Goods bearing the Swiss cross would have to be manufactured or processed in Switzerland under proposed legislation backed by a National Council committee, reported SRF.
The National Council’s committee for science, education and culture has cleared the way for its counterpart in the Council of States to draft a bill tightening the rules. Swiss design or research alone would no longer qualify foreign-made goods to carry the cross.
The committee backed a Council of States initiative, two further proposals and a motion by 22 votes to two. After consultation, the Council of States is due to consider the proposal in the first half of 2027.
The move follows a change in practice by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property earlier in 2026. After a legal dispute with On, a well-known Swiss shoemaker, the institute allowed foreign-made goods to bear the Swiss cross if specified activities, such as design, research or development, took place entirely in Switzerland.
The proposed legislation would reverse that relaxation.
If the change is enacted On may have to remove the Swiss cross from its foreign-made shoes.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
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