“Of course it worries us,” Defence Minister Guy Parmelin told Swiss public radio, SRF, in an interview aired on Saturday’s Heute MorgenExternal link show.
According to the Federal Council’s annual reportExternal link, the number of foreign intelligence officers under diplomatic cover is significant. For example, the Swiss government seriously suspects that among diplomatic staff from one country, at least a quarter have links to their national intelligence service.
The report, published on Wednesday, does not state which country it is, and Parmelin declined to specify when asked by SRF radio.
Several nations deploy “travelling” intelligence officers, according to the government report. These people visit Switzerland for one-off missions. Often, the target country for these operations is not actually Switzerland, but another European state.
Parmelin also told SRF that the Swiss intelligence service was working to combat increasing levels of cyber espionage targeting Swiss interests. He did not give concrete examples of countermeasures, but he noted that Switzerland’s recently updated intelligence law gives the authorities more options.
More
More
Secret service agents have licence to hack computers
This content was published on
Voters have approved a law letting the Swiss intelligence service monitor private cyberspace activities to prevent terrorist attacks.
This content was published on
The Ethos Foundation recommends that shareholders vote against all compensation-related items at the Annual General Meeting on March 7.
Top Swiss firms close to reaching gender quota in boards
This content was published on
The proportion of women on the boards of directors of the fifty largest listed companies in Switzerland currently stands at 28%.
Swiss committee wants to end government resignations during legislative term
This content was published on
Members of the Federal Council should no longer be able to leave office before the end of their term, according to a House of Representatives committee.
Swiss government seat: Ritter and Pfister nominated to succeed Amherd
This content was published on
Markus Ritter from St Gallen and Martin Pfister from Zug were officially nominated by the Centre Party on Friday to succeed Defence Minister Viola Amherd.
Top Swiss court rejects Russian request for administrative tax assistance
This content was published on
There is currently no reason to transmit banking information to the Russian Federation, the Swiss Federal Court has ruled.
After strike by radiologists, doctors demonstrate in Bern
This content was published on
Following a strike by radiology technicians in Fribourg, doctors, vets, dentists and chiropractors expressed their frustration on Friday outside parliament in the Swiss capital.
This content was published on
The 88th Geneva International Motor Show, Switzerland’s biggest annual event, officially opened on Thursday. Some 700,000 visitors are expected.
Swiss intelligence says 100 people pose ‘high risk’ to security
This content was published on
The number of “people at risk”, representing a high security threat, has risen by 10 to 100 since the last figures were presented by the FIS in May. Those identified as posing a high security risk to Switzerland include not just potential jihadists but also those who support or encourage terrorism and any kind of…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.