News

National Armaments Director Urs Loher will meet with the Danish Armaments Director Lieutenant-General Kim J. Jørgensen for bilateral talks from 15 to 16 January 2026 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The exchange will focus on current security and arms policy topics as well as possible cooperations in the armaments area. In addition, the bilateral agreement on the mutual recognition of official quality controls between Switzerland and Denmark will be signed.

This year, with Florian Schütz participating in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is using this international platform to further engage with political, economic, and expert stakeholders on critical cybersecurity matters. To this end, the NCSC is organising a specialist event at the WEF Annual Meeting focusing on geopolitical developments, leadership roles in key technologies, and digital sovereignty. As in previous years, the NCSC is also supporting the WEF organisation in protecting cyberspace.

On 1 January 2026, Switzerland assumed the rotating presidency of the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR). The CCNR defines the international regulations for free navigation on the Rhine and thus ensures, among other things, that ships can travel from Basel to Rotterdam or Antwerp or from there to Basel without restrictions or fees. Access to the largest European seaports, which is guaranteed under international law, is important for Switzerland's security of supply. In particular, the Swiss presidency will advocate the digitalisation, sustainability and safety of the critical infrastructure of Rhine navigation.

Scientists at the X-ray free-electron laser SwissFEL have realised a long-pursued experimental goal in physics: to show how electrons dance together. The technique, known as X-ray four-wave mixing, opens a new way to see how energy and information flow within atoms and molecules. In the future, it could illuminate how quantum information is stored and lost, eventually aiding the design of more error-tolerant quantum devices. The findings are reported in Nature.

Yesterday evening, Swissmedic and its social partners on the employee committee and the transfair, VPOD and PVB trade unions reached mutual agreement on a redundancy scheme. This became necessary after Swissmedic was forced to announce in November 2025 that it would be cutting around 45 full-time equivalents over the next two years in addition to reducing material costs by 6 million Swiss francs. These measures are needed to stabilise the Agency’s financial situation.

You could be interested by new pages which have been published on the OFCOM website between 01.01.2026 and 14.01.2026.

Opening speech by Federal Councillor and chairman-in-office, Ignazio Cassis, at the OSCE Permanent Council. The event was held in Vienna. The speech was given in English – Check against delivery

The Secretariat of the Swiss Competition Commission is investigating Microsoft’s licensing fees in Switzerland. The recent fee increases may constitute indications of an unlawful restriction of competition.

Address by the President of the Swiss Confederation, Guy Parmelin, head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER)

The Federal Council is committed to ensuring that the victims of the fire in Crans-Montana and their families receive adequate support. To this end, it will request funding from Parliament if necessary. It took this policy decision at its meeting on 14 January. The Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) will examine by the end of February whether there are gaps in the existing provision of support services and how the federal government can provide assistance. The federal government’s contributions would be of a supplementary nature to complement the support provided by the insurance companies and the Valais authorities.

At its meeting on 14 January, the Federal Council decided that Mirjam Staub-Bisang will become Chair of the Board of Directors of the Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets on 1 June of this year. She succeeds Jörg Frieden, who is stepping down at the end of May.

Croatian nationals coming to work in Switzerland will no longer be subject to quotas. At its meeting on 14 January, the Federal Council was informed that the number of L and B permits issued to Croatians in 2025 remained below the thresholds which would have permitted an activation of the unilateral safeguard clause. Croatia now benefits from full free movement of persons.