The future in paper format of the Official Notice Sheet (FAO) is being decided at the Grand Council. While the Council of State would like to switch to a digital version, a majority of deputies would like to keep or at least extend by 2029 or 2030 the institutional paper journal, which appears twice a week.
The government announced at the end of last June that it wanted to opt for a digital transition and free access to FAO publications. His project was put up for discussion on Tuesday in parliament, but after an initial debate, no final decision was taken.
Elected officials want to give themselves time to reflect on the amendments of the commission which examined the explanatory memorandum of the draft decree (EMPD). This proposes to keep the paper version for another four years until December 31, 2028 and to launch a call for tenders for an independent paper version by then (private company and financed by subscriptions and advertising), but with start-up aid from the State.
A rearguard motion
These changes have, on the whole, been well received, but other solutions could be considered. This is especially true since an interparty motion from PLR Sergei Aschwanden asks the Council of State to reverse its decision and thus demands a moratorium on the paper version until the end of 2030.
This text was not discussed on Tuesday, in agreement with the mover, because the holding of a second immediate debate on the EMPD did not win a two-thirds majority of deputies. The discussion will resume soon.
The President of the Government Christelle Luisier recalled that a digital version of the FAO would allow savings of almost a million francs per year, would ensure free access to the site and would also cost less for the municipalities. The minister said she was in favor of state aid for the start-up of a future private paper publication.
-In the hemicycle, several parliamentarians defended the survival of a paper edition of the FAO, while others estimated at the same time that the compromise found by the commission was rather good, especially on the right (PLR, UDC, Green’liberals). On the left, opinions were more divided. The second debate in the plenum could undoubtedly lead to new amendments.
SECO platform
For the Canton of Vaud, this would involve joining the platform operated by the Confederation. The State Secretariat for the Economy (SECO) has in fact developed a platform that it makes available to the cantons to publish their official opinions. Ten cantons, soon eleven including Nidwalden, have already opted for this solution, including, in French-speaking Switzerland, Valais, and more than sixty municipalities.
For the different authorities that publish in the FAO, the new platform offers the possibility of informing the population more quickly since it will be possible to publish notices daily. This solution would require a one-off cost for the implementation of the project of approximately 130,000 francs, allocated to the operating budget of the Chancellery, according to the State.
Today, only Vaud and Appenzell Innerrhoden have not carried out a digital switchover of their FAO. Certainly, a digital version, hosted on a Vaudois server, has existed since 2012, but it is not freely accessible. Currently, it is Print Conseil Logistique (PCL) in Renens which has the service mandate for the FAO.
This article was automatically published. Source: ats
