News

On Friday, 9 May 2025 in Geneva, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Karin Keller-Sutter, and the Vice President of the Federal Council, Guy Parmelin, met with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Prior to that, they met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

Federal councillors Ignazio Cassis and Elisabeth Baume-Schneider announced in Venice today the future set-up for the Palazzo Trevisan. As of 1 January 2026, the main floor of the palace will be turned into a platform managed by the FDFA which will not only build on the palace's important role in promoting Swiss culture but will also incorporate new activities in the fields of innovation, research and sustainability. This development is the result of collaboration between the FDFA and the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA), with the dual aim of strengthening the Palazzo Trevisan as a vector of Swiss excellence in Venice, and of further enriching the dense network of relations between Switzerland and Italy.

Federal Councillor Albert Rösti, head of the Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC), met the UK’s Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander in London on 8 May. They signed a joint memorandum of understanding on increased cooperation in international rail passenger transport. The aim of the MoU is to establish a direct railway link between Switzerland and the UK.

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

In April 2025 the consumer sentiment index stood at –42 points. This is 4 points lower than in April 2024. The following sub-index is lower than in April 2024: economic outlook. The following sub-indices are higher than a year ago: past financial situation, financial outlook and moment to make major purchases.

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis has decided the FDFA will grant CHF 39 million to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Women, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for 2025. By renewing these contributions, the FDFA is also sending out a strong signal in support of International Geneva.

On Thursday, 8 May, President Karin Keller-Sutter addressed the St Gallen Symposium, where this year's theme focused on ‘Shifting Global Power’. On the sidelines of the symposium, President Keller-Sutter met with Montenegro's President Jakov Milatović.

National Armaments Director Urs Loher is taking part in the DEFEA 2025 defence exhibition in Athens. Within this framework, bilateral discussions with the National Armament Directors of Greece and Israel as well as exchanges with representatives from industry will take place.

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

Net zero: the goal that moves our society at all levels. But what can we as individuals contribute to achieve it? Answers are given by the Emission Explorer, the new exhibit developed by Empa as part of Energy Science for Tomorrow (ES4T), a joint initiative of the ETH Domain and the Swiss Museum of Transport. Visitors can playfully calculate their CO2 emissions and find out in which areas of life they can make a concrete contribution to a more sustainable society.

Address by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) on the occasion of the inauguration – Check against delivery

On 7 May 2025 the FDFA published the Guidelines on Democracy, which set out objectives for democracy promotion and identify foreign policy instruments for strengthening democratic processes and institutions.