– A majority of deputies want to keep the FAO on paper
A motion asks the Council of State to reverse its decision to delete the paper edition of the “Official Notices Sheet”.
Published today at 8:06 p.m.
The Vaudois Council of State wants to eliminate the paper version of the “Official Notices Sheet”.
Marie-Lou Dumauthioz
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Of the 150 deputies in the Vaudois Grand Council, 86 – from all parliamentary groups – signed the motion entitled: “FAO for one day, FAO forever…?” The text tabled Tuesday by PLR Sergei Aschwanden asks the Council of State to reverse its decision to delete the paper edition of the “Official Notice Sheet” (FAO). Specifically, the motion wants a moratorium on the paper version until the end of 2030.
On July 2, the government announced that official notices would be published on the digital platform operated by the Confederation in open access, from the first half of 2025. Currently, it is the Presses Centrales (PCL) in Renens which has the delivery mandate for the FAO. A digital version, hosted on a Vaudois server, has existed since 2012. But it is not freely accessible.
This abrupt decision by the Council of State comes after a setback in court. In 2023, the Court of Administrative and Public Law requested the Canton to take its tendering procedure “from the beginning” for the operational and commercial management of the FAO.
“Important tool”
“This motion requires that there be in-depth reflection on what we want to do with this tool which remains extremely important for the Vaud population,” estimates Sergei Aschwanden. According to two independent market studies, 76% of users consult it in its paper version. The mover recalls that the FAO generates a turnover of 15 million and employs eight people: “We are not against digital, but we must think carefully before losing this know-how in the canton.”
Since 2020, the FAO has been rolled out at the Bussigny printing center, owned by Tamedia which notably publishes “24 Heures”. At the end of August, the publisher announced its intention to close its printing works in French-speaking Switzerland in March 2025.
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Renaud Bournoud has been a journalist for the Vaud section of “24 Heures” since 2012.More info
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