Notes from the Federal Palace that execute pension payments abroad. These agreements came into force on 1 January 2025. The SFAO had found that the banks’ margins were too high, resulting in lower pension payments. Is there a comprehensive approach to managing the Schengen air borders? Since Switzerland signed the Schengen agreement with the EU, the nature of border controls has fundamentally changed – moving away from systematic controls at national borders in favour of greater mobility. This is of benefit to many travellers as well as the half a million Swiss Abroad in Europe. To effectively combat global risks like organised crime, terrorism and illegal migration, the EU and Switzerland advocate tighter controls on the Schengen area’s external borders. In 2024, the SFAO analysed the implementation of measures to protect the external Schengen borders at Swiss airports. It found that the federal structure consisting of eight different supervisory authorities at Confederation and cantonal level made it harder to manage the external borders in a uniform manner. No one, not even the State Secretariat for Migration, had authority to manage the entire system. This is why important improvements involving all stakeholders were carried out quite slowly. The SFAO called for greater accountability on the part of the responsible authorities, recommending that they conduct a systematic review. At a later juncture, it will review whether its recommendations have been implemented. A future-proof Federal Administration Effective controls along with transparency and the ability to change are key elements of a functioning state. The SFAO hopes to contribute to a well-managed, future-proof Federal Administration by identifying weaknesses, suggesting improvements and supervising the implementation of recommendations. ROGER PFIFFNER, PERFORMANCE AUDITOR AT THE SFAO The SFAO’s audits relate to areas that are relevant to Swiss Abroad. Photo: Adobe Stock The audits mentioned in the article are available on the SFAO website under the numbers 19404 (Swiss representation abroad), 20419 (pensions paid abroad) and 23231 (integrated border management): www.efk.admin.ch The FDFA has expanded its online services in response to an SFAO recommendation. 31 Swiss Review / January 2025 / No.1
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