Federal Chancellery FCh
The Federal Chancellor and both vice chancellors always attend Federal Council meetings.
The Federal Chancellery is the staff office of the Federal Council: it ensures that the Federal Council is able to take sound decisions and communicate them in a coordinated manner. As the custodian of people’s rights, it organises federal elections and votes and verifies the legality of initiatives and referendums.
Preparing Federal Council decisions
The Federal
Council normally holds a meeting once a week to deal with numerous items of
business. Prior to the meeting, the federal departments and offices can give
their input on the items on the agenda. The Federal
Council coordinates this ‘joint reports procedure’.
Communicating Federal Council
decisions
After every Federal Council meeting, the Federal
Council Spokesperson goes before the press to announce the Federal Council’s
decisions. Federal Council decisions and reports are published in the Federal
Gazette, while new or amended acts and ordinances are published in the Official
Compilation of Federal Legislation.
Planning for the future
The
Federal Chancellery monitors national and international developments and, on
the basis of these, establishes the need for political action. It is
responsible for Federal Council planning and controlling: for the four-year
legislature planning, the annual objectives and reporting.
Supporting the president
During their year as Swiss president, federal
councillors assume additional tasks at home and abroad. The Federal Chancellery provides support and
ensures continuity from one presidential year to the next.
Coordinating the work of the Federal Administration
The Federal
Chancellor chairs the monthly meetings of the Conference of Secretaries General,
at which the secretaries general coordinate the work of their departments.
The newly
created DTI Sector has been in operation since 1.1.2021. It coordinates and
supports digitalisation projects throughout the Federal Administration.
Overseeing democratic rights
The
Federal Chancellery ensures that all federal elections and popular votes are
conducted correctly. It provides the necessary information on the proper
procedures to anyone interested in launching a popular initiative or referendum.
It is also working with the cantons to establish new trials for online voting
in popular votes and elections in Switzerland.
Promoting multilingualism
Switzerland’s
official languages are German, French and Italian, and all legal and official federal
texts must be available in these languages. In certain cases they must also be
produced in Romansh. Texts with an international relevance are also produced in
English. The Federal Chancellery is responsible for the translations.
Publishing information through a
range of channels
Before a federal
vote is held, the Federal Chancellery sends explanatory material to all voters
and updates the information on the VoteInfo app. Before federal elections, it
sends out voting instructions. Up-to-date and detailed information is provided
on two websites, in explanatory videos and in this brochure ‘The Swiss
Confederation – A Brief Guide’.
www.admin.ch
www.ch.ch
www.youtube.com ‘The Swiss Federal Council’
www.twitter.com/BR_Sprecher
Vice
Chancellor and Federal Council Spokesperson:
André Simonazzi
Vice
Chancellor:
Viktor Rossi
Expenses 2019 (CHF)
82 million
Staff (FTEs) 2019
209
Autonomous organisation
Office of
the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner FDPIC
Adrian Lobsiger
www.edoeb.admin.ch
