News

Address by Federal Councillor Martin Pfister, head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport DDPS, at the anniversary celebration of the Geneva Centres, Geneva, Thursday, 18 September 2025.

From 14 to 21 September 2025, a delegation of 12 Sri Lankan lawmakers and high-level political decision-makers, including members of the government and the opposition, is visiting Switzerland at the invitation of the FDFA. The trip was jointly organised by the Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD) and the Swiss embassy in Colombo, and focuses on federalism, democracy and reconciliation.

The ETH Board has appointed Professor Eftychia Vayena to be a member of the Executive Board of ETH Zurich. In relation to the organisational development project “FIT for the Future”, it also took note of an alternative proposal from the research institutes, which it has asked them to develop further. The ETH Board is expected to decide at the end of the year which option or options it wishes to include in the consultation within the ETH Domain.

At its meeting of 17/18 September 2025 and upon application of the President of ETH Zurich, Professor Joël Mesot, and the President of EPFL, Professor Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, the ETH Board appointed a total of ten women and nine men as professors and awarded the title of professor to one individual and the title of Professor of Practice to one individual. It also took note of the resignation of two professors and thanked them for their services. In the last 12 months, the ETH Board has made a total of 25 new appointments for women and 22 for men; the proportion of women among these new appointments thus amounts to 53%.

Ambassadors newly accredited to Switzerland present their credentials

Address by Federal Councillor, Ignazio Cassis, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) - presentation of Switzerland's priorities to the OSCE Permanent Council 2026 – Check against delivery

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

On 9 October 2025, the Swiss Internet Governance Forum (Swiss IGF) in Bern will discuss the most pressing issues in the digital world – from the regulation of artificial intelligence and digital identity to data governance and digital sovereignty. The tenth edition of the forum welcomes all interested parties. Registration is open until 2 October 2025.

The Swiss Science Council (SSC) is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, a celebratory event will take place on Monday, 22 September 2025, at the Bernerhof in Bern. In an open dialogue with Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin and key figures from politics and science, the SSC will look ahead to the challenges and opportunities in education, research, and innovation in Switzerland over the coming years.

Light on – bacteria dead. Disinfecting surfaces could be as simple as that. To turn this idea into a weapon against antibiotic-resistant germs, Empa researchers are developing a coating whose germicidal effect can be activated by infrared light. The plastic coating is also skin-friendly and environmentally friendly. A first application is currently being implemented for dentistry.

On 15 and 16 September 2025, Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider attended the informal meeting of EU health ministers held in Copenhagen. The main topics discussed were preparedness, security of supply, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the life sciences sector. The Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs also took this opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with several of her counterparts.

On Tuesday 16 September, President Karin Keller-Sutter undertook a presidential visit to Croatia, where she met in Zagreb with President Zoran Milanović, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Finance Minister Marko Primorac, Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Nataša Mikuš Žigman and Speaker of Parliament Gordan Jandroković. Their discussions covered bilateral relations between Switzerland and Croatia alongside global and European security matters.