Art. 8 et seq. of the preliminary draft of the new Federal Act on Space Operations ("PD-SOA") govern the licensing requirements for companies engaged in space operations.

Environmental liabilities, such as liabilities arising from ground or air pollution or from the presence of asbestos in the buildings of the target, are often a predominant issue in the negotiations of deals in pollution-intensive industries.

According to article 73 of the Federal Constitution ("BV"), the Confederation and the Cantons shall endeavour to achieve a balanced and sustainable relationship between nature and its capacity to renew itself and the demands placed on it by the population.

This article summarises key amendments to Swiss environmental laws which came into effect in recent months or will come into effect in the near future.