Swiss Review 1/2020

Swiss Review / January 2020 / No.1 24 OSA news What challenges does our democracy face? Annual Congress of the Swiss Abroad Immigration, data protection, digital chal- lenges, and exercising our political rights: how is the Swiss democratic system meeting today’s challenges? Where does it need to change? How can we guarantee respect of the basic democratic rights in Switzerland, unique in the world? Such are the questions, amongst many others, that speakers will be asked to answer or de- bate at our 2020 congress on the weekend of 22–23 August. Save the date now and join us in Lugano! (JF) The “Parliament” of the Swiss Abroad will meet on 14 March 2020 in Bern In keeping with tradition, the next meeting of the Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA) will be held on Saturday 14 March 2020 at the Town Hall in Berne. Themeetingwill be open to the public and a live feedwill be available on the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) website, www.aso.ch, along with the agenda, which will be published approximately threeweeks in advance. The Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA), representative body of the “Fifth Switzerland”, is made up of 140 delegates, of which 120 represent the community of the Swiss Abroad. The remaining 20 are individuals living in Switzerland, with a background in politics, economics, social advocacy or culture. They are all committed to rep- resenting their 760,000 fellow citi- zens living abroad. The CSA meets twice per year to discuss subjects directly impacting the Swiss Abroad and to thereby pro- tect their interests. The spring meet- ing will be held inMarch in Bern, and the autumn meeting will be held in August as part of the Congress of the Swiss Abroad. The delegates are ap- pointed on a voluntary basis for a pe- riod of four years (2017–2021). They are elected by the communities of Swiss Abroad. During their meetings, the CSA may adopt resolutions and rec- ommendations aimed at authorities, institutions or public opinion. (JF) The Parliament of the “Fifth Switzerland” sits regularly in Bern. In this image: a debate during a meeting of the Council of the Swiss Abroad in March 2018. Photo: Marc Lettau What is the procedure for setting up a new Swiss society? The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) aims to foster good relations among the Swiss Abroad and to strengthen their ties with Switzerland. The OSA is supported by its recognised Swiss societies abroad. However, what does a society need to do to obtain recognition from the OSA? It must meet all the following requirements: ■ ■ The purpose of the society is to foster good relations among the Swiss Abroad and to strengthen their ties to their home country. ■ ■ More than 50 per cent of the active members are Swiss citizens. ■ ■ The majority of the board of directors are Swiss citizens. ■ ■ The steering committee is headed by a Swiss citizen. ■ ■ At least seven Swiss citizens belong to the society. ■ ■ The society convenes a members’ meeting at least once a year and has an executive board that is re-elected periodically. ■ ■ The society is affiliated to the umbrella organisation responsible for its country if such an organisation exists (France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain-Portugal, Austria-Liechtenstein-Slovenia, Netherlands, Canada, Argentina). ■ ■ The society expressly undertakes to inform the OSA if any of the requirements are no longer met. Upon obtaining recognition from the OSA, societies are accepted into the worldwide network of the Swiss Abroad societies and institutions. They automatically receive communications and newsletters from the OSA and are listed on the www.swisscommunity.org website. Societies that do not fulfil all the above-mentioned conditions may be recognised as associate societies. This allows them to also benefit from the information and services of the OSA. Societies that are interested in obtaining recognition from the OSA can com- plete the application form. It is available on the OSA’s website, www.aso.ch, or by following the direct link: ogy.de/recognition-by-osa. (ASO) The OSA’s Legal Service provides general legal information on Swiss law, particularly in areas which concern the Swiss abroad. It does not provide information on foreign law or intervene in disputes between private parties. IMPRINT: “Swiss Review”, the magazine for the Swiss Abroad, is in its 46 th year of publication and is published in German, French, English and Spanish in 14 regional editions. It has a total circulation of 418,000, including 235,000 electronic copies. Regional news appears four times a year. The ordering parties are fully responsible for the content of advertisements and promotional inserts. This content does not necessarily represent the opinion of either the editorial office or the publisher. EDITORS: Marc Lettau (MUL), Editor-in-Chief; Stéphane Herzog (SH); Theodora Peter (TP); Susanne Wenger (SWE); Simone Flubacher (SF), responsible for “news.admin.ch” , Relations with the Swiss Abroad, FDFA, 3003 Berne, Switzerland EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Sandra Krebs TRANSLATION: SwissGlobal Language Services AG; LAYOUT: Joseph Haas, Zürich; PRINT: Vogt-Schild Druck AG, 4552 Derendingen POSTAL ADDRESS: Publisher, editorial office, advertising: Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Berne, Tel.: +41313566110, Fax: +41313566101, Postal account (Swiss National Giro): 30-6768-9. Email: revue@aso.ch COPY DEADLINE for this edition: 26 November 2019 All Swiss Abroad who are registered with a Swiss representation receive the magazine free of charge. Anyone else can subscribe to the magazine for an annual fee (Switzerland: CHF 30 / abroad: CHF 50). Subscribers are sent the magazine direct from Berne. www.revue.ch CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please advise your local embassy or consulate. Do not write to the editorial office in Berne.