Swiss Review 6/2020

Swiss Review / November 2020 / No.6 37 Federal votes The Federal Council determines voting proposals at least four months before the voting date. Everything you need to know about voting propos- als (voting pamphlets, committees, recommendations by Parliament and the Federal Council etc.) is available at www.admin.ch/votes or via the Federal Chancellery’s VoteInfo app. ■ ■ The voting proposals for 7 March 2021 have not yet been finalised. Popular initiatives The following federal popular initiatives have already been launched at the time of going to press (deadline for the collection of signatures in brackets): ■ ■ No new popular initiatives have been launched. The list of pending popular initiatives is available in German at www.bk.admin.ch > Politische Rechte > Volksinitiativen > Hängige Volksinitiativen Information Notify your local Swiss representation of your email address(es) and mobile phone number(s), or of changes to these, and register at the online desk (on the FDFA website at www.eda.admin.ch or via www.swissabroad.ch) to select your preferred format for receiving “Swiss Review” and other publications. Please contact your Swiss representation if you have trouble signing in. Both the latest and previous issues of “Swiss Review” are available to read and/or print out at any time via www.revue.ch. “Swiss Review” (or “Gazzetta Svizzera” in Italy) is delivered free of charge either electronically by email or as a print edition to the homes of all Swiss Abroad. It is also available via the iOS/Android app “Swiss Review”. Responsible for the FDFA official communications: Consular Directorate Innovation and Partnerships Effingerstrasse 27, 3003 Berne, Switzerland www.eda.admin.ch, email: kdip@eda.admin.ch is the only resource that multiplies if you share it. What progress can we expect over the coming years regarding digital administra- tive services in Switzerland? Digital transformation affects our everyday lives – in relation to daily communication, shopping, interac- tion with public authorities, etc. The COVID-19 pandemic has only acceler- ated this process. We can still do vari- ous things to improve administrative services. For example, the introduc- tion of electronic identity cards is cru- cial if wewant to continue developing online transactions and e-government applications. How will the new project benefit the Swiss Abroad? Many Swiss Abroad live far away from their home country and are unable to visit government offices in person. Their local postal services may not be the most reliable either. This is why it is important for people to be able to communicate electronically with Switzerland’s administrative author- ities and process their transactions on- line. We need digital platforms – on- line hubs, in other words – providing user-friendly, multilingual and barri- er-free access to government services. In this regard, it is vital that the Con- federation, cantons and municipali- ties coordinate their efforts and opti- mise their digital services. E-GOVERNMENT SCHWEIZ-SUISSE-SVIZZERA WWW.EGOVERNMENT.SWISS Simone Flubacher, Delegate for Relations with the Swiss Abroad, is moving on Dear Readers, Engaging with you has been an enriching experience. Whether meeting you in person at one of the many Swiss Abroad events or communicating via “Swiss Review”, it has been both a pleasure and honour for me to represent your interests with the federal government these past three years. Your needs were always very important to me. Having served the interests of the Swiss Abroad for almost 30 years at Swiss representations abroad as well as in Berne, I am now ready for a new professional challenge starting in November. I would therefore like to bid you farewell and wish you all the very best, wherever in the world you may be. Yours, Simone Flubacher