https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Switzerland in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed During the opening of the autumn session of the Swiss parliament on September 14th, President Guy Parmelin presented four goals the government has set for the country for next year. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260915/prosperity-or-the-environment-what-are-switzerlands-priorities-for-2027 Tue, 15 Sep 2026 12:18:55 +0200 prosperity-or-the-environment-what-are-switzerlands-priorities-for-2027 In the third round of 2026 referendums, to be held on September 27th, Swiss voters will have their say on a variety of issues of both national and cantonal importance. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260831/taxes-and-assisted-dying-what-swiss-cantons-will-on-in-september Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:36:56 +0200 taxes-and-assisted-dying-what-swiss-cantons-will-on-in-september The parliamentary debate on immigration tax and jobs for foreign graduates of Swiss universities will be among a good list of hot-button topics on the country’s political agenda this autumn. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260901/explained-the-biggest-political-issues-in-switzerland-this-autumn Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:11:55 +0200 explained-the-biggest-political-issues-in-switzerland-this-autumn In the next round of referendums to be held on September 27th, Swiss voters will cast their ballots on locally-grown food supply. But what's it all about? https://www.thelocal.ch/20260831/why-the-swiss-will-vote-on-the-countrys-vital-food-needs Mon, 31 Aug 2026 16:23:18 +0200 why-the-swiss-will-vote-on-the-countrys-vital-food-needs Swiss voters appear set to reject a much-debated proposal to strengthen their country's traditional neutrality, according to the first opinion polls ahead of a popular vote next month. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260822/swiss-likely-to-vote-no-to-tougher-neutrality Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:10:50 +0200 swiss-likely-to-vote-no-to-tougher-neutrality Switzerland's government said it was seeking to boost its 2026 investments in air defence spending by more than 970 million francs, pointing to escalating threat levels and drawn-out delivery times. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260819/bern-eyes-boosting-switzerlands-air-defence-budget Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:47:15 +0200 bern-eyes-boosting-switzerlands-air-defence-budget Eurovision Song Contest organisers announced Wednesday that they were excluding any country in an armed conflict from hosting the competition, as the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Burgas will host Eurovision 2027. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260813/eurovision-to-bar-countries-at-war-from-hosting Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:35:09 +0200 eurovision-to-bar-countries-at-war-from-hosting Swiss voters will go to the polls on September 27th to decide whether the hard-right’s bid to strengthen their country’s neutrality should be approved. Now Russia has an opinion too. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260806/why-is-russia-in-favour-of-maintaining-swiss-neutrality Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:41:28 +0200 why-is-russia-in-favour-of-maintaining-swiss-neutrality Lawmakers in France are scheduled to vote on Tuesday to ban social media for under-15s -- one of 20 countries worldwide to have proposed or introduced such measures, with many of them in Europe. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260713/eu-to-limit-childrens-access-to-social-media Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:02:47 +0200 eu-to-limit-childrens-access-to-social-media The new package of agreements between Bern and Brussels will “cause crime to explode in Switzerland,” populists say. But is this true? https://www.thelocal.ch/20260720/swiss-hard-right-claims-eu-treaties-represent-free-rein-for-thieves-and-other-criminals Mon, 20 Jul 2026 11:50:58 +0200 swiss-hard-right-claims-eu-treaties-represent-free-rein-for-thieves-and-other-criminals To gather support for its bid to strengthen Switzerland’s neutrality, which will be voted on in a referendum on September 27th, the Zurich section of the populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) is relying on traditional costumes from... abroad. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260716/swiss-hard-right-promotes-neutrality-with-german-costumes Thu, 16 Jul 2026 09:46:35 +0200 swiss-hard-right-promotes-neutrality-with-german-costumes After France adopted a bill to allow assisted dying on Wednesday, here's a look at which European countries already authorise the terminally ill to end their lives. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260716/compare-which-european-countries-allow-assisted-dying Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:25:07 +0200 compare-which-european-countries-allow-assisted-dying As two non-EU countries with close ties to the bloc, Bern and London have bolstered relations in a new and wide-ranging agreement. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260715/what-to-know-about-switzerlands-new-trade-deal-with-the-uk Wed, 15 Jul 2026 15:00:31 +0200 what-to-know-about-switzerlands-new-trade-deal-with-the-uk Switzerland and Britain have concluded negotiations on an upgraded free trade agreement, Bern said Monday, saying the deal would boost legal certainty for businesses in both countries. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260713/switzerland-and-uk-conclude-modernised-free-trade-deal-talks Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:27:17 +0200 switzerland-and-uk-conclude-modernised-free-trade-deal-talks President Guy Parmelin flew to Washington this week to work out a better trade deal for Swiss exports, but he came back empty-handed, having made one-sided concessions to the United States instead. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260702/swiss-president-under-fire-for-making-concessions-to-the-us Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:56:26 +0200 swiss-president-under-fire-for-making-concessions-to-the-us In the fourth, and last, round of national referendums in 2026, Swiss voters will have their say on four issues when they go to the polls in November. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260702/taxes-pensions-the-issues-swiss-citizens-will-vote-on-in-november Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:53:17 +0200 taxes-pensions-the-issues-swiss-citizens-will-vote-on-in-november Switzerland is negotiating with France, Israel and South Korea to acquire a long-range air defence system, amid lengthy delivery delays of US Patriot missiles. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260625/switzerland-in-talks-with-several-countries-for-air-defence-system Thu, 25 Jun 2026 10:07:14 +0200 switzerland-in-talks-with-several-countries-for-air-defence-system Though the far-right move to curb immigration from the EU was defeated at the ballot box and no longer dominates Swiss news, other measures targeting foreign residents are fuelling political debates. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260625/the-big-issues-for-foreign-residents-on-the-swiss-political-agenda-this-june Thu, 25 Jun 2026 09:17:50 +0200 the-big-issues-for-foreign-residents-on-the-swiss-political-agenda-this-june Diplomats from several countries were meeting Saturday at a Swiss retreat in a bid to maintain dialogue on the preliminary US-Iran deal to halt the Middle East war, said Bern. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260620/diplomats-hold-us-iran-preparatory-discussions-at-swiss-retreat Sat, 20 Jun 2026 15:50:36 +0200 diplomats-hold-us-iran-preparatory-discussions-at-swiss-retreat A decade after the Brexit referendum, the UK is experiencing a form of "divorce regret" with surveys showing most Britons now believe leaving the European Union was a mistake. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260620/would-the-eu-take-britain-back Sat, 20 Jun 2026 11:07:06 +0200 would-the-eu-take-britain-back