International Geneva and the Union

Read the PDF edition (2 pages)

Relations between the Geneva financial centre and the European Union also run through International Geneva. The Union is one of the leading contributors to the organisations established in Geneva. It maintains a permanent delegation there and its Member States have missions in the city. Geneva’s non-governmental organisations receive European funding. The European research programmes, in which Swiss participation is restored by the 2026 package, finance Geneva projects in health, climate and the sciences.¹ International Geneva is thus a place where Switzerland and the Union cooperate on a daily basis, away from bilateral tensions, and this cooperation supports the international vocation enshrined in the Geneva Constitution.

For the financial centre, this channel has an indirect but real value. The international organisations and their European officials form both a clientele and a pool of talent. The sustainable finance initiatives described in Chapter II involve European players. The debates on international financial regulation, at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel and in the Geneva forums, bring together Swiss and Europeans. A rupture of bilateral relations would not directly affect International Geneva, but it would weaken the image of a cooperative country on which that Geneva depends.

Notes

European Union, “Delegation of the European Union to the UN in Geneva” (eeas.europa.eu): delegation established at rue du Grand-Pré 66 in Geneva, headed by Ambassador Deike Potzel, representing the Union to the United Nations Office and the international organisations in Geneva (Human Rights Council, WHO, ILO, UNHCR, UNCTAD, WIPO, UNECE) and publishing information on “EU Funding to the UN system”. ↩

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of September 2025.

English

Contact

Dr Alexander Ressos, TEP

Rechtsanwalt/Attorney-at-Law

I am a Swiss attorney-at-law and also admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England & Wales, with almost 25 years of experience.

Together with my multilingual team, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian and French native speakers, I advise companies and their owners from around the world on the full range of banking, corporate, commercial and tax law matters in Switzerland, including international tax planning, fiduciary services, and legal family office services including immigration & relocation or real estate investments. My practice has a particular focus on clients from growth and frontier markets in Greater China, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, and I equally advise clients from Europe and North America. Through an affiliated Swiss trust company, we also take care of the incorporation and ongoing administration of their companies and other structures, including accounting, tax returns and corporate secretarial services, and I serve as a professional director where required. With the support of a network of first-class cooperation partners, I also implement solutions worldwide.

My approach is to act as a trusted advisor who works directly with decision-makers, on an equal footing: I start from what you want to achieve and shape every structure, contract and tax decision around your commercial goals and how it improves your after-tax return. As “lawyers who make it happen”, my team and I stay involved until your company is set up, your structure is in place and your transaction has closed, and we remain available for any follow-on work that may be required. You benefit from bespoke solutions and personal attention, and sound, friendly and practical advice. We are not the lowest-cost provider in the market, nor do we intend to be; our aim is to deliver well-founded, proper solutions and excellent value for money.

Get in touch →

International Geneva and the Union

Notes

Setting up or expanding in Switzerland?