The week in Switzerland
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Have you received your voting papers for next Sunday’s national votes? Have you already filled them in and sent the envelope back? If not, you’d better hurry up – or be prepared to dig deep into your wallet. As we reported earlier this year, Swiss citizens abroad sometimes have to pay high postage costs – up to CHF100 ($120) – to ensure their votes reach Switzerland on time.
The three-week autumn parliamentary session began on Monday and politicians in both chambers have been busy.
On Monday the Senate approved the trade agreement with Mercosur, a South American trade bloc, and allocated CHF517 million ($630 million) to Swiss agriculture to appease farmers. The House of Representatives agreed to the terms two days later. The final say is likely to rest with the people.
On Tuesday parliament put forward an indirect counter-proposal to the initiative calling for a ban on the import of foie gras; it recommends voters reject the initiative. The same day parliament said it intended to ban the import of and trade in fur produced through cruel practices.
Also on Tuesday parliament approved CHF3.4 billion for Swiss Armed Forces. It has earmarked around CHF2.4 billion for defence procurement, CHF562 million for property projects and CHF394 million as a supplementary credit for buying F-35 fighter jets.
After years of debate, on Wednesday both chambers agreed that murder will soon be one of the crimes for which there is no statute of limitations.
On Thursday parliament approved a maximum of CHF20 million for settlement arrangements in favour of the victims of the Crans-Montana fire. The aim is to settle out-of-court and avoid protracted civil proceedings.
As they do on average four times a year, the Swiss will head to the polls next Sunday, September 27, to have their say on two issues at a federal level (the neutrality initiative and the food security initiative) and many others at cantonal and municipal level.
Discussions around neutrality have overshadowed the food security initiative, but if the polls are right, it looks both issues will be comfortably rejected.
Many voters fear that the stricter version of neutrality proposed by the initiative would limit collaboration with allies when it comes to defence matters, according to the second poll by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (Swissinfo’s parent company) on Wednesday.
As for the food security initiative, which seeks to strengthen domestic food production, prioritise plant-based foods and protect groundwater resources, only Green Party voters still back it.
The levels of support for both initiatives (around 35%) are similar among voters in Switzerland and the Swiss Abroad, who actually backed the food security initiative a month ago.
More than 2,800 jobs have been lost across international organisations in Geneva since Donald Trump returned to the US presidency.
According to the figures released by the foreign ministry on Monday, these organisations in International Geneva employed 25,696 people in 2024. Upon returning to the White House in 2025, Trump announced cuts to US funding for UN agencies and NGOs, which were followed by similar cuts from other countries.
Almost two years later, the number of jobs stands at just under 23,000. However, this figure does not include NGOs. Similarly, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have cut numerous posts, in addition to those lost at the Geneva headquarters.
Three further states have opened a mission in Geneva. The total number of international organisations now stands at 29, an increase of one.
The Swiss can’t get enough of their trains. Last year Swiss railways set a record for rail transport volume: 23.7 billion passenger-kilometres, up from 22.9 billion in 2024.
This 3.2% increase is part of an ongoing trend, according to data published on Wednesday by the Federal Statistical Office. Between 2015 and 2025, rail transport volume rose by 16.3% – despite the Covid pandemic – from 20.4 billion to 23 billion passenger-kilometres (the transport of one person over one kilometre).
Compared with other modes of transport, rail remains a distant second behind road. According to 2024 data, private motorised transport (mainly passenger cars) accounted for 70.6% of the overall transport market, railways account for 17.2%, ahead of non-motorised transport (5.9%) and public road transport such as buses and trams (3.5%).
Within this collective transport system (rail, road, cable cars and waterways), rail accounts for more than 81% of passenger-kilometres travelled, confirming its position as the backbone of public transport in Switzerland.
The week ahead
On Tuesday La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland’s first Capital of Culture, announces its programme.
The curtain goes up at the 22nd Zurich Film Festival on Thursday. Hollywood stars set to attend this year include Naomi Watts, Andy García, Casey Affleck, Olivia Colman, Julianne Moore and Alexander Skarsgård. The festival runs until October 4.
The annual Neuchâtel Fête des Vendanges runs from Friday until Sunday. The 99th edition of the wine festival will be held under the theme “The Alchemy of the Senses”.
On Sunday, September 27, the Swiss will head to the polls to decide two issues at a federal level (the neutrality initiative and the food security initiative) and many others at cantonal and municipal level.
Sub-edited by ac
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