Petition launched to save Swissinfo from government cuts

The Senate will debate the relief package 27 in the coming winter session. Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, other representatives of the Swiss Abroad and cultural and media associations have launched a petition against the planned cancellation of the federal contribution to the foreign mandate of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC).

The government wants to make savings: the federal budget is to be reduced by CHF2.4 billion ($3 billion) in 2027 and by around CHF3 billion in 2028 and 2029. In September it adopted the dispatch on relief package 27, which envisages annual cuts totalling billions.

The savings package contains 57 measures, one of which is the reduction of the federal contribution of a good CHF19 million to the SBC’s international programme. This is still regulated until 2026, after which the government wants to cancel the contributions. Swissinfo would be directly affected by this.

‘A cut would be the end’

“This would mean the end of Swissinfo and Switzerland’s voice abroad,” reads a joint statement from the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), Soliswiss, Educationsuisse, Suisseculture, the Swiss Society for Communication and Media Studies (SGKM) and the media union SSM.

Together, the organisations have launched a petitionExternal link for the preservation of Swissinfo and its mandate abroad and have called on parliament to reject the planned cancellation of the federal contribution.

“A cut would effectively mean the end of independent international reporting from and about Switzerland,” the website states. The petition is intended to draw the attention of politicians who will be debating the relief package 27 in the upcoming winter session to the importance of international coverage.

Parliamentarian Laurent Wehrli, chair of the House of Representatives foreign affairs committee, is already convinced of this. Swissinfo helps Swiss nationals living abroad maintain their relationship with their homeland, he says. It also contributes to Switzerland’s positive image abroad, he adds: “Swissinfo consolidates Switzerland’s reputation among political decision-makers and the population worldwide and thus makes a valuable contribution to the diplomatic presence and strengthening of our country.”

The number of Swiss Abroad is growing steadily, with more than 800,000 registered with Swiss representations worldwide. “Swissinfo is a valuable source of background information from Switzerland for the Swiss Abroad and for an international audience,” says Lukas Weber, director of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA). “The reporting is more nuanced and neutral than that of many other media.”

Funding discontinued from 2027

In the dispatch on the adoption of the 27 relief package, the government says that funding for Swissinfo is to be discontinued from 2027. “The range of information abroad from and about Switzerland is already very comprehensive thanks to the various media channels,” it says. Support for the online portal Tvsvizzera and the international television channels 3Sat and TV5Monde is also to be discontinued.

Online content for Swiss citizens abroad will continue to be available, but within the SBC’s remit. “This offer will be smaller and much more cost-effective than before,” the government said, explaining that it will be regulated in the licence.

The measure would significantly reduce the overall burden on the SBC, which has to make savings anyway. The SBC currently pays an identical amount (over CHF9 million) as the federal government towards the operating costs of Swissinfo.

The Senate will debate the savings package in the coming winter session, with the House of Representatives expected to follow in the spring session next year. The Green Party has already threatened a referendum. If this is successful, the electorate is expected to vote on the savings package 27 at the ballot box in 2026.