Federal Chancellery The Swiss Federal Chancellery is the staff organisation of the Federal Council and the federal administration. As of 2024, it is headed by
Federal Chancellor Viktor Rossi. It is composed of several sectors, the Federal Chancellery sector headed directly by the incumbent Chancellor, while the other two sectors are led by the Vice-Chancellors. The Federal Council sector was led by Rossi until his election as Chancellor, and has been led on an interim basis by Rossi's predecessor,
Jörg De Bernardi. In July 2024, De Bernardi will be succeeded by
Rachel Salzmann on a permanent basis. As of May 2024, the information and communications sector is led
ad interim by
Ursula Eggenberger, following the sudden death of Vice-Chancellor
André Simonazzi. For administrative purposes, the
Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) is affiliated to the Chancellery. The
Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner is responsible for the supervision of federal authorities and private bodies with respect to
data protection and
freedom of information legislation.
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) is Switzerland's
ministry of foreign affairs. As of 2019, it is headed by
Ignazio Cassis (
FDP/PRD). It is composed of the General Secretariat and of the State Secretariat, which in turn is composed of the following directorates and agencies: •
Directorate of Political Affairs: Led by the Secretary of State, responsible for coordinating Swiss foreign policy and administering Swiss foreign missions. •
Directorate of Corporate Management (DCM): Manages the Department's human and financial resources and provides legal advice. •
Directorate of Public International Law (DPIL): Responsible for the study and application of
public international law. •
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC): Engages in
development cooperation and provides
humanitarian aid. • Protocol section: Responsible for
diplomatic protocol, ceremony and
precedence. • Integration office: Operated jointly with the FDEA and responsible for coordinating Switzerland's policy on Europe. •
Presence Switzerland: Responsible for promoting Switzerland abroad.
Federal Department of Home Affairs The Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) is Switzerland's
ministry of the Interior. As of 2023, it is headed by
Élisabeth Baume-Schneider (
SP/PS). It is composed of the General Secretariat and the following federal offices: •
Federal Office for Gender Equality (FOGE): Responsible for
gender equality matters. •
Federal Office of Culture (FOC): Responsible for national heritage preservation, archaeology, the federal art collections, the
Swiss National Library, the
Swiss National Museum and affiliated museums, as well as the support and promotion of Swiss culture. •
Swiss National Library: The
national library of Switzerland. •
Swiss Federal Archives: The
national archives of Switzerland. •
Swiss Meteorological Institute (MeteoSwiss): The national
weather services. •
Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH): Responsible for
public health at the federal level, including
disease prevention,
epidemiology,
substance abuse,
food safety, noise and radiation protection, regulation of chemicals and toxic products,
stem cell research,
bioterrorism and health and accident insurance. •
Federal Statistical Office (FSO): Compiles and publishes
statistical information for use by the government, the economy and scientific research. •
Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO): Regulates the Swiss
social insurance and system, including old age and survivors' insurance, invalidity insurance, supplementary benefits, occupational pension funds, income compensation for people on national service and for women on maternity leave as well as family allowances in the agricultural sector. •
Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (FSVO): responsible for ensuring food safety and protecting animal health and welfare Additionally, the following independent authorities are affiliated to the FDHA for administrative purposes: • Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (
Swissmedic): Certification and supervisory authority for drugs and other medical products. •
Swiss National Library •
Swiss National Museum: the umbrella organisation for three museums – the National Museum in Zürich, the
Prangins Castle and the
Swiss National Museum in Schwyz, as well as the Collection Centre in Affoltern am Albis. •
Pro Helvetia foundation: promotes artistic creation and cultural exchanges in Switzerland. • Occupational Pension Supervisory Commission (OPSC)
Federal Department of Justice and Police The Federal Department of Justice and Police is Switzerland's
ministry of justice. As of 2024, it is headed by
Beat Jans (
SP/PS). It is composed of the following offices and institutes: •
General Secretariat (GS-FDJP) • IT Service Centre (ISC-FDJP) • Post and Telecommunications Surveillance Service (PTSS) •
Federal Offices •
State Secretariat for Migration (SEM): Responsible for matters relating to foreign nationals and asylum seekers. •
Federal Office of Justice (FOI): Responsible for providing legal advice to the administration, preparing general legislation, supervising government registers and collaborating on international
judicial assistance. •
Federal Office of Police (fedpol): Responsible for intercantonal and international information, coordination and analysis in internal security matters. It also operates the domestic intelligence service (
Service for Analysis and Prevention SAP), and the
Federal Criminal Police (FCP), which investigates crimes subject to federal jurisdiction. •
Institutes •
Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS): Provides calibration and accreditation services, supervises the use of measuring instruments and provides training in
metrology. •
Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI): Registration authority for
patents,
trademarks and
industrial design. •
Swiss Institute of Comparative Law (SICL): Provides consultancy services on issues of
comparative law. •
Commissions •
Federal Gaming Board (FGB): Regulates
casinos and enforces Swiss
gambling law (except
lotteries, which are regulated by the cantons). •
National Commission for the Prevention of Torture •
Federal Commission on Migration •
Federal Commission for the Administration of Copyright and Related Rights •
Administratively assigned •
Federal Audit Oversight Authority (FAOA) • Federal Commission for the Assessment of the Possibilities for the Treatment of Persons Interned for Life
Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports The Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (DDPS) is Switzerland's ministry of defence. As of 2019, is headed by
Viola Amherd (
CVP/PDC). It is composed of the following administrative units: • General Secretariat •
Swiss Armed Forces • Land Forces •
Air Force • Armed Forces Logistics Organisation • Armed Forces Command Support Organisation •
Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP) • Coordination of the
civil protection services of the cantons and municipalities •
National Emergency Operations Centre •
Spiez Laboratory, responsible for
weapons of mass destruction research and protection •
Federal Office of Sport: responsible for sport policy, the
National Youth Sports Centre Tenero and the
Youth and Sport organisation. •
Federal Office for Defence Procurement (armasuisse): Responsible for armaments procurement, technology and research •
Federal Office of Topography (Swisstopo): compiles and manages geographical reference data and maps •
Office of the Armed Forces Attorney General / Military Justice: The military prosecutor's office. •
Federal Intelligence Service (FIS): Switzerland's civil intelligence service.
Federal Department of Finance The Federal Department of Finance is Switzerland's
ministry of finance. As of 2023, it is headed by
Karin Keller-Sutter (
FDP/PRD). It is composed of the following offices: • General Secretariat, including the Federal Strategy Unit for IT (FSUIT). •
Federal Finance Administration (FFA): Responsible for the budget, financial planning, financial policy, the federal treasury and financial equalisation between the Confederation and the cantons. Operates the
federal mint. •
Federal Office of Personnel (FOPER): Responsible for human resources management, personnel policy and personnel training. •
Federal Tax Administration (FTA): Responsible for federal revenue collection and the application of federal tax laws in the cantons. •
Federal Customs Administration (FCA): Responsible for monitoring the import, export and transit of goods, collecting customs duties, traffic charges and taxes. Operates the
Swiss Border Guard, which carries out
border police duties. •
Swiss Alcohol Board (SAB): Regulates the alcohol market. •
Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT): Provides
IT services for the federal administration. •
Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (FBL): Responsible for property management, central procurement of non-durable goods, federal publications and the production of the
Swiss passport. The following independent authorities are affiliated to the FDF for administrative purposes: •
Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO): The federal
government audit office. Examines accounting practices and verifies the proper and efficient use of resources by the administration, other public service institutions and subsidy recipients. •
Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA): Regulates banks, insurances, securities dealers, investment funds and stock exchanges, as well as the disclosure of shareholding interests, public takeover bids and mortgage lenders. •
Federal Pension Fund (PUBLICA): Provides insurance coverage to employees of the federal administration, the other branches of the federal government and associated organisations.
Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research The Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) is Switzerland's
ministry of the economy. As of 2019, it is headed by
Guy Parmelin (
SVP/UDC). It is composed of the following offices: • General Secretariat, including the
Federal Consumer Affairs Bureau FCAB (responsible for
consumer affairs) and the Swiss
civilian service agency (
ZIVI). •
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO): Responsible for national and international
economic policy, trade negotiations and
labour policy. •
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). •
Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG): Responsible for
agricultural policy, for direct payments to
Swiss farmers, and for
Agroscope, center of excellence for
agricultural research. •
Federal Office for National Economic Supply (FONES): Manages emergency supplies of essential goods and services. •
Federal Office for Housing (FOH): Responsible for
housing policy. The following independent agencies are administratively attached to the EAER: •
Price Supervisor: Price
ombudsman and responsible for the supervision of regulated prices. •
Competition Commission: Swiss
competition regulator. •
Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET): Provides training for
vocational education professionals. •
ETH Board, which itself manages the
ETH Domain, a group of
technical universities and
research institutes. These include
ETH Zurich (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich), the
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), the
Paul Scherrer Institute in
Villigen, the
Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research in
Birmensdorf, the
Federal Laboratory for Materials Testing and Research and the
Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology in
Dübendorf.
Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications As of 2023, the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) is headed by
Albert Röstli. It is composed of the following offices: • General Secretariat •
Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE): Coordinates area planning between the federal agencies, the cantons and the municipalities. •
Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN): Responsible for matters of the environment, including the protection of plants and animals and the protection against noise, air pollution or natural hazards. •
Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA): Regulates
civil aviation. •
Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM): Regulates radio and TV stations, notably the
Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. •
Federal Office of Energy (FOE): Responsible for the provision of electrical energy at the federal level, as well as for the supervision of dams. •
Federal Office of Transport (FOT): Responsible for
public transport at the federal level, including the development of the
federal rail network and navigation on the
Rhine. •
Federal Roads Office (FEDRO): Responsible for the construction, maintenance and operation of the
national highway network. The following independent authorities are affiliated to the DETEC for administrative purposes: •
Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB, formerly
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and
Investigation Bureau for Railway, Funicular and Boat Accidents). •
Federal Communications Commission (ComCom): Regulates the telecommunications market, awards service licences, rules on
interconnection disputes and approves frequency and numbering plans. •
Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom): monitors electricity prices, rules as a judicial authority on disputes relating to network access and payment of cost-covering feed-in of electricity produced from renewable energy, monitors electricity supply security and regulates issues relating to international electricity transmission and trading. •
Federal Postal Services Commission (PostCom): Regulates the
Swiss Post and Swiss postal market. •
Rail Transport Commission (RailCom): Arbitrates in disputes over access to the rail network and the calculation of fees for the use of infrastructure. •
Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television (ICA): Decides on complaints related to radio and television programmes. •
Safety Office (formerly known as the Civil Aviation Safety Office, CASO): supports the development of safety in land, sea and air transport, in the use, transport and distribution of energy, and for communications infrastructures •
Reporting Office for Just Culture in Civil Aviation (ROJCA): strengthens
Just Culture through the protection of the information source of an occurrence reporting in Swiss Civil Aviation. •
Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations (ESTI): Responsible for inspecting low and heavy-current electrical installations. •
Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI): Assesses and monitors security and radiation protection in Swiss nuclear installations. •
Federal Pipelines Inspectorate (ERI): Responsible for the planning, construction and operation of
fuel pipeline systems in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. == See also ==