Switzerland

“Europe’s last candle”

Switzerland as a counter-model to Brussels’ centralism … that could all come to an end with the EU framework agreement

by Michael Straumann*

(26 June 2026) The planned framework agreement with the European Union is a perennial topic of debate in Switzerland. Consequently, another power struggle broke out at the Federal Palace in Bern at the end of May. Parliamentarians are arguing over which committee – known in Switzerland as a “commission” – should be responsible for the EU treaty package.

Elon Musk and the Starlink antennas: Leuk could become a military target

by Remo Massat*

(19 June 2026) Remo Massat, editor-in-chief of the Walliser Zeitung, raises a valid yet hitherto largely overlooked question: What impact does Elon Musk’s Starlink project in Leuk have on Swiss neutrality?

When health policy becomes a question of power

by Ralph Studer*

(5 June 2026) Mandatory vaccinations, liability issues and new technologies are causing unease across Switzerland. Whilst cantons are tightening their health laws and the federal government is revising the Epidemics Act, concerns are growing that state intervention could go too far. Initial consultations have led to restrictions on the state’s scope for intervention.

Neutrality: a service to others – not merely a form of protection

by Colonel Jacques Baud,* Brussels

(22 May 2026) (CH-S) Switzerland has lost credibility as a mediator. On 25 April, in an opening address delivered online to the general meeting of the association “bene.swiss.ch”,1 Jacques Baud called for a return to an active neutrality that serves others.
Federal referendum on 14 June 2026

Switzerland is bursting at the seams

The “Sustainability Initiative” aims to limit migration, but virtually all parties and associations are opposed to it

by Michael Straumann*

(1 May 2026) Switzerland is bursting at the seams. Rents are soaring to record levels, trains are overcrowded, and traffic jams are getting longer. In many places, the country is reaching its capacity limits. For instance, rents in Zurich – both in the city and across the canton – have recently reached an all-time high.1 Rents have risen by 21 per cent in the canton over the last 25 years, and by as much as 44 per cent in the city.

Preserving neutrality: No arms exports from Switzerland

by Daniel Funk*

(24 April 2026) The relaxation of the War Material Act jeopardises Swiss neutrality. That is why the people must decide – in favour of consistent rules that apply equally to all states.