Welcome to Alain Berset’s personal website. He has been Secretary General of the Council of Europe since 2024; his speeches, news and agenda are gathered here. Before Strasbourg, Switzerland: a member of the Federal Council from 2012 to 2023, and President of the Confederation in 2018, then again in 2023.
News
Secretary General Berset: “European unity is crucial in the face of geopolitical challenges”
2 September 2026Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset on Wednesday called for greater European unity in response to mounting geopolitical challenges, from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and instability in the Middle East to migration and foreign interference. Speaking in Monaco, where the Principality hosted the first meeting of the Committee of Ministers after the summer break in the context of its Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, the Secretary General warned that Russia’s war…
Accountability and democratic resilience prerequisites for durable peace in Ukraine – Alain Berset in Bled
1 September 2026No lasting peace for Ukraine is possible without accountability and strong democratic institutions, and the Council of Europe works tirelessly with its member states and on the ground in Ukraine to deliver on both. It also acts as a normative force in the Western Balkans region, supporting reforms on its EU path. These were the key messages of Secretary General Alain Berset at the panel “Peace without illusions: Ukraine and Europe’s security reckoning” at the 21st Bled Strategic Forum and…
Speeches
Garden Party annuelle de la Représentation permanente de la France
8 July 2026Strasbourg, Villa OppenheimerMerci Monsieur l’Ambassadeur de France, cher Pap Ndiaye, de nous réunir ici ce soir pour célébrer le 14 juillet — une date ô combien symbolique pour toutes celles et tous ceux qui chérissent la liberté. Cette liberté qui comme l’écrivait Albert Camus est la « seule valeur impérissable de l’histoire. » L’histoire, justement. Peu de pays en ont autant donné à la liberté que la France. Et peu de dates en disent autant que ce 14 juillet 1789. Alors ce soir, permettez-moi un raccourci : imaginons…
Conference of Policy Planning Directors “Anticipating Democratic Security”
29 June 2026StrasbourgIt is a pleasure to join you for this exchange of views. I have been looking forward to it. Policy planners are the first to confront what the rest of us have yet to face. That is what foresight is. And that makes this group the right place to ask: are we deciding Europe’s future, or letting others decide it for us? *** That future, or should I say futures, is where I would like to begin our conversation today.
Agenda
Alain Berset will participate in the 1567th meeting of the Deputies of the Committee of Ministers in Monaco
1 September 2026 - 2 September 2026Participation in the Bled Strategic Forum, Slovenia
1 September 2026Bilateral visite to Slovenia
31 August 2026
Former President of the Swiss Confederation and Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs in charge of health, social security, culture, gender equality, prevention of racism, amongst other areas.
A Swiss politician with longstanding experience at the highest executive and legislative levels engaged in solution-oriented consensus-building, decision-making and responsible for the management of complex structures.
Fully committed to multilateralism, international law, the rule of law and human rights and steadfastly engaged for the respect of democratic principles and strong institutions at the national and international levels.
I have always been committed to human rights, democracy and the rule of law. As Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the Reykjavík Declaration is the compass guiding my commitment to our shared values and the people who call our continent home.
Signing ceremony with Moldovan President Maia Sandu during her official visit to Switzerland. Photo: Keystone
Exchange with students at the University of Lausanne during the state visit of President Emmanuel Macron to Switzerland, 16 November 2023. Photo: FDFA
Discussion with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Granada. Photo: Keystone
→ Committed
to promoting operational action by the Council of Europe supporting Ukraine and its people in the face of Russia’s war of aggression.
→ Determined
to ensure that the Council of Europe carries real political weight on our continent.
→ Convinced
that democratic principles and ‘living together’ are the core strengths of a European family of nations founded on the rule of law.
→ Resolved
to put the commitments made at the Summit in Reykjavík into action.
Official meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa. Photo: Office of the Prime Minister
At the WEF in Davos with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, 17 January 2023. Photo: Keystone
Exchange with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai. Photo: COP28