francophonie Summit, to be held on 15 and 16 November 2026 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Under the motto ‘Reinvest in Peace for Shared Prosperity and Sustainable Stability’, the summit will focus on peace and cooperation. The election of the secretary-general of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF) is also on the agenda.

In the 3rd quarter 2026, the employed population grew by 0.5% and ILO unemployment stood at 5.6%