措施與執行Measures and implementation

Responsibility

• Lead: FDJP
• Cooperation: DDPS, FDF, EAER, Delegate Swiss Security Network, cantons

Measures

Combating cyberattacks, espionage, extremism and terrorism

M19 Improving cyber capabilities

Switzerland is strengthening its capabilities to penetrate worldwide computer systems and networks used to attack critical infrastructures in Switzerland. They can prevent, disrupt or slow down access to information³⁶ and thus prevent or ward off attacks. Switzerland is also improving its ability to obtain operational and technical information on cyber threats and attacks at an early stage and to analyse them itself. The information serves to better represent the cybersecurity situation and provides operators of critical infrastructures with timely and relevant operational and technical information on cyber threats.

M20 Revision of the Intelligence Service Act

The Intelligence Service Act will be revised to facilitate the acquisition of critical information and prevent serious threats from violent extremism, terrorism, espionage, proliferation and cyberattacks. Switzerland will thus be able to combat such activities on its territory and in cyberspace more effectively. The exchange of data between the various instruments of security policy must be facilitated to ward off infiltration by foreign intelligence services.

If Switzerland’s internal or external security is threatened or important international security interests need to be protected, the revision makes it easier to obtain data from financial intermediaries, for example to investigate financial flows of terrorist organisations and espionage and proliferation networks. Approval processes will be streamlined. Further need for adjustment is constantly being examined in the ongoing revision process.

M21 Strengthening the prevention of radicalisation and extremism

With the National Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Radicalisation and Violent Extremism, Switzerland is strengthening the prevention of violent extremism and terrorism. The action plan aims to prevent radicalisation among young people, promote a critical approach to digital media and social networks, and raise awareness among vulnerable target groups. Intelligence and police means of prevention are being used more efficiently, for example through the consistent application of entry bans and expulsions, the confiscation of propaganda material and the blocking of websites with radical thinking and content that glorifies violence, as well as through the expansion of procurement measures requiring approval to investigate violent extremist activities in the revision of the Intelligence Service Act. Minorities with special protection needs are financially supported by the Confederation.

Switzerland also tackles the root causes of radicalisation, violent extremism and terrorism through international cooperation, e.g. in projects to combat poverty and of education.

M22 De-radicalisation and security checks

Social cohesion and successful integration are important for prevention. Particular attention is given to marginalised groups and individuals, as they are vulnerable to propaganda and disinformation and can thus develop extremist attitudes or become criminally active. Measures are being developed, for example in education and social work, to prevent parallel societies from emerging. In the case of the most vulnerable groups – minors – radicalisation tendencies are to be recognised at an early stage and affected persons are to be de-radicalised. Some of these people have a migration background. Their de-radicalisation also reduces the risk that migration will promote polarisation and that disinformation on this topic can distort the political debate. Regarding asylum seekers and other foreigners, people with possible security risks are security-checked. If there are concrete indications of a threat to internal security, the competent migration and security authorities can take administrative measures, such as administrative detention, an entry ban or the revocation of residence rights or of the asylum status. If a foreign person poses a threat to internal security, they can be removed or expelled.

Fight against crime

M23 Strengthening the toolbox to fight organised crime

Authorities at all levels of government will be better sensitised to the recognition of organised crime activities and structures, and procedures for tip-offs. Police and judicial cooperation in the fight against organised crime is closely coordinated nationally in joint bodies and exchange platforms and is also internationally oriented. To this end, a national action plan is being drawn up that involves all levels of government. Planned measures include, for example, the preparation of situation reports on organised crime, raising awareness among non-police authorities about the characteristics of organised crime, improving the possibilities for reporting relevant information and suspicious transactions, as well as the interdisciplinary exchange of information and the tightening of standards for combating money laundering (see M25). Legal adjustments and possibilities of digital data analysis are also being examined in order to sanction organised crime activities more easily and quickly as actions relevant to criminal law.

M24 Strengthening police data exchange

The national and international exchange of information, including the exchange of data between the cantons, will be intensified to reduce obstacles posed by the federal system and thus enforcement difficulties and to increase the effectiveness of police crime control and preventive police measures against crime. In particular, the nationwide query platform for police authorities (POLAP), the implementation and necessary legal bases of which are being jointly promoted by the Confederation and the cantons, serves this purpose.

M25 National and international cooperation between law enforcement agencies

Increased cooperation between law enforcement agencies promotes the exchange of data and the early detection and fight against crime. The Confederation cooperates extensively with European partners within the framework of Schengen, Europol and Frontex. It is also implementing several legislative projects: the legal bases for POLAP (nationwide query platform for police authorities), the Air Passenger Data Act for the exchange of passenger data (PNR data) to combat terrorism and serious crime and to strengthen European police cooperation, and for the Prüm cooperation for the exchange of biometric data and vehicle owner data. By adopting further developments of the Schengen acquis, Switzerland will be able to participate in police and migration information systems and improve the flow of police information. To this end, Switzerland is monitoring relevant developments in Europe, such as the ProtectEU strategy for internal security, and is examining participation in projects to improve national and international cooperation, especially among law enforcement agencies, but also the involvement of other authorities and partners and the exchange of information.

M26 Extension of measures against money laundering

Measures to combat money laundering will be strengthened to deprive criminal networks of their financial basis, to protect the economy and the rule of law, and to prevent illegal profits from being used for further crimes. On the basis of the national strategy for combating organised crime and the action plan derived from it, appropriate measures will be defined and legal adjustments are examined, e.g. a facilitation of verifying money laundering or the freezing of suspicious assets from illegal sources.

Works in progress

• National Strategy for Combating Organised Crime; FDJP; in development
• Action Plan to Combat Organised Crime; FDJP; in development
• Switzerland’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy: revision; FDJP; in planning
• Asylum strategy; FDJP; in development
• Bilateral police agreements: renewal; FDJP; in planning
• Motion 23.3969 on dealing with Russian and other foreign spies; DDPS; under way
• Intelligence Service Act: Revision; DDPS; under way
• National Strategy to Combat Money-Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism; FDF; in development
• Postulate 23.3136, “Violent extremism in Switzerland”; DDPS; in development
• Postulate report 20.4333 “Situation of Tibetan and Uyghur persons in Switzerland”; DDPS; in implementation
• Legal bases for national and international police information exchange: Act on the Police Information Systems of the Confederation, Act on Schengen Information Exchange, Prüm, Passenger Name Record, inter-cantonal legislation; FDJP; in development
• Additional International Centres for Police and Border Cooperation; FDJP; under review

Responsibility

• Lead: DDPS
• Cooperation: EAER, FDHA, DETEC, FDFA, FDF, cantons

Measures

M27 Cross-border cooperation in civil protection

Switzerland is intensifying its cooperation in civil protection with neighbouring countries and the EU. This cooperation ranges from early detection and prevention to joint training and exercises to overcoming natural, technical and social hazards. The Confederation seeks to join the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The aim is to further strengthen operational and command capability, to expand the advanced training of staff and to deepen institutional exchange with partners. In this way, Switzerland is making a substantial contribution to security and resilience in Europe and at the same time benefiting from modern expertise, research projects and the exchange of experience with field-tested experts from all over Europe.

M28 Strengthening disaster medicine

The Confederation and the cantons are improving their preparedness and emergency plans for health risks. The previous Coordinated Medical Service network will be further developed into a National Network for Disaster Medicine. This consists of actors with tasks in coping with exceptional situations in the healthcare system, such as emergency services, health institutions, civil protection and the armed forces. The healthcare system remains the responsibility of the cantons. Situation assessment, coordination and management of healthcare in exceptional situations will be strengthened by the Confederation and the cantons. Exceptional situations include coping with a mass of patients in events of national importance such as attacks, pandemics, disasters or armed conflict, as well as specific tasks in events involving chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear and explosive substances.

This further development is important, especially since, in addition to the care of the population, the medical service of the armed forces in the hospital sector is also based entirely on the civilian healthcare system. A national action plan is to be developed and implemented together with the partners.³⁷ The Confederation is also intensifying cooperation within Europe in order to be integrated into cross-border surveillance systems in the healthcare sector and is seeking a health agreement with the European Union. Internationally, Switzerland is committed to strengthening the instruments for the prevention and management of pandemics, such as the World Health Organization’s international health regulations.

M29 Modernisation of systems for alerting and security communication

The Confederation wants to improve the warning and alerting of the population by further developing alerting and event information systems as well as safety communication between the emergency services with resilient data communication. To this end, a mobile security communication system and a secure data network system are to be set up. They will be further developed and supplemented in accordance with the latest technical possibilities so that the population can be alerted and warned in good time in case of an event and the emergency services can communicate with each other in all situations.

M30 Ensuring ready-to-use protective structures

The value preservation and operational readiness of the protective structures will be ensured for the coming decades. They include the private and public shelters for the population, the protective facilities for the command bodies and civil defence, the cultural property shelters and the medical service shelters for the public healthcare system. They provide protection against many of the effects of conventional weapons, nuclear weapons, and biological and chemical weapons. Since the population is increasingly mobile, it is also to be examined whether the protective structure system should be supplemented by additional alternative protective facilities, especially in large cities and conurbations with a high number of commuters. These would be intended to ensure minimum protection against the effects of conventional weapons, in particular fragmentation, debris and pressure wave protection. As part of the establishment of a National Network for Disaster Medicine, the strategy for the protective facilities of the medical services is also to be determined.

M31 Building up the capabilities for coping with an armed conflict

The integrated civil protection system will build up or expand capabilities that are necessary to cope with the effects of armed conflict. In particular, civil defence will increase its capacity to debris rescue, support the population in shelters and protect cultural property. The capabilities to cope with natural, technical and social disasters and emergencies are being further developed, as the need for them increases with climate change. Common standards, uniform training, compatible systems and joint exercises create the prerequisites for civil defence, emergency services and technical facilities to be able to work closely with the armed forces in an escalating security situation. Subsidiary support for civilian authorities by the armed forces, e.g. in the event of natural disasters, international conferences or the protection of critical infrastructures, remains well-established practice.

Civil-military cooperation will be improved, including through standards and more uniform processes and arrangements. The forces of the integrated civil protection system, in particular civil defence, practice civil-military cooperation with the armed forces in the event of an armed attack on Switzerland, with particular attention to the transition phase from increased tensions to armed conflict. The partners of the integrated civil protection system and the armed forces support each other. Coordinated training and equipment facilitate cooperation between civilian and military partners.

M32 Support for civilian protection and security tasks by the armed forces

The armed forces support the civil authorities, during situations of tension and in the event of defence, in protection and security tasks, e.g. in the protection of critical infrastructure, on the ground, in the air and in cyberspace. The civil authorities are dependent on resources from the armed forces, in particular for air reconnaissance and defence against drones, interventions under CBRN protection conditions (also in cooperation with the Spiez Laboratory), air transport, explosive ordnance disposal or the provision of satellite imagery. The Confederation is examining how access to these means in the so-called assistance service of the armed forces can be simplified by adapting the legal basis.

M33 Ensuring that the armed forces and civil defence have sufficient personnel

The Confederation is working on revisions of the Federal Act on Civil Protection and Civil Defence and the Federal Act on Alternative Civil Service. The aim is a better supply of personnel, which is already insufficient in civil defence; The armed forces will no longer be adequately staffed by the end of the 2020s. If these two legislative revisions do not bring about a lasting improvement, the Federal Council will again consider an adjustment of the system of compulsory service. It is drafting a bill for the merger of civil defence and alternative civil service into a new organisation, disaster protection, in the sense of an obligation to perform service in favour of security.³⁸

Work in progress

• Discussion paper on 22.3904 “For an Accession of Switzerland to the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism”; DDPS; under way
• Capability analysis to strengthen civil protection; DDPS; in implementation
• Integrated exercise 2025 and overall planning of exercises 2027-2032; FCh, DDPS; in planning
• National Network for Disaster Medicine (KATAMED): Development of a national action plan and implementation; DDPS, FDHA; in implementation
• Postulate report 23.3740 “Evacuation scenarios must be thought of and planned on a massively larger scale”; DDPS; in implementation
• Project Civil Protection in Armed Conflict; DDPS; in implementation
• Strategy and operational concept for protective structures; DDPS; in development
• Ordinance on Civil Defence for the preservation of the value of protective structures: revision; DDPS; under way