Federal Administration (Switzerland)
The federal administration ( French Administration fédérale , Italian Amministrazione federale , Romansh ) together with the Federal Council represent the executive branch of the Swiss Confederation .
It comprises seven departments (comparable to a ministry ), the Federal Chancellery and the decentralized administrative units (almost 90 offices ) and is subordinate to the Federal Council. Each member of the Federal Council heads a department ( department principle ) and bears political responsibility for it. The federal administration employs around 38,000 people. The Federal Chancellor heads the Federal Chancellery.
The departments are now (since 1979/98) the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA), the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP), the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS), and the Federal Department of Finance (EFD), Federal Department of Economics, Education and Research (EAER), and Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication (DETEC). All departments can be accessed electronically via the admin.ch portal .
In terms of the separation of powers, independent administrations have the federal assembly with the parliamentary services and the federal court .
Departments, offices, institutions
The following authorities, federal companies and institutions are subordinate to the respective departments:
Federal Chancellery (BK)
Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr
- Management staff: coordination and management tasks for the attention of the Federal Chancellor
- Chancellor area
- Planning and Strategy Section (together with the departments, among other things, prepares the report on legislative planning , the annual goals of the Federal Council and the annual business reports for submission to Parliament)
- Political Rights Section (checks popular initiatives, checks submitted lists of signatures, organizes referendums and national council elections, processes related complaints)
- Federal Crisis Management Training Section
- File and Process Management Section
- Internal services (personnel management, finance and accounting, logistics, IT, etc.)
- Federal Council area:
- Federal Council Business Section (preparation and follow-up of Federal Council meetings)
- Legal Section (control and advisory function in the legislative process)
- Central language services
- Competence Center for Official Publications (KAV) (publishes the Federal Gazette, Official Collection and Systematic Legal Collection of Federal Law)
- Information and Communication (headed by Vice Chancellor and Federal Council Spokesman André Simonazzi )
- Communication section (informs the media and the public about the activities of the Federal Council and the Federal Chancellery)
- Communication Support Section
Administratively assigned to the Federal Chancellery:
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA)
Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis , Head of Department
- General Secretariat (GS-EDA)
-
State Secretariat (STS) (State Secretary Pascale Baeriswyl )
- protocol
- Political Directorate (PD)
- Directorate for European Affairs (DEA)
- Resource Directorate (DR)
- Consular Directorate (KD)
- Directorate for International Law (DV)
- Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA)
Federal Councilor Alain Berset , Head of Department
- General Secretariat
- Federal Commission against Racism
- Specialist office for combating racism
- Federal supervision of foundations
- Federal Bureau for Equality for People with Disabilities
- Federal Office for Equality between Women and Men (EBG)
- Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO)
- Federal Office for Culture (BAK)
- Swiss Federal Archives (SFA)
- Federal Office for Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss)
- Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH)
- Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
- Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO)
Administratively assigned to EDI:
- Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic)
- Swiss National Museum (SNM)
- Pro Helvetia Foundation
- Supervision Commission for Occupational Pensions (OAK BV)
Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP)
Federal Councilor Karin Keller-Sutter , Head of Department
- General Secretariat
- Federal Casino Commission (ESBK)
- Federal Arbitration Commission for the Exploitation of Copyrights and Related Rights (ESchK)
- Post and Telecommunications Monitoring Service (ÜPF)
- Commission for the Prevention of Torture
- Federal Office of Justice (FOJ)
- Federal Office of Police (fedpol)
- State Secretariat for Migration (SEM)
Administratively assigned to the FDJP:
- Swiss Institute for Comparative Law (SIR)
- Federal Institute for Intellectual Property (IPI)
- Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS)
- Federal Audit Oversight Authority (FAOA)
- Cantonal passport offices
Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS)
Federal Councilor Viola Amherd , Head of Department
- General Secretariat (GS-VBS)
- Senior Auditor (OA)
- Federal Intelligence Service (NDB)
- Defense group ( Chief of the Army Corps Commander Thomas Süssli )
- Army staff (A staff)
- Army Headquarters (FST A)
- Armed Forces Army (HE)
- Air Force Branch (LW)
- Higher management training (HKA)
- Army logistics base (LBA)
- Leadership Support Base (FUB)
- Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP)
- Federal Office for Sport (BASPO)
- Armasuisse Group (ar)
- Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo)
Federal Department of Finance (FDF)
Federal Councilor Ueli Maurer , Head of Department
- General Secretariat
- Federal IT Steering Body (ISB)
- State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF)
-
Federal Finance Administration (FFA)
- Central Compensation Office (ZAS)
- Official mint of the Swiss Confederation (Swissmint)
- Federal Personnel Office (EPA)
- Federal Tax Administration (FTA)
-
Federal Customs Administration (FCA)
- Border Guard Corps (GWK)
- Federal Alcohol Administration (SAB)
-
Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (BBL)
- Federal Procurement Commission
- Federal Office for Information Technology and Telecommunications (FOITT)
Administratively assigned to the EFD:
- Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA)
- Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO)
- Federal Pension Fund (PUBLICA)
Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER)
Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin , Head of Department
- General Secretariat
- Price Supervisor
- Consumer Affairs Office
- State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) (State Secretary Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch )
- State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI)
-
Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG)
- Federal research institutes
- Federal Office for National Economic Supply (BWL)
- Federal Housing Office (BWO)
- Federal Office for Community Service (ZIVI)
Administratively assigned to the WBF:
- ETH domain
- Innosuisse - Swiss Agency for Innovation Promotion
- Competition Commission (WEKO)
- Federal University Institute for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET)
Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication (DETEC)
Federal Councilor Simonetta Sommaruga , Head of Department
- General Secretariat
- Independent complaints authority for radio and television (UBI)
- Federal Postal Commission PostCom
- Swiss Security Investigation Board (SUST)
- Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI)
- Railways Arbitration Commission (SKE)
- Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom)
- Federal Communications Commission (ComCom)
- Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations (ESTI)
- Federal Pipeline Inspectorate (ERI)
- Civil Aviation Safety Office (CASO)
- Federal Office of Transport (FOT)
- Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA)
- Federal Office for Energy (SFOE)
- Federal Roads Office (FEDRO)
- Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM)
- Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN)
- Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE)
Extra-parliamentary commissions
Extra-parliamentary commissions are bodies set up by the Federal Council or the department that carry out public tasks for the government and administration. They are subject to the Commission Ordinance of June 3, 1996 (SR 172.31). The extra-parliamentary commissions primarily fulfill two functions: As militia organs, they complement the federal administration in areas where it lacks special knowledge. This means that the administration has access to specialist knowledge that would have to be established itself. "New extra-parliamentary commissions are therefore often set up when the state has to take on new tasks and the relevant specialist knowledge is not yet available in the administration itself." They are also a useful means of representing the interests of organizations from politics, business and society. The cooperation enables compromises that are not based solely on the representation of interests. Accordingly, extra-parliamentary commissions can be viewed as an instrument of participatory democracy and have a long tradition in Switzerland. Examples are: PRS - Swiss Presence Commission; EEK - Federal Nutrition Commission; EKKJ - Federal Commission for Children and Youth Issues.
Web links
- admin.ch - website of the Federal Administration of the Swiss Confederation (also of the Federal Council, the departments)
- Designation of the departments and offices (administrative units of the federal administration without the extra-parliamentary commissions) , as of March 1, 2014, PDF on admin.ch
- Extra-parliamentary commissions , on admin.ch
- Departments , on admin.ch
- Department management , on admin.ch
- The federal government in brief , Federal Chancellery, Communication Support Section, periodically updated, available as an app and PDF, on bk. admin.ch
- Raimund E. Germann: Federal Administration. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- Heinrich Ueberwasser: Departments. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
- ^ Federal Personnel Office: The federal staff in numbers. Retrieved April 3, 2020 .
- ↑ Innosuisse. Retrieved February 1, 2019 .
- ↑ Ausserparlamentarische commissions , admin.ch The Swiss federal authorities