Switzerland is again named the best country on earth; English will no longer be consistently spoken by Swiss politicians in official meetings with foreigners; and more news in our roundup on Thursday.
Switzerland named world’s ‘best country’ – again
According to the Human Progress Index 2025 (HPI), complied by CEOWORLD magazine, Switzerland ranks highest out of 196 countries in terms of the quality of life.
Switzerland’s top spot is based on categories such as life expectancy, education, political stability, per-capita income, infrastructure and transport, efficacy of the public health system, and civil rights, among other factors.
Previously, Switzerland was named the ‘best country in the world” in yet another survey, by the US News & News Report.
Swiss ministers urged not to speak English abroad
MPs have accepted a parliamentary motion demanding that members of the Federal Council speak one of Switzerland’s official languages — that is, German, French, or Italian — with foreign politicians or organisations which also use these languages, and not automatically revert to English.
But even though the majority of deputies voted in favour of this proposal, Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter called it “absurd.”
“Certainly, German, French, and Italian are also official languages in the EU. But if we follow the motion to the letter, English would no longer be permitted.”
As an example, she mentioned a meeting she recently had with former European Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni.
“He and I are fluent in Swiss official languages, but since other colleagues were present, we spoke in English. That would no longer be possible.”
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Tobacco advertising is banned in Switzerland — kind of
In Switzerland, any type of advertising for tobacco products that reaches children and young people is to be prohibited.
This has been decided by Swiss voters in a referendum in 2022.
However, MPs don’t favour a total ban; instead, they prefer to seek a ‘middle ground’ between a total advertising ban and a more flexible approach.
This ‘compromise’ stipulates that tobacco advertising in newspapers and magazines will be banned, unless it appears inside publications that are primarily sold by subscription and whose readership consists of at least 98 percent adults.
This would allow around 50 newspapers and 40 magazines in Switzerland to continue publishing tobacco advertising.
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Toblerone launches chocolate to be sold exclusively in Switzerland
In a bid to ‘reconnect’ with its roots, Toblerone will market four products in Switzerland only.
Now owned by the US food giant Mondelez International and manufactured mostly in Slovakia for global markets, Toblerone lost much of its original ‘Swissness’ from the time it was produced exclusively in Bern — for instance, the iconic Matterhorn logo has been replaced with a generic triangular mountain.
But now the company announced that four new Toblerone products will be sold from autumn 2025 only in the place where it all began: Switzerland.
They are:
The 750-gram milk chocolate bar — the iconic triangular Toblerone in a large format
The Tiny Box, a metal box containing three 100-gram bars
The Mix Bar, composed of four 100-gram bars, including two milk chocolate bars, one “Fruit and Nut” bar containing raisins and almonds, and finally a “Crunchy Almonds” bar with salted almonds
The 200-gram Tiny Bar, composed of different types of bars in mini formats: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and “Crunchy Almonds”
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at news@thelocal.ch
