The SPK of the Council of States unanimously approved the commission initiative submitted by the sister commission, which is intended to provide this clarification (24,400). The councils must subsequently approve urgent loans or obligations that have been decided or entered into by the Federal Council with the consent of the finance delegation. It was found that the effect of these approval decisions was assessed differently in different crises (Swissair, UBS rescue, Corona, CS takeover). In the case of the CS takeover, experts expressed doubts about the purely declaratory effect of the Federal Assembly’s resolutions. The National Council Commission can now develop proposed solutions that should provide more clarity for future cases.
Social security benefits for members of parliament: need for clarification recognized
Like its sister commission of the National Council, the commission sees a need for clarification in the area of social security benefits that members of parliament receive in connection with the exercise of their mandate. It approved the initiative of the SPK of the National Council with 9 votes to 0 and 2 abstentions (23,473). The Council of States Commission sees gaps in particular in accident insurance and in pension fund benefits for council members who are self-employed or are unable to pursue gainful employment in addition to their parliamentary work due to family care work. The National Council Commission can now develop proposed solutions to close these gaps.
No additional compensation for personal employees and the current session rhythm is maintained
On the other hand, the Commission sees no added value in additional compensation for hiring personal employees. It therefore refused to give the SPK of the National Council its consent to a corresponding Commission initiative with 6 votes to 3 and 1 abstention (23,474). Today’s solution, according to which members of parliament are entitled to a lump sum of 33,000 francs annually for personnel and material expenses, better meets the different needs. Targeted support in parliamentary work can be provided more efficiently by strengthening the Commission secretariats.
The needs of the council members are also different when it comes to the duration and rhythm of the sessions and meetings. An ideal solution for everyone can hardly be found, which is why the commission rejects a corresponding initiative by the National Council Commission with 5 votes to 3 (23,475).
No additional information on the compensation for secondary employment of members of parliament
The commission has noted that its sister commission of the National Council does not consider further transparency regarding the secondary activities of members of parliament to be necessary. The Council of States Commission does not want to stick to its positive decision on the parliamentary initiative of the former Councilor of States Mazzone (22,485) and is asking its Council to reject it with a vote of 7 to 5. Today, council members must disclose their outside employment and whether or not they are compensated. The parliamentary initiative would have wanted to go a step further by requiring the council members to indicate the amount of compensation for a mandate and how long they have been carrying out the activity. However, the Commission does not consider such extensions of the disclosure obligations to be appropriate since the parliamentary mandate is not exercised full-time. Nor can it be assumed that the electorate is interested in such detailed information.
Federal administration reports: summary in the three official languages
Furthermore, the SPK of the Council of States, without opposition, is in favor of a motion which demands that all reports from the Federal Administration and the Bundesrat should contain a short summary in the three official languages (23.3592). The Commission supports the Federal Council’s clarification that this should apply to all reports from the Federal Council and the Federal Administration that are published on the departments’ websites.
Exchange of notes between Switzerland and the EU: Provisional application
The Commission has given the Federal Council the green light for the provisional partial application of an exchange of notes with the EU. This exchange of notes concerns the adoption and implementation of an EU regulation within the framework of the Schengen Association Agreement and includes the introduction of a digital visa platform and other changes to visa regulations. This includes visa facilitation for certain people from Great Britain, which should come into effect this summer. In order to ensure uniform and simultaneous application of these provisions in the Schengen area, the Federal Council considers a provisional application of this part of the exchange of notes to be appropriate. However, the Federal Council may only apply a state treaty provisionally if the responsible commissions of both councils agree. In the present case, the SPK of the Council of States considers it to be in Switzerland’s interest to provide for the same visa regulations as in the rest of the Schengen area and agrees to the provisional application of the same with a vote of 10 to 2.
Severance pay for cadres of the federal administration as well as federal companies and institutions: No ban
The Commission is repeatedly concerned with severance pay for cadres in the federal administration and federally affiliated companies and institutions. The Commission rejects a ban on such severance payments, as is again called for in a parliamentary initiative (23,432), with 7 votes to 3 and 2 abstentions. It should be noted that easier termination conditions apply to certain cadres, which can be compensated for with severance payments. These departures are often highly publicized, which also justifies severance pay.
Information on the current asylum policy situation and consultation on a framework agreement with Italy
The commission was also informed by Federal Councilor Beat Jans about the current asylum policy situation. Finally, she was consulted on a framework agreement with Italy, with which funds would be allocated based on the migration framework loan already approved by the Federal Assembly.
The commission met in Bern on April 8th and 9th, 2024 under the chairmanship of Councilor of States Daniel Fässler (ME/AI).
2024-04-09 21:10:53
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