On 29 October 2025 and after more than three months, Switzerland finalized the implementation of the EU’s 18th sanctions package by updating the Ordinance on measures in connection with the situation in Ukraine (“Ukraine Ordinance”; see press release here). At the same day, the Federal Council also introduced new measures against Belarus by revising the Ordinance on measures against Belarus (“Belarus Ordinance”). These new measures (with one exception) entered into force on 30 October 2025…
On 28 August 2025, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (the “E3”) formally triggered the “snapback” mechanism under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”), citing Iran’s continued non-compliance with its nuclear-related commitments. This move has been followed by weeks of unsuccessful negotiations at the United Nations aimed at extending the JCPOA framework. As a result of the snapback, and the failure to reach an agreement, all UN sanctions previously lifted under the JCPOA have…
On 13 August 2025, the Swiss government adopted the Ordinance on the harmonization of sanctions ordinances (“Ordinance”), introducing a number of provisions relating to financial sanctions and their exceptions and derogations in relation to 14 of the 28 sanctions regimes in force in Switzerland (already briefly mentioned here). The Ordinance will come into effect on 15 September 2025. The sanctions regimes affected by the amendments introduced by the Ordinance are the following: In essence, the…
As a first step towards implementing the EU’s 18th sanctions package, the Swiss government amended several annexes to the Ordinance on Measures in Connection with the Situation in Ukraine (“Ukraine Ordinance”) on 11 August 2025. The Swiss government also extended the lists of designated persons in the Ordinance on Measures against Belarus (“Belarus Ordinance”) and the Ordinance on Measures against Moldova (“Moldova Ordinance”), following the listings adopted by the EU on 18 and 15 July…