FDFA is undermining the protection of foreign press journalists
At the end of 2025, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) plans to abolish the accreditation of foreign press journalists in Switzerland and the regulation that have protected them since 1992, without even consulting those concerned.
This has sparked outrage among Swiss professional associations (Impressum, Syndicom, Reporters without Borders Switzerland, Press Emblem Campaign, etc.). Six members of the National Council have submitted a parliamentary motion to the Department on December 19, 2025
https://www.parlament.ch/fr/ratsbetrieb/suche-curia-vista/geschaeft?AffairId=20254878
About APES
The Foreign Press Association in Switzerland and Liechtenstein
The Foreign Press Association in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, known by its French acronym APES, was founded in Geneva in 1928 and now has around 80 members representing media from every continent.
The majority of members are based in and around Geneva in French-speaking Switzerland, home to many United Nations and other international agencies.
There is also a sizeable contingent in German-speaking Zurich, Switzerland’s commercial hub, with a sprinkling in Bern, the Swiss capital, and Basel, a major cultural centre.
In addition to representing the professional interests of its members, APES facilitates their work through its contacts with Swiss federal and cantonal authorities, organisations and enterprises spanning all aspects of Swiss life, including politics, business, finance, science and culture.
Through these contacts APES organises a varied programme of activities for members including, each year, a themed visit to one of Switzerland’s 26 cantons and a dinner or lunch with the Swiss President as guest of honour to which many other prominent Swiss are also invited.