Bilaterals III, army and properties: the dossiers under discussion (cross-border guide)

Context

In brief

• The Council of States votes on the type of referendum on Bilaterals III
• Wage protections and immigration clause at stake
• The National Council examines 773,8 million for federal properties 2026
• Agenda also includes the army, earthquakes, heatwaves and drought

Key facts

• Place → Bern
• Dossier → Bilaterals III
• Referendum → optional or mandatory
• Civilian properties of the Confederation 2026 → 773,8 million Swiss francs
• Swiss National Library → 211,7 million Swiss francs
• Swiss Embassy in London → 96 million Swiss francs
• Earthquake project → levy of up to 0,7% of the insured value of buildings
• Other parliamentary business → Army financing; Heatwaves and drought

In Bern, the Council of States has reached the third day of debates on Bilaterals III. After some decisions have already been made, the session is devoted to the vote on the decisive question of the referendum for the new agreements with Brussels.

The first point of contention concerns the procedure: the optional referendum requires only a majority of the people, while the mandatory referendum requires a majority of the people and the cantons. The Council of States must also express its views on the wage protection provisions, which provide protection against dismissal for employee representatives. For the left, this is a condition for supporting the new bilateral agreements. The cantonal chamber is finally called upon to vote on approval of the entire package of agreements.

Decisions already passed and the second federal front

In the previous days, yesterday and Monday, the Council of States had agreed to supplement the safeguard clause with an incentive tax. The clause would be activated to limit excessive immigration causing serious economic and social problems. The Council of States also approved the creation in Switzerland of an independent authority to oversee state aid, separate from Comco. The mechanism is required by the EU to prevent distortions of competition in its internal market.

In parallel, the National Council is beginning its examination of the dispatch on the Confederation's civilian properties for 2026, with planned expenditure of 773,8 million Swiss francs. The largest project announced is the renovation and expansion of the Swiss National Library in Bern, headquarters of the Federal Office of Culture, for 211,7 million. The complete renovation of the Swiss Embassy in London is also planned, after more than 50 years of operation, for 96 million.

The People's Chamber must then address the mandatory contribution from property owners to a fund to repair earthquake damage. The new legislation would require a constitutional amendment and would allow the Confederation to levy up to 0,7 per cent of the insured value of buildings. The agenda finally includes the extraordinary session on army financing and the debate on heatwaves and drought, with interpellations addressed to the Federal Council.

Operational details

From voting to concrete impact

For those who live or work in Switzerland, the session brings together dossiers with different paths. The referendum concerns the required majority; wage protections concern the protection of employee representatives; the earthquake project concerns property owners; the heatwave concerns questions to the Federal Council. Keeping these aspects separate prevents a measure still under consideration from being read as already implemented.

Four dossiers, four points to check

The first practical point is the difference between the two referendums. Under the optional model, the decision is made by a majority of the people; under the mandatory model, the Cantons are also included. For anyone following a possible national vote, these are therefore not two equivalent formulas: the set of required majorities changes.

The wage dossier should be read carefully. The parliamentary text referred to concerns protection against the dismissal of employee representatives. The left makes this a condition for supporting the new bilateral agreements. To relate this issue to one’s own employment situation, one can consult busta paga svizzera, while keeping separate the content of one’s own salary and the protection discussed by the Council of States.

The safeguard clause links the incentive tax to limiting excessive immigration when this is the cause of serious economic and social problems. The state aid authority, on the other hand, oversees competition in the EU internal market and is described as separate from Comco. For a complementary look at everyday expenses, costo della vita in Svizzera is available, without confusing it with the specific content of the parliamentary decisions.

For property owners, the decisive point is the status of the process: in the first reading, the Council of States rejected the project, while the preparatory committee of the National Council proposes approving it. The contribution would be mandatory and could reach 0,7% of the insured value of the buildings, but the new legislation would require a constitutional amendment. The dossier should therefore not be confused with expenditure on the Confederation’s civilian properties, which belongs to a separate message for 2026.

The debate on heatwaves and drought also has a different nature: the interpellations ask the Federal Council how it intends to address the effects of the two phenomena. These are therefore questions addressed to the Government, alongside the special session on army financing, not a practical measure described in the text.

Recommended tools

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Key points

How to follow the procedure without confusing the dossiers

When a parliamentary day includes several measures, the most practical way is to associate each question with the competent body and the type of decision. The following grid uses only the steps indicated for the Council of States and the National Council.

Four operational steps

1. For Bilaterals III, first check which of the two referendums the Council of States chooses. Optional means a majority of the people; mandatory means a majority of the people and the cantons. Only after this step should the vote on approving the package of agreements be considered.

2. For wage protections, look for the precise reference to protection against the dismissal of staff representatives. This is the point indicated as the left's condition for supporting the new bilateral agreements. It should not be replaced with a generic reference to wages: the topic described is the protection of representatives.

3. For the property dossier, separate the dispatch on the Confederation's civilian properties from the project on the earthquake fund. The former concerns 2026 expenditure, including the works announced in Bern and London. The latter concerns a mandatory contribution by owners, of up to 0,7% of the insured value of the buildings, and requires a constitutional amendment. To follow the parliamentary procedure, also note the divergence between the Council of States' rejection at first reading and the favorable proposal of the National Council's preparatory committee.

4. For the other agenda items, distinguish a special session from a current-affairs debate. Army funding belongs to the first category; heatwaves and drought to the second. In the latter case, the interpellations ask the Federal Council how to address the effects of the phenomena. This distinction prevents attributing a decision already taken to the interpellations.

The same caution applies to the safeguard clause and to the authority on state aid: the former was completed with an incentive tax, the latter was approved as an authority independent of Comco. These are stages in the parliamentary procedure described in the source, not individual instructions for workers or owners.

For anyone who wants to supplement political reading with a check of their own income in Switzerland, the final step is calcolatore stipendio.

Source: tio.ch