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Address by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), at the opening of the IC-Forum 2026 dedicated to humanitarian aid – Check against delivery

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

In the 4th quarter 2025, total employment (excluding agriculture) in Switzerland rose by 0.2% compared with the same quarter of the previous year (seasonally adjusted, +0.2% over previous quarter). Enterprises reported 4.3% fewer vacancies than a year earlier. There has been little change in the difficulty of recruiting skilled workers compared to the previous quarter, and the employment outlook remains positive. These are some of the latest findings from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

The UN sanctions committee has amended the list of sanctioned individuals, companies and organizations. 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.

On 25 February, the Federal Council decided to adopt the further measures contained in the European Union's 19th package of sanctions against Russia with effect from 26 February. On 12 December last year, 64 individuals and entities were already added to Switzerland's sanctions list, and the first measures of the 19th sanctions package were adopted.

On 25 February 2026, the Federal Council was informed that President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen would sign the Switzerland–EU package of agreements (Bilaterals III) in Brussels on Monday, 2 March.

Following the repeal of country-specific additional tariffs by the Supreme Court, the US president introduced new additional tariffs citing a different legal basis. The principal objective of Switzerland's negotiations with the US remains unchanged. The Federal Council was informed of the initial findings on 25 February and will discuss further developments at one of its next meetings.

In 2025, the Swiss hotel sector recorded a total of 43.9 million overnight stays (+1.1 million nights), surpassing its 2024 record. This corresponds to an increase of 2.6% over 2024. Foreign visitors accounted for 22.8 million overnight stays, an increase of 3.7% (+803 000) and a new all‑time high. Domestic demand has now also surpassed the 2022 record, increasing by 1.4% (+296 000) to reach 21.1 million overnight stays. These are the final results from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

On 25 February 2026, the Federal Council has adopted the dispatch and draft of a federal act on space operations for submission to Parliament. The proposed legislation is intended to enable players in Switzerland to exploit technological and economic opportunities in space. It also sends a signal that Switzerland is a forward-looking and responsible space nation.

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

On 23.02.2026 the Federal Department of Economic Affairs EAER has amended annex 8 to the ordinance. The entries concerning 88 individuals and 92 organizations have been modified. The measures come into force at 11 pm on 24.02.2026.

Speech by Federal Councillor and OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ignazio Cassis, at the OSCE Reinforced Permanent Council on Russia’s war against Ukraine – Check against delivery