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The EU’s propaganda machine

New report out on how the EU funds NGOs to promote itself and lobby for “more Europe”

by Thomas Fazi*

(28 March 2025) (CH-S) Independent journalist Thomas Fazi works his way through the jungle of EU-funded “non-governmental organisations” (NGOs) to find that the EU uses taxpayers' money to fund propaganda for its own ends, often in contradiction to the EU states themselves.

Fazi's article is also of interest to Switzerland, which is increasingly coming under fire from the EU and where various lobby organisations have been deliberately pursuing a rapprochement with Brussels for years.
International Health Regulations

Swiss parliamentarians are not giving up

The citizens’ support is also needed to reject the IHR

by Dr med. Sabine Vuilleumier-Koch*

(28 March 2025) Before 19 July 2025, the Federal Council is to make use of its right to “opt out” and thus reject the amendments to the “International Health Regulations” (IHR) (2005) of the “World Health Organization” (WHO). This would enable the Swiss Parliament and the electorate to review the amendments and their impact on national health policy in a democratic process. So far, both the Federal Council and the majority of the National Council and the Council of States have refused to initiate this process. However, courageous politicians and civil rights organisations are not giving up.

“The voluntary nature of the e-ID is being undermined through the back door”

Interview by HOCH2TV with IT entrepreneur Josef Ender*

(28 March 2025) In a referendum in 2021, the Swiss people clearly rejected the e-ID. But apparently, parliament is not interested in that. It seems to have its own agenda and therefore adopted an e-ID law with an overwhelming majority in December 2024. A referendum was launched against it by several committees – which currently still needs significantly more support if it is to be successful. The collection period runs until 19 April 2025.

Switzerland

From bad to worse

In the war of the roses between the USA and the EU, Switzerland is siding with Brussels – and thus moving further away from its neutrality

by Michael Straumann*

(28 March 2025) The last few weeks and months have shown a major rift between Washington and Brussels. Initially, J.D. Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference caused a stir, giving Western Europe’s political elite a lecture. This was followed by the public quarrel between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, which ended with the USA cancelling its further participation in military aid to Ukraine. The European Union’s reaction was unequivocal: it intensified its blind loyalty to Kiev. The EU now stepped in to replace the weapons that the US had previously contributed.

Trump’s ingenuity vis-à-vis Russia and Iran

by M.K. Bhadrakumar,* India

(21 March 2025) Through the past three-year period, Moscow claimed that it faced an existential threat from the US-led proxy war in Ukraine. But in the past six weeks, this threat perception has largely dissipated. The US President Donald Trump has made a heroic attempt to change his country’s image to a portmanteau of “friend” and “enemy” with whom Moscow can be friendly despite the backlog of a fundamental dislike or suspicion.

The slow decline of Swiss diplomacy

But all hope is not yet lost

by Guy Mettan,* Geneva

(21 March 2025) Having failed to reach a consensus, Switzerland had to give up organising the humanitarian summit on Palestine. When will it finally understand that international Geneva and Switzerland’s role as a mediator cannot be saved by jumping around shouting “Multilateralism! Multilateralism!” and pulling a few million out of your pocket to save reckless NGOs?