Over 17,000 signatures to save Swissinfo

Over 17,000 people have signed the petition to preserve the SRG's mandate abroad. The Organization of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), Soliswiss, Educationsuisse, Suisseculture, the Swiss Society for Communication and Media Studies (SGKM), Reporters Without Borders Switzerland, Media Forti and the media union SSM jointly handed it over in Bern on Wednesday, 17 December 2025 - on the day of the Council of States debate on the 2027 relief package.

Mobilization in less than three months

Since its launch on September 19, 2025, the petition "Save Swissinfo and the foreign mandate" has gained more than 17,000 supporters. The foreign mandate includes Swissinfo and tvsvizzera.it as well as the partnership with 3sat and TV5Monde, thus ensuring Switzerland's international visibility.

Vital financing for Swissinfo

The petition is directed against the removal of the CHF 19 million that the federal government provides for SRG's foreign mandate, of which just over CHF 9 million is for Swissinfo. This funding covers half of the costs, the other half is borne by SRG itself. Without the federal contribution, the multilingual platform Swissinfo - the voice of Switzerland abroad - could not survive. It is an essential source of information for more than 820,000 Swiss citizens living abroad.

"Swissinfo connects our country with the 'Fifth Switzerland'. The platform provides independent information, explains votes and thus strengthens political rights," says National Councillor Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter (center) at the handover of the petition. For many Swiss abroad, Swissinfo is much more than just a medium: Swissinfo creates proximity to Switzerland.

Threat to over 100 jobs

The disappearance of Swissinfo and tvsvizzera.it would mean the loss of more than 100 jobs in an industry that is already under pressure. "At Swissinfo, journalists from ten language regions pool their expertise to provide neutral, high-quality information for those interested in Switzerland around the world. This is a unique and irreplaceable service," says Katy Romy, journalist and SSM representative at Swissinfo.

"The media industry is already under enormous pressure. Hundreds of jobs disappear every year in the private and public Swiss media," says Silvia Dell'Aquila, Central Secretary of the SSM. "The removal of the federal contribution for the SRG's foreign mandate would be a further drastic reduction in media diversity and would inevitably result in additional job losses. The fact that more than 17,000 people are speaking out against this is a strong signal for the Swiss media landscape and for those who create media content on a daily basis."

Importance of international partnerships

The foreign mandate is not limited to Swissinfo. The petitioners also emphasize the importance of the partnerships with 3sat and TV5Monde, which are also under threat. 3sat ensures a strong presence for Switzerland in the German-speaking cultural and scientific sphere, in particular through high-quality documentaries and magazines. The channel reaches around 70 million German-speaking households and thus makes a significant contribution to the international distribution of Swiss cultural productions.

TV5Monde, in turn, makes Swiss content visible in over 210 countries and regions and strengthens Switzerland's presence in the French-speaking world. The disappearance of these partnerships would significantly weaken the international visibility of Swiss culture, science and reporting.

Next step

The petition will now be forwarded to the National Council's Finance Committee, which will examine the 2027 relief package at the beginning of next year before it goes to the plenary session.