Switzerland
Married couples in Switzerland will be able to adopt an official double surname from January 1, 2027, after the government set the start date for a change to the Civil Code. Existing married couples will also be able to apply, but the new rule will not allow children to take double surnames.
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Switzerland
Swiss barn owls have become more reddish-brown and spotted over the past 30 years, a University of Lausanne study finds. The researchers link the rapid change to evolution and traits associated with fertility, hunting strategies and food intake.
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Switzerland
A majority of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee has given an initial positive assessment to Switzerland’s bilateral treaty package with the EU, calling close relations with the bloc essential. The committee also backed the negotiated wage-protection measures, while parliamentary review of other parts of the package continues.
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aviation
Zurich Airport is reshuffling its senior management, with Chief Operating Officer Stefan Tschudin set to leave in mid-2027 and Chief Commercial Officer Stefan Gross moving to a leadership role at Noida Airport in India. The operator says it will also restructure its organisation during 2027.
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energy
Gösgen nuclear power station in Solothurn was reconnected to the grid after an automatic reactor shutdown during a functional test. The plant operator says safety systems responded as intended and that no additional radioactivity was released; output is being gradually restored.
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Ticino
A village in Ticino’s Onsernone Valley is offering incentives including firewood and fertility treatment as it seeks to attract residents to a community whose population has fallen to around 600. The measures are part of an effort to counter the valley’s long-running population decline.
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climate
The Federal Council is backing a CO₂ levy on cement imports above a set quantity, intended to offset differences between Swiss and foreign production costs. The proposed border adjustment aims to prevent cement production from shifting to countries with less ambitious climate policies.
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health
The Federal Council plans to require Switzerland’s pharmaceutical and chemical industries to help fund Tox Info Suisse, the national poison information centre. A proposal to amend the Chemicals Act and Medicines Act will go out for consultation, with average annual contributions estimated at CHF5,300 for pharmaceutical firms and CHF240 for chemical manufacturers.
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pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceutical companies are pressing for higher medicine prices and broader reforms in Europe, including Switzerland, despite expectations that US President Donald Trump’s pricing policy will have less impact than first anticipated. The debate could affect drug costs and the incentives companies cite for developing new medicines.
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