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Fifty-one years after the Helsinki Final Act was adopted, the Swiss OSCE Chairpersonship brought together political leaders, diplomats, historians and experts in Bern to reflect on the origins of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) – the predecessor organisation of today’s OSCE – and the relevance of its founding principles for European security today and tomorrow. The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ignazio Cassis, and the OSCE Secretary-General, Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu, also took part in the conference.

Address by Federal Councillor and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ignazio Cassis at the high-level segment of the conference in Bern, co-organized with the Dodis research centre – Check against delivery

Giacomo Sala is combining two previously separate disciplines of physics: the established field of spintronics and the emerging field of quantum geometry. His Q-GEOMSPIN project at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI could pave the way for more efficient data storage – and is now being funded with approximately CHF 2.2 million by the European Research Council (ERC).

The birth rate in Switzerland is at its lowest level on record. Persistently low birth rates are slowing the growth of the domestic working-age population and speeding up the ageing of the population. As a result, they also pose challenges for the public finances.The FFA's new working paper analyses the causes and consequences of persistently low birth rates, and identifies potential approaches for forward-looking economic and fiscal policy.Working paper no. 30: “Low birth rates: A fiscal policy assessment” (available in German only; summaries in French, Italian and English).

In the second quarter of 2026, Switzerland’s gross domestic product (GDP) adjusted for sporting events grew by 1.5%, following growth of 0.5% in the previous quarter.(1)(2) This is the strongest GDP growth recorded since the third quarter of 2021. The chemical and pharmaceutical industry made the largest contribution to growth, while value added also increased across a wide range of other sectors. Domestic demand recovered after a weak start to the year.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 0.4% in August 2026 compared with the previous month, reaching 101.5 points (December 2025 = 100). Inflation was +0.8% compared with the same month of the previous year. These are the results of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

A new notification of cessation of the investigation (aviation) is available on the website of the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB).

On 2 September, the Federal Council elected environmental scientist Tobias Walser to the ETH Board as a delegate of the university assemblies of ETH Zurich and EPFL.

‘From Geneva to Helsinki: founding process and core purpose of the OSCE’ is the theme of the international conference that Switzerland is hosting on 3 and 4 September 2026. Organised in partnership with the Dodis (Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland) research centre, the conference is taking place under the country's chairpersonship of the OSCE. Senior representatives of OSCE participating states and of the political and academic worlds will be examining the founding principles of the organisation and its future role in a changing geopolitical landscape.

You could be interested by new pages which have been published on the OFCOM website between 15.08.2026 and 31.08.2026.

The Federal Communications Commission (ComCom) is launching the invitation to tender for a significant proportion of the mobile radio frequencies currently in use, which will become available and be awarded as of 1 January 2029. The primary objectives of the award are to maintain and further develop the three high-quality mobile communications networks and to foster competition in the mobile communications market. The award is expected to take place in the second quarter of 2027 by means of an auction.

Airplanes and passenger trains must meet strict safety requirements, including fire safety standards. This calls for materials that are flame-retardant, lightweight, robust, and scalable. Empa researchers, in collaboration with their industry partner Elantas, have now succeeded for the first time in making such a material – a composite – fully recyclable.