I stumbled across this in the Swiss Times. Please don’t shoot the messenger:
https://theswisstimes.ch/rssfeed/these-issues-are-among-the-focal-points-of-the-winter-session/
Numerous dossiers await the National Council and the Council of States in the winter session. The session lasts from December 2 to 20. Below is an overview of important business in chronological order:
COUNCIL PRESIDENCIES: At the beginning of the winter session, the Presidents of both chambers of the Council are traditionally appointed. The election takes place according to a fixed rotation. In the National Council, the current Vice-President Maja Riniker (FDP/AG) is likely to take over as the “highest Swiss woman”, succeeding Eric Nussbaumer (SP/BL). In the Council of States, Andrea Caroni (FDP/AR) is the likely successor to Council President Eva Herzog (SP/BS). There are practically no surprises. It will be interesting to see how many votes the new office holders receive.
(item numbers 24.209 and 24.210; discussed in the National Council and the Council of States on December 2)
ARMY FINANCES: The army’s medium-term financial planning, specifically the 2024 army dispatch and the increase in the army budget, will be a topic of discussion. In the first round of consultations, the councils agreed in principle on the counter-financing of higher army expenditure. Instead of using a special fund, they want to make the additional expenditure of CHF 4 billion possible through savings in other areas. Detailed questions are still open. The Council of States Committee is now unanimously proposing to the Council that no specifications be made for the compensation of the army’s additional investments. Instead, the financing should be discussed in detail as part of the annual budget process.
(Business number 24.025; discussed in the Council of States on December 2 and possibly on December 11, in the National Council possibly on December 9 and 12)
PATROUILLE SUISSE: The future of Patrouille Suisse is in the balance. The responsible Council of States committee rejects the continued operation of the Swiss Army’s aerobatic squadron, but only by a wafer-thin margin. The narrow majority argues with the additional financial expense of maintaining the F-5 Tiger fighter jets with which Patrouille Suisse flies. This is not justified in view of the Confederation’s financial situation and the current global security situation. The strong minority, on the other hand, is of the opinion that the Patrouille Suisse is a flagship of the Swiss Air Force, which is of great symbolic value and strengthens the will to defend the country. If the Department of Defense has its way, Patrouille Suisse will be discontinued in its current form at the end of 2027.
(Business number 24.3720; discussed in the Council of States on December 2)
PROTECTION OF COAT OF ARMS: In October, the Federal Administrative Court ruled that Swiss national ice hockey teams must take to the ice without the Swiss coat of arms. In principle, only the Swiss Confederation has been permitted to use the coat of arms since the revised Coat of Arms Protection Act came into force in 2017. The ice hockey association and the Confederation have now reached an agreement. The national ice hockey teams will be allowed to wear the Swiss coat of arms on their jerseys for the next two years. The association will then redesign the jerseys at the beginning of 2027. Efforts are currently underway in parliament to amend the law. Like the Council of States, the responsible National Council committee also wants the Swiss crest to be permitted on national team jerseys.
(Business number 24.3143; discussed in the National Council on December 2)
UKRAINE: Parliament is discussing changes to protection status S for refugees from Ukraine. In future, the Council of States wants to differentiate between the Ukrainian region from which those seeking protection originate when granting S status. The plan was controversial in the responsible National Council committee. By a casting vote, the committee requested that the corresponding motion be rejected. On the other hand, it voted clearly in favor of another motion from the Council of States. According to this motion, anyone who leaves Switzerland for a certain period of time, for example for two weeks, should no longer be able to benefit from S protection status. Anyone who has claimed return assistance or has already benefited from S status in another country in the Dublin area should also no longer receive it.
(item numbers 24.3022 and 24.3378; discussed in the National Council on December 2)
FEDERAL FINANCES: Probably the most important business of the winter session is the discussion of the federal budget for next year. Due to the tight finances, there is hardly any room for upward adjustments during the multi-day debate if the 2025 budget is to comply with the debt brake. With the proposals of the Council of States committee, the structural balance is CHF 6.5 million, with those of the National Council committee CHF 13 million. If the conservative majority in both chambers prevails, the army should have around half a billion francs more at its disposal next year than planned by the Federal Council. Agriculture is also set to receive more money. How this additional expenditure is to be compensated for will be a topic of discussion. For example, cuts in the asylum system, federal personnel and foreign aid are under discussion.
(Business number 24.041; discussed in the National Council from December 3, in the Council of States from December 9)
WOLF: The Council of States is discussing new measures for dealing with wolves. Its responsible committee is advocating a relaxation of wolf protection. The status of the wolf in the Bern Convention is to be lowered from “strictly protected” to “protected”. In addition, a motion demands that population regulation should take place at regional level in future. The Federal Council should also examine the extent to which cantons can designate wolf-free zones. The committee is also calling for faster approval of shooting applications for problem wolves and simplified access to financial aid for livestock protection. A minority rejects the motions.
(Business numbers 24.4257, 22.3477 and 22.3478; discussed in the Council of States on December 3)
OLD-AGE PROTECTION: The 13th AHV pension is to be paid from December 2026. The responsible Council of States committee agrees with the Federal Council’s proposal. However, it does not want to regulate the financing of the “thirteenth” now and wants to wait for the major AHV reform. The Federal Council’s proposals for financing the 13th AHV pension, which was approved at the ballot box in March, were met with loud criticism. However, in the dispatch it adopted in mid-October, it maintained its intention to finance the supplement solely with additional VAT percentages and to reduce the federal contribution to the social security system. The Federal Council also wants to reduce the federal contribution to the AHV from the current 20.2 percent to 19.5 percent of first pillar expenditure.
(Business number 24.073; discussed in the Council of States on December 4)
KITAS: The Council of States is deciding on the future financing of daycare centers with childcare allowances. Its responsible committee has adopted its support model and wants to oppose the SP’s daycare initiative as an indirect counter-proposal. The aim of the proposal is to encourage more parents to take up gainful employment. The childcare allowance should amount to at least CHF 100 per month. The allowance should increase by CHF 50 for each additional half day of childcare. According to the majority, the cantons should decide how to finance the allowance. Minorities are calling for more generous support for parents. The National Council decided before the 2023 elections that the federal government should cover up to 20% of parents’ average costs for a childcare place for four years.
(Business number 21.403; discussed in the Council of States on December 4)
FOREIGN AID: The medium-term expenditure for international cooperation (IC) is also an issue in Parliament. The Federal Council is requesting roughly the same amount of money for foreign aid in the years 2025 to 2028 as is currently available, a total of around CHF 11.3 billion. 13 percent of this is to go to Ukraine. Like the Council of States, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council is proposing that the IC strategy be adopted - contrary to the proposal of the National Council’s Finance Committee. The latter requested that the IC funds be cut by CHF 1 billion to CHF 10.3 billion. The Finance Committee justified this request with decisions on the payment framework for the armed forces for the next four years.
(Business number 24.049; discussed in the National Council on December 5 and possibly on December 12 and 17, in the Council of States possibly on December 10 and 16)
HEALTHCARE COSTS: Parliament is discussing a new package to curb the rise in healthcare costs. The focus is particularly on high-turnover medicines. Like the Council of States, the responsible National Council committee also wants to be able to apply a volume discount to medicines that generate very high sales. This involves so-called cost succession models. The details still need to be finalized. According to estimates by the administration, annual savings of CHF 300 to 400 million could be achieved with the cost succession models alone.
(Business number 22.062; discussed in the National Council on December 9)
UNIFORM HEALTH INSURANCE: The cantons should be allowed to introduce uniform cantonal health insurance schemes. This is the demand of a cantonal initiative in Geneva. The Council of States is now the first council to discuss it. Its responsible committee rejects the proposal. It believes that standardized cantonal health insurance funds would cause considerable difficulties in implementation and execution. Ten years ago, Swiss voters rejected the introduction of a single health insurance fund by 61.9%. The majority of German-speaking Switzerland said no, while French-speaking Switzerland approved the corresponding popular initiative.
(Business number 23.319; discussed in the Council of States on December 9)
NAHOST: Parliament decides to ban the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas and related organizations. This is largely undisputed. The responsible committees of both chambers are of the opinion that this ban should come into force as soon as possible. The Federal Council wants to ban Hamas for five years. However, Parliament would have the option of extending the ban. In the medium term, however, the parliamentary committees want to ban not only Hamas but also Hezbollah in Switzerland. They have passed identical motions, which will also be debated in both chambers. The Federal Council is yet to comment on the motion to ban Hezbollah.
(item numbers 24.071, 24.4255 and 24.4263; discussed in the Council of States on December 10, in the National Council on December 11)
SIGNATURE COLLECTIONS: Media reports about the possibly illegal practices of paid signature collectors, particularly in French-speaking Switzerland, and about suspected forged signatures recently triggered a debate about new rules for signature collections. Several motions are on the agenda in the Council of States, calling for a ban on paid signature collections, the tightening of transparency regulations and the rapid introduction of electronic signature collections, among other things. The Federal Council rejects the motions. It argues that legislative measures are only appropriate if the measures already introduced by the Federal Chancellery are not effective. However, it wants to allow limited, practical trials with the electronic collection of signatures for popular petitions.
(Business numbers 24.3940, 24.3851, 24.3905, 24.3992, 24.4034; discussed in the Council of States on December 11)
COLLECTIVE ACTIONS: The Federal Council has presented new proposals for collective legal protection on behalf of Parliament. The existing collective action is to be expanded and in future also allow the assertion of claims for compensation. The responsible National Council committee no longer wants to hear about this. It is asking the Council not to accept the proposal. In an overall assessment, it has come to the conclusion that the proposed instruments of collective legal protection are not suitable for the Swiss legal system, argues the majority. In fact, in the eyes of the majority of the committee, the bill poses the risk of an “Americanization” of the legal system. A minority still sees a great need for action and criticizes that Swiss consumers would have significantly fewer rights in future than their European neighbors.
(Business number 21.082; discussed in the National Council on December 11)
FAMILY REUNIFICATION: Swiss nationals are currently not treated equally to citizens of EU and EFTA states when parents and adult children up to the age of 21 from third countries join their families. The discrimination against Swiss nationals with regard to family reunification from third countries established by the Federal Supreme Court in 2009 could remain in place. The responsible National Council committee has made a U-turn and, like the Council of States, no longer wishes to discuss equal treatment. However, the decision not to do so was a narrow one in the committee responsible. The majority believes that the impact of the corresponding amendment to the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act cannot be assessed. A strong minority would like to eliminate the unequal treatment.
(Business number 19.464; discussed in the National Council on December 11)
FEDERAL PRESIDENCY: The Free Democrat Karin Keller-Sutter is likely to be President of the Swiss Confederation next year. She is expected to be elected by the United Federal Assembly on Wednesday of the second week of the session. Guy Parmelin (SVP) is likely to become the new Vice-President of the Federal Council and probable President of the Confederation in 2026. This annual ritual promises to be exciting. Although the election of the President of the Federal Council is considered a formality, it is often used by members of the Council to express their disapproval or approval of members of the government.
(Business number 24.211; discussed in the United Federal Assembly on December 11)
MIGRATION: Parliament discusses Switzerland’s accession to the UN migration pact. The pact was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2018. It sets out measures to regulate migration across borders. The Federal Council actually wanted to sign the pact back in 2018, but decided against it because Parliament demanded a say. The Council of States has already said no to accession. The National Council is now likely to follow suit. A clear majority of its responsible committee does not see any concrete benefits of accession, rather the risks outweigh the benefits, according to the tenor. Instead, Parliament should merely take note of the guiding principles and objectives of the pact.
(Business number 21.018; discussed in the National Council on December 12)
RENTAL VALUE: The long-standing dispute over the abolition of the imputed rental value could soon come to an end. The responsible Council of States committee wants to approve a compromise proposal from the National Council. According to this, the imputed rental value should also be abolished for second homes and not just for primary residences. However, the Council of States committee wants to use a clause to ensure that the cantons have the option of levying a property tax on second homes at the same time. Before the bill can be passed, an agreement is also needed on the deduction of interest on debts. Currently, interest on debt is allowed in the tax return up to the amount of taxable property income and a further CHF 50,000. A different method is now to be used.
(item numbers 17.400 and 22.454; discussion in the Council of States on December 12, possibly in the National Council on December 16)
CUSTOMS: The Council of States is currently discussing the Customs Act. The aim of the total revision is to simplify procedures and tariffs and to implement digitization in the customs system. It is also the framework law for the organization of customs following the merger of customs and border guards. The debate on the bill in the National Council lasted almost eight hours. Controversial issues included the future powers of the Federal Office, the relationship to cantonal police sovereignty and data protection. The responsible Council of States committee is proposing changes to numerous points. For example, a relaxation of the customs declaration requirement requested by the National Council is likely to cause a stir in the small chamber: goods that are not subject to duty should no longer have to be declared upon import.
(item numbers 22.058 and 21.4084; discussed in the Council of States on September 12)
DEFENSE: In October, Armasuisse CEO Urs Loher signed Switzerland’s declaration of accession to the European “Sky Shield” initiative. Switzerland is thus set to become the 15th member of the European air defense initiative launched by Germany in 2022. The purpose of “Sky Shield” is to close gaps in the current protective shield for Europe against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. Joining “Sky Shield” is controversial in Parliament. The responsible National Council committee is now calling for the Councils to have a say in the matter. In a non-binding vote, it only voted in favor of accession by a wafer-thin margin.
(Business number 24.3474; discussed in the National Council on December 12)
TOBACCO ADVERTISING: The implementation of the popular initiative “Children and young people without tobacco advertising”, which was approved by the people and cantons in 2022, continues to be a talking point. After the National Council rejected the bill for a ban on tobacco advertising at the end of its first deliberation, the Council of States insisted on several exemptions in the law in the fall. A majority of the responsible National Council committee has now tabled compromise proposals on several points. If the National Council rejects the bill a second time, the matter will be closed. Parliament would then have to start on field one for the implementation of the new constitutional article.
(Business number 23.049; discussed in the National Council on December 16)
STEEL INDUSTRY: The Federal Council should take additional measures to maintain steel production in Switzerland. After the National Council, the responsible Council of States committee is also calling for this. The reason for this is the announcement of redundancies in several companies. The motions are intended to instruct the Federal Council to quickly pursue additional measures to maintain steel production in Switzerland. For example, it should provide transitional funding for the steel industry in order to secure Switzerland as a production location and maintain the circular economy. The national government had previously rejected state support for individual companies or sectors. Stahl Gerlafingen in the canton of Solothurn is awaiting the political decisions at federal level and has decided not to cut 120 jobs for the time being.
(Business numbers 24.3374, 24.3146 and 24.3159; discussed in the Council of States on December 16)
ENERGY: Amendments to the Energy Act should allow hydro, solar and wind energy plants to be approved more quickly in future. The small chamber is the second chamber to discuss the so-called acceleration decree. Its responsible committee is insisting on the municipalities having a say. No plant should be approved without the approval of the local municipality - unless a canton defines the responsibilities differently. On the other hand, the Council of States committee does not want to allow complaints by associations for 16 hydropower projects. The majority wants these democratically legitimized projects to be implemented without delay.
(Business number 23.051; discussed in the Council of States on December 17)
SECURITY: The Federal Council wants to put a national system for recording air passenger data into operation from 2026, bringing it into line with numerous foreign countries. In future, it should be possible to automatically compare the data with police information systems in order to better combat terrorism and serious crime. The National Council committee responsible is calling for various amendments to the bill. Overall, it wants to “achieve a more efficient and cost-effective implementation of the law”. Minorities are calling for the immediate pseudonymization of data or the abandonment of data retention.
(Business number 23.079; discussed in the National Council on December 17)
ASYL: After three years of residence in Switzerland, temporarily admitted persons can apply to be joined by a spouse or their children. One prerequisite for this is that they do not need social welfare. The National Council wants to remove this option. The decision in the Council of States is likely to be close. Its responsible committee voted 6 to 5 with one abstention and 6 to 4 with one abstention to reject two motions from the SVP. The majority of the committee refers to the fundamental right to respect for family life enshrined in the Federal Constitution and also in the European Convention on Human Rights.
(Business numbers 24.3057 and 24.3511; discussed in the Council of States on December 18)
CASH: The National Council will decide on constitutional provisions on cash in Switzerland. Its responsible committee agrees with the Federal Council’s proposal to reject the “Cash is freedom” initiative, but to oppose it with a direct counter-proposal. According to this proposal, existing legal provisions should be enshrined in the constitution largely unchanged. Specifically, two paragraphs on the supply of cash are to be added to the article on money and currency in the Federal Constitution, with the two sentences “The Swiss currency unit is the Swiss franc” and “The Swiss National Bank shall guarantee the supply of cash”. This would ultimately have to be decided by the people and the cantons.
(Business number 24.063; discussed in the National Council on December 18)
AGRICULTURE: Farmers should receive at least the same level of federal support from 2026 to 2029 as in the current period. This is the demand of the responsible National Council committee. It opposes the Federal Council’s plans to cut the payment framework by 1.6%. The majority argues that federal spending on agriculture has remained constant for twenty years. Against this background, cuts are “not justifiable”. A strong minority, on the other hand, supports the Federal Council’s savings plans and points to the federal government’s tight financial situation. The proposed cuts for agriculture are “manageable”. The National Council will now be the first to decide on the four-year payment framework.
(Business number 24.061; discussed in the National Council on December 18)
RUSSIA SANCTIONS: Oligarchs and companies from Russia that are subject to sanctions should be allowed to receive legal advice again despite the current sanctions regime. After the Council of States, the responsible National Council committee is also calling for this. However, it would like to amend the text of the proposal so that only legal representation would be permitted. Overall, the committee shares the Council of States’ fears that the current sanctions regime against Russia in the area of legal advice may be disproportionate and could violate certain fundamental rights. The Federal Council is against easing the sanctions. Economics Minister Guy Parmelin feared that the sanctions measures would crumble further due to special requests.
(Business number 23.4531; discussed in the National Council on December 18)
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