Cluster: Swiss Abroad

Brussels prepares for energy talks with Bern

This content was published on Sep 13, 2006 Talks could begin later this year if the EU Council of Ministers follows the lead of EU diplomats who approved the mandate earlier this week. The Swiss cabinet approved the mandate in May. Brussels wants Switzerland to adopt the rules for the internal EU electricity market. EU energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs was quoted in the…

Swiss Politics

EU bilateral accords

This content was published on Sep 11, 2006 Switzerland and the European Union have concluded two sets of bilateral accords following voters’ rejection in 1992 of the European Economic Area Treaty. A Swiss request for negotiations on full membership has been frozen. The EU is Switzerland’s most important trading partner and there are close cultural and political links with Brussels.

Consultation procedure

This content was published on Sep 11, 2006 When the government is considering introducing or amending a law or signing a major international treaty, it opens a consultation procedure to find out what the cantons, political parties and leading organisations think of the proposal. Once they have made their final recommendations – and this can be a lengthy process – a draft law…

Consensus politics and power-sharing

This content was published on Sep 11, 2006 The term “consensus politics” describes the ongoing effort to achieve a balanced compromise among political parties and among the different cultural, linguistic and social communities that make up Switzerland. One of the most obvious aspects of the Swiss power-sharing system is the way in which the distribution of cabinet seats reflects the relative strengths of…

Swiss Politics

Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education

This content was published on Sep 11, 2006 This is an assembly of the 26 cantonal government ministers who are responsible for education, training, culture and sport. It is responsible for the national coordination in all areas of educational and cultural policy in Switzerland.

Swiss Politics

Conference of Cantonal Governments

This content was published on Sep 11, 2006 Founded in 1993, this promotes cooperation on matters in which the cantons have responsibility and on federal issues having implications for the cantons. It guarantees coordination and information and serves as a conduit between the Confederation and the cantons on important domestic and foreign policy dossiers.

Swiss Politics

House of Representatives

This content was published on Sep 11, 2006 The House of Representatives (also referred to as the National Council) is one of two parliamentary chambers. Its 200 members are elected directly by the people (in the cantons). The number of parliamentarians each canton sends to the House depends on the size of its population. The House and the Senate, which sit in the…

Senate

This content was published on Sep 11, 2006 The Senate (also referred to as the Council of States) consists of 46 members and is the smaller parliamentary chamber. Its members represent the 26 cantons. The “full” cantons, of which there are 20, each send two representatives to the Senate, while six “half” cantons have one senator each. The Senate and the House of…

Parliamentary Committee

This content was published on Sep 11, 2006 Parliamentary committees, which exist for both chambers, examine issues related to their area of expertise and put forward recommendations to their respective chambers. The finance committee, for example, analyses budget questions. There are 12 permanent committees for each parliamentary chamber. Their composition reflects the weight of the political parties in parliament.

Navigating the party between left and right

This content was published on Sep 10, 2006 Darbellay outlines the current challenges of walking the political tightrope in Switzerland, which remains sharply polarised between left and right. The parliamentarian from canton Valais, who was elected president of the centre-right Christian Democrats on September 2 with 214 out of 218 votes, recently stirred up controversy with his comments that Justice Minister Christoph Blocher…

Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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Brussels prepares for energy talks with Bern

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EU bilateral accords

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Consultation procedure

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Consensus politics and power-sharing

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Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education

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Conference of Cantonal Governments

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House of Representatives

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Senate

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Parliamentary Committee

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Navigating the party between left and right

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