Standing Orders of the Council of States (SO-CS)
English is not an official language of the Swiss Confederation. This translation is provided for information purposes only and has no legal force.
Section 1 Election of the Presiding College and of
Art. 3
1 The Council shall elect the members of the Presiding College and of the Office individually at the beginning of each winter session. 2 Immediate re-election to the same office is not possible, apart from to the office in accordance with Article 5 paragraph 1 letter d. 3 If the office of a member of the Office becomes vacant during the term of office, the Council shall elect a substitute member for the remaining period; if the post of President becomes vacant, the Council shall hold a substitute election if the President leaves office before the start of the summer session.
Section 2 President and Presiding College
Art. 4
1 The President shall fulfil the tasks conferred on him or her by law and: a. chair the Council meetings; b. establish the agenda, subject to Council decisions to the contrary, taking into consideration the programme of the parliamentary session established by the Office; c. chair the Presiding College and the Council Office; d. represent the Council in its external dealings. 2 If the President is unable to chair the meeting, or wishes by way of exception to participate in a debate, he or she shall be replaced provisionally by the First Vice-President, or if need be, by the Second Vice-President. 3 If neither Vice-President is able to chair the meeting, the presidency shall be assumed by the following persons: a. a predecessor; if more than one is present in the Council, the council member who more recently exercised the office shall take precedence; b. the council member who has served the most terms of office; if two or more council members have served the same term, the older member
Section 3 The Office
Art. 5 Composition and procedure
1 The Office comprises: a. the three members of the Presiding College; b. a Teller; c. a Deputy Teller; d. a further member from each group of the Federal Assembly with at least five members in the Council of States which is not represented among the members of the Office under letters a–c. 2 The Office is subject to the procedural rules of the committees.
Art. 6 Tasks
1 The Office: a. plans the activities of the Council and establishes the session programme, subject to decisions by the Council to modify the list of items of business, or to add or withdraw such items; b. sets the remit of the standing committees and institutes special committees; c. allocates business to the committees for preliminary debate, co-reporting or final examination and sets deadlines; it may delegate this task to the President; d. coordinates the activities of the committees; e. examines, at the request of the Finance Committee, whether a committee responsible for the preliminary examination of a matter should seek an opinion from the Finance Committee under Article 49 paragraph 5 ParlA; f. schedules the meetings of the committees for the year; g. elects the presidents, vice-presidents, and members of the committees, unless the law provides otherwise; h. ascertains the results of elections and votes; the President may call on other members of the council if the Tellers and
Section 4 Committees and Delegations
Art. 7 Standing Committees
1 The following standing committees exist: 1. Finance Committee (FC); 2. Control Committee (CC); 3. Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC); 4. Science, Education and Culture Committee (SECC); 5. Social Security and Health Committee (SSHC); 6. Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy Committee (ESPEC); 7. Security Policy Committee (SPC); 8. Transport and Telecommunications Committee (TTC); 9. Economic Affairs and Taxation Committee (EATC); 10. Political Institutions Committee (PIC); 11. Legal Affairs Committee (LAC); 12. ... 2 The standing committees have 13 members.
Para. 1 let. 12 — Repealed by No I of the SD of 20 March 2008, with effect from 1 April 2008 (AS 2008 1215; BBl 2008 1861 1863). Para. 2 — Amended by No I of the SD of 20 March 2008, in force since 1 April 2008 (AS 2008 1215; BBl 2008 1861 1863).
Art. 8 Special committees
In exceptional cases, the Office may institute special committees. Prior to doing so, it shall consult the presidents of the standing committees whose area of competence may be affected.
Art. 9 Delegations
Unless otherwise provided in an act or ordinance of the Federal Assembly, the provisions on committees set out in the Parliament Act and in these Standing Orders apply mutatis mutandis to the standing and non-standing delegations.
Art. 10 Legislature Planning Committee
The Legislature Planning Committee is constituted in the first session of the legislative period of the National Council as the special committee for the preliminary examination of the Federal Council’s report on the legislature plan.
Art. 11 Sub-committees
1 Every committee may establish its own sub-committees from its members. 2 The committee shall issue the sub-committee with an assignment that specifies its task and sets a deadline for the submission of its reports.
Para. 1 — Amended by No I of the SD of 30 Sept. 2022 (Appointing Subcommittees), in force since 28 Nov. 2022 (AS 2022 677; BBl 2022 301, 433).
Art. 12 Tasks of the President
1 The President of the committee: a. plans the work of the committee; b. sets the agenda, subject to contrary decisions by the committee; c. chairs the meetings of the committee; d. represents the committee in its external dealings. 2 If the President is unable to act, Article 4 paragraph 2 and 3 applies mutatis mutandis. 3 The President shall participate in votes held by the committee. In the event of a tie, he or she has the casting vote.
Art. 13 Term of office
1 The term of office of all committee members is four years, subject to contrary provisions contained in the Parliament Act or in an ordinance of the Federal Assembly. It ends at the latest with the total renewal of the committees in the first session of the new legislative period. Re-election is possible. 2 The term of office of presidents and vice-presidents of the standing committees is two years. Immediate re-election to the same office is not possible. 3 The term of office of the members of a special committee corresponds to the duration of the committee’s activity. 4 If a seat on the committee becomes vacant, the person elected to fill the seat on the committee serves out the remainder of the term of office.
Art. 14 Substitution
1 A committee member may be substituted for a single meeting or individual meeting days. 2 If a committee member leaves the Council, the parliamentary group shall nominate a replacement, as long as the Office has not assigned another member to the position. 3 The committee secretariat shall be notified of the replacement member under paragraphs 1 and 2 without delay. 4 Members of the Control Committee and members of a Parliamentary Investigation Committee, or their sub-committees, may not be substituted by another member. 5 A member of a sub-committee may only be replaced by another member of the main committee.
Art. 15 Informing the public
1 The president or members selected by the committee shall inform the media in written or oral form of the main results of the committee’s deliberations. 2 The information provided generally includes the main decisions taken, the results of any votes and the principal arguments presented in the course of the deliberations. 3 Persons present at the meetings shall not release any information before the committee has released its official communication. 4 Any information regarding views expressed by persons present at the meeting or how they voted shall remain confidential, unless they decide to submit a minority proposal to the Council.
Art. 16 Reporting
1 For every item of business, the committee shall nominate one of its members to report to the Council and to present the proposals of the committee. 2 The committee may deliver a written report to the Council. It does so particularly if no other official explanatory document exists.