News

The head of the FDFA, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, will be in Vienna on 15 January 2026 to officially open Switzerland's chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). In his capacity as chairman-in-office, Mr Cassis will present the focus, programme and special representatives of the Swiss chairpersonship. He will also meet with Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, among others.

This year, the Marcel Benoist Swiss Science Prize, endowed with CHF 250,000, will be awarded in the field of life sciences (biology and medicine). Nominations can be submitted up to 23 February 2026. The prize has been awarded every year since 1920.

On 9 January, SECO published the second call for proposals to mobilise reconstruction projects in Ukraine in cooperation with Swiss companies. The federal government is contributing up to CHF 150 million towards such projects.

Scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have refined an X-ray diffraction technique for detecting biological structures from nanometres to millimetres – reducing the time needed to make the measurement from around one day to about an hour. This opens up a wide range of possibilities for biomedical research – from analysing bone and tissue structures to supporting the development of new implants.

The Federal Tax Administration has updated the course listings and bonus shares 2025.

In December 2025 the consumer sentiment index stood at –31 points. This is practically the same as in December 2024. The following sub-indices were higher than in December 2024: past financial situation and moment to make major purchases. The following sub-indices are lower than a year ago: economic outlook and financial outlook.

On 12 January 2026, Vincenza Trivigno will take up her post as Executive Director of Swissmedic, succeeding Raimund Bruhin, who has led the Agency since 2018 and is retiring in February 2026.

Speech by Mr Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation

The federal government and the cantonal victim support services in Switzerland are working together to ensure that those affected receive the necessary help quickly and without undue formalities, both now and in the future. The FDJP is examining whether additional measures are necessary to provide adequate support to victims and their families.

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have achieved a breakthrough on the path to practical application of lithium metal all-solid-state batteries – the next generation of batteries that can store more energy, are safer to operate, and charge faster than conventional lithium-ion batteries.

The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) has won a case against BDSwiss AG before the Bern Commercial Court. BDSwiss AG must now remove ‘Swiss’ from its name and the Swiss cross from its logo because it does not fulfil the legal requirements to use the Swiss indication of source.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) remained unchanged in December 2025 compared with the previous month, at 106.9 points (December 2020 = 100). Inflation was +0.1% compared with the same month of the previous year. Average annual inflation reached +0.2% in 2025. These are the results of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).