Extraordinary session, 4. – 6. May 2020 in the BernExpo

The extraordinary session and the summer session took place in the Bernexpo exhibition center.

The provisional National Council chamber in the Bernexpo

Entrance to the Council of States Chamber

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The federal councils met between May 4th and 6th, 2020 for the three-day extraordinary corona session in Bern . The measures for the COVID-19 pandemic were discussed . The legally inapplicable term of the Corona special session was also used in the media .

The session was the first meeting of the federal councils since the corona-related interruption of the spring session on March 15. In the meantime, the Federal Council ruled with emergency law without a parliament .

The main topic during the three days was the subsequent approval of the CHF 57 billion Corona loan package from the Federal Council. The Finance Delegation of the Parliament had a large part of the loans already approved as an advance. A considerable part of it was already issued by the federal government, or at least the federal government had already committed itself. The law, however, prescribes subsequent approval by parliament.

place

In order to be able to adhere to the distance rules of 2 meters, the National Council and Council of States did not meet in the Federal Palace , as usual , but in two exhibition halls at Bernexpo .

Loans

The 57 billion francs were used as follows:

Guarantees (CHF 40 billion)

With the CHF 40 billion, the federal government supports SMEs by guaranteeing loans of up to CHF 20 million. The councils have not changed the conditions set by the Federal Council for the bridging loans. The companies have five years to repay the loans. The interest rate for loans up to CHF 500,000 remains fixed at 0 percent only in the first year.

Short-time work (6 billion francs)

In order to be able to save as many jobs as possible in the corona crisis and the lockdown, the Federal Council has extended the right to short-time work compensation. At the time of the extraordinary session, almost 2 million applications had already been submitted. The regular contributions to unemployment insurance were not set for such extreme events. The Federal Council has therefore applied for 6 billion francs for the unemployment insurance fund (ALV) from the federal treasury and received approval from parliament. In addition, the ALV can borrow up to 8 billion francs. Finance Minister Ueli Maurer assumed in the extraordinary session that these amounts were insufficient. He assumed further ALV costs of CHF 15 to 18 billion for 2020. Companies that register short-time working can continue to distribute dividends. A dividend ban in the Council of States, in contrast to the National Council, clearly failed.

Income replacement (CHF 5.3 billion)

The Federal Council had requested a total of CHF 5.3 billion for income compensation for the self-employed. The National Council and Council of States have approved the loan.

Medical supplies and medication (2.58 billion Swiss francs)

For the procurement of masks, surgical aprons and other protective material, ventilators, defibrillators, test kits, drugs and vaccines in several tranches, the Federal Council had applied for a total of more than 2.58 billion francs. The two chambers approved the loan. The Council of States demanded that the federal government expand the compulsory stocks for drugs and vaccines and consider increased domestic production. The National Council has not yet dealt with the motion .

Aviation (1.88 billion Swiss francs)

In order to support the aviation industry, which is important for the Swiss economy, the Federal Council applied for a total of 1.88 billion francs, of which 1.28 billion francs to secure loans to the two airlines Swiss and Edelweiss and 600 million francs to support flight-related operations. The loan was approved by the National Council and Council of States. The Federal Council wants to make the disbursement conditional, in particular on the use of the funds and the location. At the pressure of green-left, the National Council and Council of States have decided on additional environmental and social requirements. An amendment to the Aviation Act is necessary to support operations close to the air. Both Councils approved this urgent change. The revision came into effect immediately. Parliament tied the aid to additional conditions: the Federal Council was commissioned to regulate the requirements for federal participation. In the case of financial aid to foreign-dominated companies, the federal government must secure itself through participation rights or other security measures.

Culture (280 million francs)

The 280 million francs requested by the Federal Council were approved by the National Council and Council of States. The loan is broken down as follows: 100 million francs as emergency aid for non-profit-making cultural companies, 25 million francs for cultural workers, 145 million francs for compensation payments and 10 million francs for music and theater associations in the amateur sector.

Sports (100 million francs)

The Federal Office of Sport is granting loans of over 50 million francs on preferential terms to organizations involved in professional sport. In addition, clubs that organize sporting events receive non-repayable cash benefits of a further 50 million francs. Both loans were approved by the National Council and the Council of States.

Day care centers (65 million francs)

The Federal Council did not want to support day-care centers financially. However, the National Council and Council of States saw a need for action in childcare beyond the family. The Federal Council was commissioned to support this. The failures caused by the coronavirus amount to an estimated 200 million francs. Parliament approved a loan of 65 million francs for partial coverage.

Tourism (CHF 40 million)

The Council of States wanted to support tourism with 67 million francs. The National Council only agreed in 40 million francs to finance campaigns. He prevailed with this, also with the condition that only sustainable tourism offers are supported with the money.

Civil protection (23.4 million francs)

Civil defense was also called in to support the cantons during the Corona crisis . The Federal Council has given the cantons a maximum of 840,000 working days. The daily flat rate for a civil defense officer is CHF 27.50. The National Council and Council of States have approved the loan for the costs of 23.4 million francs.

Extraordinary session (4.1 million francs)

The organization of the extraordinary session resulted in costs of an additional 3.7 million francs as well as additional attendance fees of 400,000 francs. The National Council and Council of States have approved the loans.

Aid for livestock farming (3 million francs)

In the course of the closed restaurants and the widespread home office, meat consumption declined. To prevent a collapse in prices, the federal government is supporting the storage of meat with 3 million francs. The councils approved the loan.

media

Although the need for high-quality information is very great during the pandemic, the Swiss media are also suffering from the coronavirus crisis. Advertising revenues are plummeting and sports, community and local news have stalled. Both councils wanted to provide the media with bridging aid in the corona crisis. Two parliamentary motions called for free agency reports, free or discounted newspaper delivery and emergency aid of 30 million francs for private radios and TV stations. The Federal Council was commissioned to implement the immediate measures quickly.

other topics

In the extraordinary session, parliament not only debated loan decisions, but also talked about other issues relating to the corona crisis and passed resolutions:

army

According to Article 70 of the Federal Act on the Army and Military Administration, the Federal Assembly must approve the deployment in the next session if more than 2,000 members of the army are deployed or the deployment lasts longer than three weeks. The National Council and Council of States have approved the use of the army.

Business rents

During the extraordinary session, the National Council and Council of States were unable to agree on a procedure for dealing with commercial rents from closed companies, despite the urgency. Both councils demanded an urgent compulsion to reduce rent for corona-damaged companies. The National Council refused a partial lease waiver for smaller businesses, while the Council of States was very critical of the National Council's all-inclusive solution. A solution has to be found in the June session.

Travel agencies

Travel agencies and tour operators are given until October to repay canceled trips. Parliament has adopted a motion to prevent an impending wave of bankruptcies in the travel industry. Airlines that are supported by the federal government must reimburse the travel agencies for the money for flights that are not carried out by the end of September at the latest. This is about 200 million francs.

Contact tracing app

With contact tracing , the coronavirus in Switzerland is to be kept in check and to warn of a feared second wave in good time. A COVID-19 app is also to be used for this. In the special session, the National Council and the Council of States demanded with a motion that such a motion must be based on a legal basis and be voluntary. Anyone who does not want to use an app should not experience any disadvantages or be denied services. Only technical solutions that do not store personal data centrally should also be permitted. The DP-3T app developed by ETH meets these requirements. By May 20, the Federal Council wants to develop a legal basis for the tracing app by supplementing the Epidemics Act.

Relaxations

The council members want a gradual return from the crisis to normal business and economic life. The motion submitted in April entitled “Smart Restart” anticipated what the Federal Council decided at the end of April. The epidemiological situation should be taken into account in the step-by-step opening. Protection concepts should also apply depending on the industry. A second motion calling for a step-by-step opening for restaurants was also accepted. The Council of States has not yet decided on this motion. The Federal Council requested that it be rejected. According to Health Minister Alain Berset , she contradicts the Federal Council's opening decisions.

Public transport

During the lockdown, public transport demand fell by up to 90 percent. Despite the reduced Corona timetable, 70 to 80 percent of public transport operated. Parliament demanded from the Federal Council that the federal government, together with the cantons and transport companies, draw up a proposal to mitigate the loss of earnings in public transport. Transport Minister Simonetta Sommaruga promised that the Federal Council would analyze the uncovered costs.

Foreign policy

In a motion, the National Council asked the Federal Council to show a roadmap for the gradual opening of the national borders. The Council also asked the Federal Council to increase humanitarian aid by CHF 100 million. The Council of States has not yet decided on the two motions. The Federal Council had already announced on April 30th about its plan to alleviate the pandemic in developing countries to speak an additional CHF 400 million. The loan is to be approved by Parliament in the summer session. The Federal Council had already presented a timetable for opening borders. Finally, the National Council issued a declaration calling on all parties to the conflict around the globe to immediately join a global ceasefire.

Trivia

During the session, the news of the tabloid Blick online about an “illegal party” by politicians caused astonishment and heated discussions on social media. On Tuesday evening, after a 14-hour session, politicians are said to have gathered in the restaurant in the Bernexpo exhibition complex around 10.30 p.m. We are talking about at least 50 to 100 parliamentarians from different political groups . The Blick claimed that the police pushed the politicians out around 11.30 p.m., but did not distribute any buses. However, the Bern canton police said they had not been there.