Standing Orders of the National Council (SO-NC)
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 President and Presiding College
Art. 6 Election
1 The Council shall elect the members of the Presiding College immediately after its constitution, and shall do so for the following years of the legislative period at its first sitting of the parliamentary year. 2 It shall take appropriate account of the size of the parliamentary groups and the official languages. 3 If a vacancy arises in the Presiding College 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.
Art. 7 Tasks
1 The President shall fulfil the tasks conferred on him or her by law and shall: a. chair the Council’s 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 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 in this order: 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
Section 2 The Office
Art. 8 Composition and procedure
1 The Office comprises: a. the three members of the Presiding College; b. the four Tellers; c. the presidents of the groups. 2 In the case of impediment, the Tellers may be substituted by their replacements, and the group presidents by any member of their group. 3 The allocation of seats of Tellers and their replacements among the parliamentary groups is regulated by Articles 40 and 41 of the Federal Act of 17 December 1976 on Political Rights; for their term of office, Article 17 paragraph 1 and 4 apply mutatis mutandis. 4 The President participates in votes in the Office. In the event of a tie, he or she has the casting vote.
Para. 3 — SR 161.1
Art. 9 Tasks
1 The Office: a. plans the activities of the Council and sets out 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. determines the remit of the standing committees and institutes special committees; c. allocates items of business to the committees for preliminary consideration, co-reporting or final examination and sets deadlines; it may delegate this task to the President; d. coordinates the activities of the committees and decides which committee is competent in the event of disagreement; e. schedules the meetings of the committees for the year; f. decides on the number of committee members; g. elects the presidents, vice-presidents, and members of the committees on the recommendation of the parliamentary groups; h. ascertains the results of elections and votes; the President may call on other members of the council if the Tellers and their replacements are impeded; i. examines whether incompatibil
Section 3 Committees and Delegations
Art. 10 Standing Committees
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. Immunity Committee (IC).
let. 12 — Amended by No I of the NC Decree (Immunity Committee) of 30 Sept. 2011, in force since 5 Dec. 2011 (AS 2011 4633; BBl 2010 7345 7385).
Art. 11 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. 12 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. 13 Legislature Planning Committee
The Legislature Planning Committee is constituted in the first session of the legislative period as the special committee for the preliminary consideration of the Federal Council’s dispatch on the legislature plan.
Art. 13 — Amended by No I of the NC Decree of 25 Sept. 2015 (Legislature Planning Procedure), in force since 30 Nov. 2015 (AS 2015 4485; BBl 2015 7009).
Art. 13a Immunity Committee
1 The Immunity Committee is made up of nine members. 2 A standing substitute shall be elected for each Committee member.
Art. 13a — Inserted by No I of the NC Decree of 30 Sept. 2011 (Immunity Committee), in force since 5 Dec. 2011 (AS 2011 4633; BBl 2010 7345 7385).
Art. 14 Sub-committees
1 Every committee may establish its own sub-committee. 2 The committee issues the sub-committee with an assignment that specifies its task and sets a deadline for the submission of its reports. 3 The finance and the control committee may establish standing sub-committees to supervise certain areas on behalf of the committee. 4 The Foreign Affairs Committee shall establish a standing sub-committee for European affairs. This committee shall keep itself informed about forthcoming legal developments in the European Union that are of importance to Switzerland and report regularly to the Committee thereon.
Para. 1 — Amended by No I of the NC Decree of 18 March 2022 (Improving the Functioning of Parliament, in particular in Crisis Situations), in force since 30 May 2021 (AS 2022 295; BBl 2022 301, 433). Para. 4 — Inserted by No I of the NC Decree of 29 Sept. 2023 (Standing Sub-Committee for European Affairs of the National Council Foreign Affairs Committee), in force since 4 Dec. 2023 (AS 2023 673; BBl 2023 1574, 1988).
Art. 15 Allocation of seats
1 The following seats are allocated among the parliamentary groups, in analogous application of Articles 40 and 41 of the Federal Act of 17 December 1976 on Political Rights: a. the total number of seats on the standing committees under Article 10 numbers 1–11; abis. the seats on further individual committees; b. the seats accorded to the National Council on a committee of the United Federal Assembly or on a joint committee of both Councils; c. the offices of president of the standing committees. 2 ... 3 In principle, a member of the Council may not sit on more than two of the committees listed under Article 10.
Para. 1 — SR 161.1 Para. 1 let. a — Amended by No I of the NC Decree of 15 June 2018, in force since 2 Dec. 2019 (AS 2018 3473; BBl 2017 6797 6865). Para. 1 let. abis — Inserted by No I of the NC Decree of 3 Oct. 2008, in force since 2 March 2009 (AS 2009 733; BBl 2008 1869 3177). Para. 2 — Repealed by No I of the NC Decree of 3 Oct. 2008, with effect from 2 March 2009 (AS 2009 733; BBl 2008 1869 3177). Para. 3 — Amended by No I of the NC Decree of 1 Oct. 2010, in force since 5 Dec. 2011 (AS 201
Art. 16 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 7 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. 17 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 for presidents and vice-presidents of the standing committees is two years. It ends at the latest with the total renewal of the committees in the first session of the new legislative period. 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. 5 An extraordinary total renewal of the committee for the remainder of the term of office occurs if: a. the numerical strength of a parliamentary group alters t
Para. 5 let. b — Inserted by No I of the NC Decree of 3 Oct. 2008, in force from the start of the winter session 2011 (AS 2009 733; BBl 2008 1869 3177).
Art. 18 Substitution
1 A committee member may be substituted for a single meeting of the committee or sub-committee. The replacement member is nominated by the group. 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 In the cases under paragraphs 1 and 2, the parliamentary group shall give notice of the name of the replacement to the secretary of the committee without delay. 3bis A member of a sub-committee, other than the Finance Committee, may only be substituted by another member of the main committee. 4 Members of the Control Committee and members of a Parliamentary Investigation Committee, or their sub-committees, may not be substituted by another member.
Para. 3bis — Inserted by No I of the NC Decree of 15 June 2018, in force since 26 Nov. 2018 (AS 2018 3473; BBl 2017 6797 6865).
Art. 19 Reporting
1 For every item of business, the committee nominates one of its members to report to the Council and to present the proposals of the committee (the rapporteur). It may also nominate additional members of a different language group to speak on the same subject. The committee president only acts as rapporteur in exceptional cases. 2 If there are several rapporteurs for the same item of business, they shall divide the work by topic. A repetition of reports in a different official language shall be avoided unless the matter is of great importance or complex. The introductory speech is limited to the main points of the matter. 3 The committee may deliver a written report to the Council. A written report is required if no other official explanatory document exists, or if the written procedure (Art. 49) is required to consider the item of business.
Art. 20 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.