Summary

The Federal Council has adopted its 2025 Business Report and thereby taken stock of the second reporting period of the 2023–2027 legislative term. Of 148 planned initiatives, 88 were fully implemented and 9 partially implemented. Key priorities included economic competitiveness, EU stabilization, and significant resource allocation for trade negotiations with the USA following tariff threats. The report also documents important unplanned business such as the Ukraine country program and a relief package for 2027.

Persons

Topics

  • Legislative planning and business reporting
  • Economic policy and competitiveness
  • USA–Switzerland trade policy
  • EU relations and bilateral agreements
  • Climate policy and energy transition
  • Social security and health

Clarus Lead

The Federal Council adopted its 2025 Business Report on 11 February 2026 and thereby presented a detailed account of the 2023–2027 legislative period. The implementation rate of planned initiatives stands at 60% fully and 6% partially implemented – a central indicator of government performance. Significant resource allocation resulted from trade negotiations with the USA: Following tariff threats of initially 39%, a statement of intent was achieved with a reduction to 15%. In parallel, strategic projects in digitalization, climate policy, and EU stabilization were advanced.

Detailed Summary

The reporting year 2025 was characterized by four strategic guidelines: prosperity security and digitalization, national cohesion, security and peace engagement, and climate and resource protection. The Federal Council assigned 25 objectives with a total of 148 planned initiatives to these guidelines. The realization rate shows implementation of 88 complete and 9 partial closures. Implemented measures include the message for commitment credits for regional passenger transport 2026–2028, the first National Poverty Monitoring, the Asia-G20 strategy, and a partial revision of the Federal Act on Agricultural Land Rights.

A dominant factor was trade policy: Following additional tariff threats by the US President in April 2025 (31%), the situation escalated in August to 39%. Through intensive negotiations, a statement of intent was achieved in November that reduced tariffs to 15% – the trade-weighted rate is considerably lower due to exemptions. These negotiations required substantial resources and resulted in a negotiating mandate that the Federal Council adopted on 14 January 2026 following parliamentary and cantonal consultation.

Further priorities included stabilization of the bilateral Switzerland–EU path through the EU Programme Agreement (EUPA) in the areas of education, research, innovation, and health, which was provisionally applied retroactively from early 2025. Important unplanned business – so-called ad-hoc measures – included the Ukraine country program 2025–2028, the relief package 2027, a plurilateral climate agreement, and an increase in short-time work compensation.

Key Statements

  • Implementation Rate: 88 of 148 planned initiatives fully realized; 9 partially implemented
  • Trade Crisis Resolved: Tariff conflict with USA reduced from 39% to 15%; further negotiations planned
  • EU Stabilization: EUPA provisionally applied in four key areas
  • Strategic Priorities: Digitalization, climate policy (2035 target), national cohesion, international security
  • Unplanned Measures: Ukraine program, relief package, and short-time work measures in response to external crises

Critical Questions

  1. Data Quality: How does the Federal Council define "complete" versus "partial" implementation? What metrics determine these categorizations, and are they comparable with previous years?

  2. Resource Allocation: Which planned objectives were neglected or postponed due to resource allocation for US trade negotiations?

  3. Causality of Tariff Reduction: What specific negotiating instruments or concessions account for the reduction from 39% to 15%? What alternatives were considered?

  4. EU Dependencies: To what extent does provisional application of the EUPA bind Switzerland long-term, and what risks arise from non-ratification by Parliament?

  5. Implementation Risks: Which of the 60 incompletely implemented initiatives pose risks to the 2023–2027 legislative objectives?

  6. Parliamentary Oversight: How are unplanned measures (e.g., Ukraine program) aligned with the original legislative objectives?

Source Index

Primary Source: 2025 Business Report of the Federal Council – Media Release, 04.03.2026

Verification Status: ✓ 04.03.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-checking: 04.03.2026