In accordance with the amendments to the Ordinance on the Use of Organisms in the Environment (Ordinance on Deliberate Release into the Environment, OEDA), from September 1, 2024, certain invasive alien plant species (Annex 2.2) can no longer be traded. It is prohibited to transfer, sell, donate, rent, or introduce them into Switzerland. The ban on direct use in the environment, as stated in Annex 2.1 of the same ordinance, has also been extended to additional plants.

Below are some of the main species included in the aforementioned Annexes 2.1 and 2.2 that can no longer be imported or traded in Switzerland from Italy or any other country:

• Invasive Alien Species Whose Direct Use in the Environment is Prohibited:
  • Ailanthus altissima
• Invasive Alien Species Whose Trade for Direct Use in the Environment is Prohibited:
  • Acacia dealbata
  • Buddleja davidii
  • Cotoneaster horizontalis
  • Parthenocissus quinquefolia agg. (P. inserta, P. quinquefolia)
  • Paulownia tomentosa
  • Pennisetum setaceum
  • Phyllostachys aurea
  • Prunus laurocerasus
  • Prunus serotina
  • Trachycarpus fortunei