Council of States in brief | 9 September 2024
No counter-proposal, no alternative. Parliament is proposing to the people that the Environmental Responsibility Initiative be rejected. Further decisions by the Council of States will be made shortly.
With two abstentions, Parliament recommends that the people reject the Environmental Responsibility Initiative.Photo: Keystone
The Federal Councils reject the environmental responsibility initiative of the Alliance for Environmental Responsibility. Following the National Council, the Council of States has also decided to recommend that the people and the cantons vote no to the referendum.
In the decisive vote on Monday, the small chamber voted 34 to 9 with one abstention in favor of joining the National Council. In June, the National Council had decided by 129 votes to 60 with two abstentions to recommend that the people vote no.
Motions from two minorities in the preparatory Council of States committee failed. One minority proposed that the people should be advised, together with the National Council, to vote yes to the initiative. A second minority wanted to present the people with a direct counter-proposal.
With its initiative, the Alliance for Environmental Responsibility aims to create a Swiss economy that only consumes enough resources to preserve the natural foundations of life. The Federal Constitution should be amended accordingly.
Parliament curtails association complaint rights in housing projects
In future, associations will no longer be allowed to file complaints against smaller housing projects in the development area. The Council of States has clearly said yes to a controversial curtailment of the association’s right to complain. However, details are still disputed.
In the eyes of the majority of the Environmental and Spatial Planning Commission, this represents a moderate restriction of the right to appeal. It has thus been decided that association complaints under the Nature and Heritage Protection Act are in principle no longer possible for residential construction projects if the floor area is less than 400 square meters and the project is located in a building zone.
Parliament wants legal basis for pest control
Invasive pests such as the Asian hornet and the spotted wing drosophila should be better controlled in Switzerland. Parliament is calling on the Federal Council to amend the Chemicals Risk Reduction Ordinance (ChemRRV) and, if necessary, other ordinances.
On Monday, the Council of States passed a motion adapted by the National Council without opposition. The original text by Council of States member Peter Hegglin (Die Mitte/ZG) went further. He had called for “effective treatment methods to be approved immediately throughout Switzerland.”
