Notes from the Federal Palace Federal votes The proposals submitted to the people are set by the Federal Council at least four months prior to the voting date. At its meeting on 15 January 2025, the Federal Council decided that no federal votes would take place on 18 May 2025. The next voting date is 28 September 2025. All information on proposals submitted to the people (voting pamphlets, committees, recommendations by the parliament, Federal Council etc.) can be found at www.admin.ch/abstimmungen or in the Federal Chancellery app “VoteInfo”. Popular initiatives The following federal popular initiatives had been launched at the time of going to press (deadline for signatures in brackets): ■ Federal Popular Initiative “For a financially strong, sovereign and responsible Switzerland (Bitcoin Initiative)” (30 June 2026) ■ Federal Popular Initiative “For responsible multinationals – protecting human beings and the environment” (7 July 2026) The list of pending popular initiatives is available in French, German and Italian at https://www.bk.admin.ch/ > Politische Rechte > Volks- initiativen > Hängige Volksinitiativen We are thinking of creating a digital consular hub, the details of which I am unable to provide at the moment. The aim is to process cases quicker than we do today. There are no plans to close representations, as Federal Councillor and FDFA head Ignazio Cassis has assured us more than once. This is good to know. By developing a consular hub, we wish to promote the concept of personal responsibility among expatriates and tourists alike. Does this mean that the state will take more of a back seat in future? No, it doesn’t. When we are needed, we will be there. We have proven it in the past and will prove it again in future. However, Swiss who travel or settle abroad should keep in mind the principle of personal responsibility enshrined in the Swiss Abroad Act. More preventive work is needed of the type the FDFA already carries out. We have to get the message across even more effectively. The FDFA offers numerous sources of advice and support in this regard. For example, the SwissInTouch.ch app provides the expatriate community with easier access to Swiss representations abroad. FDFA travel advice is available to Swiss tourists, who can also register on the Travel Admin app. The pick-up in travel after Covid, an increase in independently booked holidays, and, not least, the security situation around the world are reflected in the figures, with the FDFA helpline having filed over 55,000 inquiries in 2024. In total, there were 1,087 requests for consular protection – 17 per cent more than in the previous year. There certainly seems to be one crisis after another at the moment. Can people actually contact you around the clock? Yes, in principle, they can – via smartphone. Marianne Jenni joined the FDFA in 1991 as a consular officer. She worked in Paris, Lagos, Rome, London, Baghdad, Kinshasa and Cape Town before returning to Berne in 2013, where she oversaw the management of local and honorary staff abroad and was responsible for the FDFA’s global property portfolio. From 2021 to 2024, she served as head of mission in Quito, Ecuador. Her responsibilities at the Consular Directorate will include optimising digital services and developing preventive measures. Switzerland in your pocket SwissInTouch.ch The app for the Swiss abroad swissintouch.ch Exclusively available here “When we are needed, we will be there. We have proven it in the past and will prove it again in future.” 30 Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2
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