17.06.2024 - In the first two meetings of the new legislative period, the Federal Statistics Committee discussed the current challenges in Swiss public statistics. The main focus was data harmonisation and implementation of the once-only principle across public authorities in Switzerland. This is essential to avoid duplication for companies and individuals. The Committee is advocating for comprehensive, sustainable funding to support the establishment and operation of a forward-looking data infrastructure for Switzerland.
The Federal Statistics Committee stressed that Switzerland's data harmonisation efforts would not be successful without comprehensive, sustainable funding. A clear strategy and adequate funding would be needed to build a forward-looking data infrastructure and to implement the once-only principle across public authorities. The Committee views this as an essential step in ensuring that companies and individuals need to provide information only once, rather than having to repeatedly submit the same data to various authorities.
The National Data Management (NaDB) programme established by the Federal Statistical Office is an important step in this direction. The programme seeks to implement the once-only principle to reduce the burden on companies and individuals. This will only be possible if the programme receives adequate funding, which it does not currently have. This funding should not be expected to come from the budgets allocated to the FSO's other public tasks.
The Committee also stressed that the establishment of a national data infrastructure in coordination with the cantons and other partners was vitally important if Switzerland is to remain a frontrunner in Europe's digital transformation. An infrastructure enabling the exchange and utilisation of data is absolutely essential, both to empower society, businesses, political stakeholders and researchers to fully harness the potential of data and to support tasks that are closely linked to the functioning of Switzerland's direct democracy.
The Committee reiterated that in democratic societies, data harmonisation is a basic requisite for effective, knowledge-based participation and oversight. This is why it urgently calls for adequate resources to be devoted to high-quality data production and the achievement of these ambitious goals.
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