What you need to know about the Swiss spring parliamentary session

The two Federal Council candidates Martin Pfister (left) and Markus Ritter present themselves to parliament. Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

In its spring session, which started on Monday, the Swiss parliament will be grappling with five people’s initiatives. Several knotty foreign policy issues are also on the agenda. Here is a preview of what is in store, including areas of concern for Swiss citizens abroad. 

The main focus of interest in the 2025 spring session will be the election of a new member of the Federal Council, Switzerland’s seven-seat government, after Viola Amherd of the Centre Party tendered her resignation. The party is putting forward two men for election. Amherd’s successor is expected to take over the defence ministry – beleaguered by problems in these uncertain times.

Before the election on March 12, the two candidates – Martin Pfister (from Zug) and Markus Ritter (from St Gallen) – will have to present themselves to the other parties in hearings. Both men have recently come under fire, particularly from the left-green camp. The whole process is giving rise to feverish speculation and tension in the federal parliament and in the media.

Pipeline full of voting issues

Aside from the excitement generated by this election, the spring session will also decide on several matters of concern to Swiss citizens abroad. What is striking is that five people’s initiatives will be coming before parliament for review. While exceptionally few national votes will actually be held this year, the pipeline is now filling up with important issues for 2026.

Thus, the so-called neutrality initiativeExternal link launched by the Pro Switzerland group and the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, as well as the inheritance tax initiativeExternal link put forward by the Young Social Democrats, have the potential to spark intense debate – in the parliament and beyond. The first text calls for a strict interpretation of Swiss neutrality to be enshrined in the constitution: no NATO rapprochement, and no sanctions. It will now go before the Senate. The second initiative seeks to slap a 50% levy on inheritances over CHF50 million ($55 million), to raise money for tackling climate change; the House of Representatives will be dealing with this one first.

Discussion during the 2024 winter session. Keystone / Anthony Anex

The fair taxes initiativeExternal link will be going through both houses of parliament during this session. It calls for couples who are married or in a civil partnership to be taxed individually. The text was submitted by a pro-business initiative committee made up of members from various parties.

The so-called cash initiative External linkis on the agenda of the House of Representatives, accompanied by a counterproposalExternal link from the government that incorporates the original issue. The counterproposal stands a better chance of being accepted by parliament. It calls for the Swiss franc as a currency to be enshrined in the constitution, in addition to a guarantee that sufficient cash quantities will always be maintained in Switzerland.

Lastly, there is the citizens’ service initiativeExternal link, which wants all Swiss citizens to perform military or civilian service for the benefit of the general public and the environment.

Debate on public pension fund

In a federal vote early last year, the Swiss people agreed to boost state pensions through the introduction of a 13th monthly payment of the old-age and survivors’ insurance (OASI). Swiss nationals living abroad will also receive this additional amount from December 2026. The matter of how this increase is to be financedExternal link is still unresolved. The House of Representatives will be tackling this question.

The public pension fund is also the subject of a motion by the economic affairs committeeExternal link of the House of Representatives. It concerns the custodian bank where the OASI fund’s assets are stored. Since last year, this has been the US bank State Street. Quite a few members of parliament now fear that, in the event of a conflict, the US could freeze these assets and put Switzerland under pressure. The economic affairs committee is therefore calling on the government to bring the funds back to Switzerland. The government is against the plan.

Of concern to Swiss Abroad

The so-called discrimination against Swiss nationals with regard to family reunificationExternal link is an ongoing issue, on which we have reported several times. Swiss nationals currently do not have the same rights as EU and EFTA citizens if they want their parents or adult children from third countries to join them in Switzerland. The Senate recently decided that this discriminatory situation should continue. Returning Swiss Abroad may also be affected by this.

So now the House of Representatives has to go back to the drawing board. It had initially approved a draft law aimed at ending this unequal treatment, but the committee in charge is now also recommending that it be rejected. A majority of lawmakers find the text insufficiently clear as to what impact its adoption could have on migration to Switzerland.

The Senate will discuss the international mandate of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), SWI swissinfo.ch’s parent company. Its aim is to forge closer links between the Swiss Abroad and Switzerland and to strengthen Swiss outreach in the world. It also defines the mandate of SWI swissinfo.ch and, until now, has ensured that half the funding for this SBC unit comes from federal funds. As the government now plans to slash the federal contribution to the SBC’s international services, as part of an austerity programme, parliamentarian Isabelle Chassot requested information on this in a list of questionsExternal link.

A motion by the Liberal Green Party is of interest to the Swiss diaspora in France. It calls for the recognition of foreign civil solidarity pactsExternal link, or PACS, a contractual form of civil partnership common in France, Belgium and Luxembourg. The proposal will be discussed in the House of Representatives. In the long term, though, it could become superfluous if another motion is adopted, which calls for the introduction of a PACS for SwitzerlandExternal link. This will be discussed by the Senate.

Foreign policy focus on China

In foreign policy, a statementExternal link by the security policy committee of the House of Representatives is likely to spark debate. It has called on the government to “intensify its diplomatic efforts to secure stability in Europe”. To this end, it should strengthen Switzerland’s role “as part of the European security architecture” and intensify cooperation in various fields, including cybersecurity. The issue already sparked much controversy in the committee itself, particularly among members of the Swiss People’s Party and the Radical-Liberal Party, who want to preserve Swiss neutrality at all cost.

Discussion in the Senate. Keystone / Anthony Anex

The Senate will also be addressing the question of whether takeovers of Swiss companies by foreign investors should come under stricter screening. The committee in charge has now turned its back on the Investment Screening Act, known as Lex ChinaExternal link, and is calling for it to be rejected. In September the House of Representatives approved the bill by a clear majority. It even wanted non-state investors to face greater scrutiny as well.

With regard to China, the foreign affairs committee of the House of Representatives is now also calling for an extension of Switzerland’s China strategyExternal link. This has enabled a “constructive and critical dialogue”, which is now at risk of falling by the wayside. The government argues that the content of the strategy still exists, but that it has been incorporated within a regional context.

Swiss contributions to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) will also be discussed again. The Senate will now be the second chamber to decide whether Switzerland should end its payments. If it approves the motionExternal link, the government will have to take action. A second motionExternal link calling for the reform of refugee aid for Palestinians has also been submitted to the Senate.

Trade agreement with India

There is usually little resistance to international agreements, which the government has to submit to parliament for ratification. The same applies to the new or updated double taxation agreements with Angola, Jordan and Hungary. There is also one with Germany, containing various clarifications regarding cross-border employment, and an agreement with the UKExternal link on mutual recognition in financial services.

More controversial is the free trade agreement with IndiaExternal link. Left-wing and green circles complain that it does not contain any sustainability criteria. They now want to ensure that the sustainability of the agreement will at least be monitored ex postExternal link.

Another major question on the cards for parliament is the regulation of banking giant UBS, or rather the reappraisal of eventsExternal link that led to the demise of Credit Suisse. UBS is resisting a too tight regulatory framework. It is doubtful whether parliament will be able to resolve this issue as early as the spring session.

His asylum policy has become a target: Justice Minister Beat Jans defends himself in parliament. Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

The asylum system also remains an issue. The Swiss People’s Party has made sure that special sessions on the subject have been scheduled in both chambers. It has now come up with new demands. The freedom of movement of asylum-seekers should be restrictedExternal link if criminal proceedings have been initiated against them. Stricter requirements for family reunificationExternal link are also being demanded. Asylum is one of the issues on which the left and right are in particularly strong opposition in both parliamentary chambers.

The spring session of the Swiss parliament runs from March 3 to 21.

Edited by Benjamin von Wyl. Adapted from German by Julia Bassam/ts