The Digital Switzerland Strategy sets out guidelines for government action and delineates how the authorities, businesses, academic community, civil society and politics must work together to shape the transformation process for the good of all. From 1998 to 2020, OFCOM's Digital Switzerland Office oversaw the further development and implementation of the Digital Switzerland Strategy.
The recent reorganisation of digital transformation and ICT governance in the Federal Administration saw the Office's tasks in connection with the Digital Switzerland Strategy transferred to the Federal Chancellery from 1 January 2021 and the appointment of Daniel Markwalder as the Federal Council Delegate for Digital Transformation and ICT Steering (D-DTI).
Switzerland and the Digital Strategy of the European Union
The European Commission presented its new digital strategy – “A Europe fit for the digital age” – on 19 February 2020. The strategy comprises more than 30 different measures, including proposals for new regulations such as the Digital Markets Act, the Digital Services Act and a draft ordinance on artificial intelligence. This combination of proposed legislation, action plans and other initiatives is still in its early stages, but it nevertheless raises questions regarding its potential impact on Switzerland’s economy, businesses and consumers.
As part of the Digital Switzerland Strategy launched in September 2020, the Federal Council tasked OFCOM with regular monitoring of the impact that the EU digital strategy could have on Switzerland. OFCOM carries out this monitoring in partnership with the FDFA and the other impacted areas of the federal government. In March 2021, OFCOM and the FDFA State Secretariat led a team of coordination groups from within the Federal Administration as they carried out the first in-depth analysis of the planned EU measures and their potential impact on Switzerland. This report, produced by the federal government's interdepartmental DSM-CH coordination group, provides an overview of the EU digital strategy measures and analyses their potential impact on Switzerland.
It is important to note that this document provides a snapshot of the situation at a particular moment in time (as at 14 June 2021). Any additional measures taken by the EU, or further development of the measures that have already been announced – which must be expected – are not reflected in this report. Likewise, the legislative and implementation processes have not yet been concluded. The measures could thus change materially. Readers should therefore treat this report and its assessments with a degree of caution. The actual consequences for Switzerland can only be assessed with any precision once the relevant legislative processes have been concluded.
Last modification 15.07.2021
