The week in Switzerland
Dear Swiss Abroad,
I’d imagine that this week most Swiss stayed at home with the blinds down and their feet in a bucket of cold water. But in general, more and more Swiss are travelling abroad – and more and more Swiss are getting into trouble and requiring government assistance. The message from Bern is clear: anyone travelling or living abroad remains responsible for their own safety.
As temperature records melted across Europe this week, fire bans were imposed in some Swiss cantons, hospitals and Swiss Federal Railways faced heat-related challenges, and teachers called for national protection measures.
On Thursday a heat record that had stood for almost 80 years in Switzerland was broken: the mercury exceeded 37°C at no fewer than four monitoring stations. This is the highest temperature ever recorded in Switzerland in June (the highest temperature ever recorded is 41.5°C in Graubünden in 2003).
A day earlier the River Aare set a June record of 23.42°C at the Marzilibad in Bern. On Friday the two Beznau nuclear reactors in canton Aargau, which are cooled by water from the Aare, were taken off the grid. This is intended to prevent the river water from overheating.
The heatwave and an exceptionally dry spring are also significantly increasing the risk of forest fires across large parts of the country. Several cantons, including Valais, Aargau and parts of Graubünden, have already imposed total fire bans; partial restrictions are in place in Fribourg, Vaud and Geneva, among other places. Up-to-date information is available on the government’s forest fire danger websiteExternal link.
Swiss Federal Railways has experienced a number of disruptions to the railway infrastructure and rolling stock caused by the heat, including overheating of traction motors or faults in air-conditioning systems. There have been isolated delays and cancellations on rail services over the past few days, but services are generally running smoothly.
While most hospitals have not recorded a significant increase, the University Hospital of Zurich and emergency departments in Ticino have both reported a 10% increase in cases, Swiss public broadcaster SRF said on Thursday.
For its part, the Swiss Teachers’ Federation has called for nationwide adjustments to school infrastructure and the introduction of clear procedures. Above 26°C, the timetable must be adjusted and lessons moved to cooler rooms, it said, adding that once temperatures reach 30°C, lessons must be suspended.
Negotiators from the United States and Iran finally met in Switzerland on Sunday and Monday in an attempt to end the war.
The Swiss government welcomed the “constructive progress” at the Bürgenstock Resort overlooking Lake Lucerne, calling the establishment of a high-level committee to continue the negotiations a “positive step”.
The meeting had been scheduled for Friday June 19, but US President Donald Trump’s signing of the agreement two days earlier in France and mutual mistrust between the parties had caused a delay. After a fair bit of uncertainty, the summit eventually went ahead on Sunday, attended by US Vice-President JD Vance and the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammed Ghalibaf, as well as the prime ministers of Qatar and Pakistan.
For its part, the Bürgenstock Resort had less than 48 hours to organise the negotiations, resulting in it having to cancel 1,200 bookings, involving more than 2,000 guests. In addition, the integration of a no-fly zone around the Bürgenstock caused a technical fault at Swiss air traffic controller Skyguide, which affected Zurich Airport flights. Nevertheless, the canton Nidwalden gave a positive assessment of the event, saying security was ensured at all times.
The Swiss government said it intended to continue supporting the negotiation process. “Our aim is for our diplomacy to continue to contribute to de-escalation, stability and peace,” said Nicolas Bideau, a spokesperson for the Swiss foreign ministry.
Swiss tourists are increasingly requiring government assistance: last year the foreign ministry’s consular service assisted Swiss travellers in 1,238 cases, 14% more than the previous year. What’s going on?
On the one hand, the Swiss are travelling abroad more – in 2025 there were around 12 million trips lasting more than one day. According to the Consular Directorate, there is also a trend towards adventure holidays – that is, travelling to countries where it is dangerous.
The rise in consular protection cases in 2025 can also be explained by an increase in mental health emergencies while travelling abroad. In addition, more Swiss people of retirement age fell ill while abroad.
Finally, the foreign ministry says more people were travelling alone – and often lacking the necessary preparation. Ahead of the summer holidays, the government has been regularly reminding people of the possibilities – and, above all, the limitations – of consular assistance. The message is clear: the government will help out in emergencies, but only as a last resort. Anyone travelling or living abroad remains responsible for their own safety.
Switzerland have qualified for the knockout Round of 32 at the 2026 football World Cup as group winners, beating co-host Canada 2-1 in Vancouver on Wednesday. The Swiss had previously drawn 1-1 with Qatar and beaten Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1.
The Swiss goals against Canada came early in the second half, scored by Ruben Vargas 40 seconds after the restart and Johan Manzambi 11 minutes later. They conceded a goal with 15 minutes to go but held on for the win.
“We made life a bit difficult for ourselves. But I have to say, it was a great team effort today,” said Swiss manager Murat Yakin. “We’ve built up our confidence. Now we can recover and enjoy the moment a little. We’ve got two or three days’ rest now, then preparations for the knockout stages will begin.”
Switzerland will play their Round of 32 match on Thursday (5am on Friday, Swiss time) against a third-placed team from another group. That game will also be played in Vancouver.
Edited by Samuel Jaberg/sb
The week ahead
Economics Minister Guy Parmelin heads to North America on Monday for a ten-day economic and scientific mission, visiting the United States, Canada and Mexico. He will also cheer on the Swiss football team at the World Cup in Vancouver on Thursday (see above).
A new study on nuclear power in Switzerland will be presented on Monday by the federal technology institute ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI).
The curtain goes up on the 60th Montreux Jazz Festival on Friday, with headline acts including Sting, Nick Cave and Deep Purple. The opening concert features British singer Raye. The festival runs until July 18.
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