Swiss Parliament: guide to Curia Vista and Open Data

Context

In brief

• Parliament comprises the National Council and the Council of States
• The portal lists members of parliament since 1848
• Curia Vista, voting records, and Open Data are among the tools
• Delegations include EFTA, NATO, and OECD

Key facts

• Chambers → National Council and Council of States
• Archive → Members of parliament since 1848
• Search → Curia Vista and advanced search
• Data → Open Data and National Council voting database
• Delegations → EFTA/EU, NATO AP, and OECD DP

Parliament as an institutional map

The Swiss Parliament page highlights members of parliament since 1848 and pairs this section with the search for members of the two Chambers. The National Council and the Council of States each have their own Office, a president, A-to-Z member lists, search by Canton, seat arrangements, and changes in membership. The structure allows users to start from the person, the Chamber, or the composition of the body.

Committees, groups, and delegations

Alongside the Chambers, the plenary session of the Federal Assembly is featured, with advanced search and information on its members. The committees section includes thematic committees, reports, items under consultation, and subcommittees. Among the oversight committees are the CFP and the CFF; the portal also lists special committees and other committees, including the Committee of Pardons, the Judicial Committee, and the National Council’s Committee on Immunity.

The catalog also reports on the CPI regarding the management of authorities in relation to the emergency merger of Credit Suisse with UBS and the inspection related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports, reference documents, and delegation activities are present. For international relations, entries include EFTA/EU, NATO AP, OECD DP, and permanent delegations to the parliaments of neighboring states.

The political section is completed by the UDC, Socialist, Center, PVL, Free Democratic, Green, and Green Liberal groups. To follow parliamentary work, the portal brings together votes, the National Council voting database, the Official Gazette, Curia Vista, sessions, elections, items, Open Data, and embed code for the live stream.

Navigation also includes the elections of the Federal Council, the Chancellors, and the judges of the Federal Courts, as well as the ratification of cantonal constitutions. In a separate section, the portal describes the Parliament Building, parliamentary services, and the history of the Parliament, including the renovation and restoration of the Parliament Building from 2006 to 2008.

Operational details

How to navigate parliamentary business and decisions

For people who live or work in Switzerland, the page is above all a navigation tool: it distinguishes members, sessions, items, committees, votes and documents.

The page also offers Contact and Easy language and lists the de, fr, it, rm and en versions. Before searching for an item, one can therefore choose the language access provided by the portal.

From dossier to verification

If the starting point is a parliamentarian, the sections devoted to the two Chambers make it possible to compare the alphabetical list with the canton, the seating arrangement and changes. If, instead, one is looking for an item, Curia Vista offers an advanced search and an explanation of the system; the portal also provides answers to parliamentary interventions and interventions containing tables or graphs.

Verification does not stop at the text of the item. The Official Bulletin has a section dedicated to explanations, and the portal presents the 125 years of the Official Bulletin of the Federal Assembly. For a vote in the National Council, the database and an xls file are available to download. Previous sessions, an overview of sessions in preview and a search for the Official Bulletin add further points of control.

For finance, the entries to be read together are financial planning, the budget procedure, financial management tools, types of credit and the spending limit, supplementary credits, and the budget with an integrated task and financial plan. This sequence helps distinguish the budget document, the credit and parliamentary oversight, without attributing to the individual page any content other than that indicated in the menu.

The same logic applies to oversight: reports, reference documents, oversight committees and the CPA evaluation process should be sought in their respective sections. At the external level, the EFTA/EU delegations, NATO PA and OECD PD distinguish international parliamentary relations from the activities of the Chambers. When it comes to the personal budget, dichiarazione delle imposte and costo della vita in Svizzera can be placed side by side, keeping the information tools distinct.

Recommended tools

For an updated estimate, use the net salary calculator and the CHF-EUR exchange comparator.

Key points

Practical Procedure for Using the Portal

Consultation can become a repeatable process. The criterion is to start from the specific question rather than opening all sections at once.

Five Steps

1. Define the subject. Choose among member, vote, session, committee, delegation, or financial document. The menu distinguishes these categories.

2. Select the Chamber or body. For the National Council and the Council of States, use Office, President, Members A–Z, Canton, Seats, or Changes; for the plenary, use the dedicated entry and advanced search.

3. Search for the document. Use Curia Vista, advanced search, Subjects, or Sessions; for interventions, check responses and tables or charts.

4. Verify the track. For votes, compare the National Council database, the Official Gazette, and explanations; for finance, consult the budget, credits, limits, additional appropriations, and the integrated plan.

5. Follow the format. Previous sessions, preview overview, Open Data, xls files, and the embed code for the stream address different needs.

After the search, note whether the content belongs to a committee, a group, or a delegation. The portal keeps thematic, oversight, and special committees distinct from parliamentary groups and delegations. This separation helps avoid confusing a report with an oversight activity or a group position.

For external relations, the procedure ends at the relevant delegation: EFTA/EU, NATO PA, OECD DP, UIP, APF, DCE, or OSCE PA. For neighboring states, the menu refers to the permanent delegations and activities related to the German Bundestag, the French Parliament, the Italian Parliament, the Liechtenstein Landtag, and the Austrian Parliament. The correct path starts from the body and leads to the activity or legal basis indicated.

If the goal is to follow a sitting, start from the Sessions section and then check previous sessions or the preview overview. If a reusable format is needed, choose Open Data or the xls file; for the live broadcast, use the embed code provided by the portal.

To move from reading financial dossiers to verifying your own income, use the salary calculator.

Source: parlament.ch