AI translation of the German original. Legal references and sources remain those of the original document. German version.
¶ Politics – Parliament, Chronology and Referendum
Language versions: Deutsch · Français · Italiano · English · Rumantsch
¶ National Council
The National Council approved the proposal on 14 September 2026 with 134 votes in favour, 53 against and 10 abstentions. The official individual votes of the final vote 36592 show: all 53 no votes from the SVP group; at the same time 10 yes votes from that group. Of the abstentions, 7 came from the Green group and 3 from the SVP group. Group affiliation and party membership are not in every case the same thing. Official dataset; own count of the German datasets
This was a final vote of the first chamber, not a joint final vote of both chambers. The decision document records the adopted amendments compared with the Federal Council draft.
¶ Council of States
Status 4 October 2026: The Council of States has not yet passed the proposal. Divergent decisions would necessitate a conciliation procedure. A still-pending deliberation must not be presented as approval or rejection by the smaller chamber. Report on the first-chamber decision Business 25.082
¶ Chronology
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| 2015/2017 | EPD legislation adopted; subsequently brought into force |
| 2022 | Mandate for further development and comprehensive revision |
| 2023 | Consultation on the total revision |
| September 2024 | Federal Council decides in favour of stronger centralisation |
| 5 November 2025 | Message and draft EGDG submitted to Parliament |
| 21 August 2026 | SGK-N demands an orderly transition |
| 14 September 2026 | Approval by the National Council |
| At the earliest 2030 | Conditional planning date for the new system |
Sources: FOPH: Origins and timeline · Committee statement · National Council
¶ Referendum
The draft subjects the legislation to the optional referendum. The Pirate Party announced that it is examining a referendum. As of the research reference date, this means neither that a signature collection is already underway nor that a popular vote is certain. Art. 47 Party statement of 14 September
Further: Message · Criticism and Interests · Implementation