The motion by Council of States member Matthias Michel from the canton of Zug instructs the Federal Council to create the legal basis for systematically improving the federal administration’s data holdings and making them usable for AI applications. The aim is to produce high-quality, structured and internationally comparable data that can be used for multiple purposes, such as research and data-based applications.
The study ‘Data-Sharing Initiatives and Data Rooms 2025’ commissioned by digitalswitzerland and Swiss Data Alliance underscores this need for action: there are already over a hundred initiatives in Switzerland for data exchange between business, administration and research. However, their potential often remains untapped. The main reasons are poor data quality, a lack of standards and insufficient interoperability. Financing and trust between the players are also considered key obstacles.
Without common standards, clear responsibilities and reliable governance, the benefits of data rooms remain limited. From digitalswitzerland’s point of view, there is therefore a need for a coordinated and practical data infrastructure that integrates the state, business and science. It is clear that data availability and data security are inextricably linked and must be considered together.
Resilience as a shared task
Against this backdrop, the Parldigi parliamentary group held an event in Bern on Thursday dedicated to the topic of ‘Rethinking cybersecurity’, which was organised by digitalswitzerland together with other partners. Around eighty participants from administration, politics, science, business and civil society took part.
The event was opened by National Councillor Gerhard Andrey, member of the Parldigi core team and co-president of the parliamentary group Cyber. The subsequent presentations provided insights into current developments in cybersecurity, including new threats, agent-based AI systems and zero-trust approaches. In the closing round, Min Li Marti, the other co-president of the group, emphasised the importance of cross-sector cooperation in order to tackle cyber security as a challenge for society as a whole.
This assessment is reflected in the decisions taken during the winter session. Parliament increased funding for the Federal Office for Cyber Security in order to strengthen prevention and defence. From digitalswitzerland’s point of view, it is crucial that these additional funds are used specifically to strengthen existing capabilities and that new regulatory requirements remain proportionate.
Cybersecurity should be effectively increased without creating unnecessary administrative burdens for companies. In addition to protecting digital infrastructures, the question of how state and economic actors can act in a legally binding manner in the digital space is also becoming increasingly important.
e-ID for businesses
A postulate by National Councillor Andrey ties in with the e-ID adopted by Swiss voters in September and calls on the Federal Council to examine how it can be extended to legal entities.
It calls for a portable electronic identity for businesses that builds on the state’s trust infrastructure and enables organisations to operate in the digital space. Companies should be able to manage digital evidence such as roles or authorisations themselves. This promises to significantly reduce the administrative burden, especially for SMEs.
Alignment with international standards should also ensure connectivity with foreign systems, enabling Swiss companies to operate with legal certainty in international digital business transactions.
