Federal Council does not want to ban paid signature collections
Published: Wednesday, Nov 20th 2024, 18:40
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The Federal Council continues to oppose a ban on paid signature collections for initiatives and referendums. For the time being, it also does not want to include a tightening of transparency regulations in the law. This is clear from its responses to several parliamentary procedural requests.
A comprehensive ban on the paid collection of signatures could restrict access to the people's rights for certain actors, the national government wrote on Wednesday in its statement on two motions by Neuchâtel SP Councillor of States Baptiste Hurni and Zurich SP National Councillor Céline Widmer.
The Federal Council argued that collecting signatures for a fee through external persons could be cheaper for financially weaker committees from civil society than, for example, mass mailing of signature sheets with a high wastage. A ban could mean that only groups with established structures would reach the required number of signatures.
In its response to a motion tabled by Carlo Sommaruga, a member of the SP Council of States from Geneva, the national government also objects to mandatory disclosure of the money spent by committees on signatures.
Right to information already exists according to the Federal Council
The Federal Council also rejects a whole series of other measures in connection with signature collections. For example, it does not want to stipulate in federal law that citizens can ask the municipality whether their signature appears on a collection form. This is what Martin Candinas (GR), a member of the National Council from the center, is calling for in a motion.
The Federal Council takes the view that the cantonal data protection laws already provide for a right of access to personal data. Moreover, this right to information is protected by fundamental rights.
The background to the initiatives are revelations from September. At the time, media reports about potentially illegal practices by paid signature collectors, particularly in French-speaking Switzerland, and about suspected forged signatures sparked a debate about new rules for signature collections.
Reference to round table
This also resulted in around twenty motions in parliament. FDP member of the Council of States Johanna Gapany (FR), for example, is calling for a new law to strengthen transparency, while SP National Councillor Jean Tschopp (VD) wants a licensing requirement for such companies.
The Federal Council also recommends that these motions be rejected. Legislative measures are only appropriate if the measures already introduced by the Federal Chancellery are not effective. These include a round table with the aim of developing a code of conduct for signature collections together with the initiative committees, collection organizations, parties, interest groups and authorities.
E-Collecting als Alternative
However, the Federal Council sees e-collecting as a possible solution to the problem. It wants to enable limited, practical trials with the electronic collection of signatures for referendums. To this end, it has commissioned the Federal Chancellery with a preliminary project to prepare such trials.
For this reason, the Federal Council is also recommending the adoption of several identical motions from the FDP, Center, GLP, Green and SP parliamentary groups calling for such pilot trials. However, it rejects two more far-reaching motions from Councillor of States Benjamin Mühlemann (FDP/GL) and National Councillor Greta Gysin (Greens/TI), which call for the rapid introduction of electronic signature collections.
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