3 July 2017 – On 28 June 2017, the Swiss Federal Council approved a preliminary draft bill on the processing of personal data by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). The draft bill is available here in German, French and Italian. A consultation period now runs until 20 October 2017.

The preliminary draft seeks to facilitate the FDFA’s data processing of personal data relating to Swiss citizens abroad, for instance in cases of consular services. The purpose of this revision process is to modernise the legal framework so that inter alia it is adapted to current and future technologies, and to enable the FDFA to properly perform its tasks.

A consultation period which runs until 20 October 2017 is now open and allows the various stakeholders to state their position.