Federal Council trims Switzerland for the digital future

The Federal Council adopted the strategy at its meeting on Wednesday. It applies with immediate effect and will be continuously developed in dialog with business, science, research and civil society. The Federal Council wants to send out a "clear signal" that it is focusing on the opportunities of digitalization, said Infrastructure and Communications Minister Doris Leuthard to the media in the Federal Palace. However, the state cannot fix everything, it mainly creates favorable framework conditions - it is now up to the economy. The Federal Council is "convinced that the digital revolution will above all bring opportunities for Switzerland", said President Johann Schneider-Ammann. Everyone should benefit - from individual residents to the economy. Accordingly, practically all areas of life are affected, from e-health to high-speed broadband and traffic control to security.

One person, one password

This also includes e-government - a field in which Switzerland is "in a bad position" according to Leuthard. Today, users have to register individually and create access data for every organization in the administration or healthcare sector with which they have electronic contact. The Federal Council wants to counter this password chaos with harmonization: it wants to have a barrier-free and user-friendly digital solution developed for the nationwide verification of digital identities - based on international standards and without compromising security. Among other things, this requires a coherent data policy. It should allow the potential of data collection to be used without losing control. Individual citizens should be given extensive control over their personal and material data and be able to prevent its further use. At a national level, the development of a data infrastructure based on the open data principle is being driven forward across the entire administration.

Keeping an eye on Airbnb and Uber

In turn, the economy should be able to develop as freely as possible in the digital space. Federal Councillor Schneider-Ammann's Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) is analysing the consequences of digitalization for the economy and clarifying the necessary framework conditions - in particular competition law, regulatory issues and the impact on the labour market. The federal government also wants to keep an eye on the sharing economy. According to Schneider-Ammann, service providers such as Airbnb or the ride-hailing service Uber are helping to share resources and use them efficiently. However, it is also important to pay attention to weaker market participants and address potential regulatory issues in good time. (SDA)

Digital Switzerland" strategy (PDF)