Swiss Federal Council adopts report outlining national approach to digital sovereignty
Switzerland has published a comprehensive assessment of its digital sovereignty, defining the state’s capacity to act in the digital space and identifying measures to strengthen resilience, oversight and coordination across federal authorities.
The Federal Council has approved a detailed report on Switzerland’s digital sovereignty, fulfilling postulate 22.4411 submitted by Council of States member Heidi Z’graggen. The document, adopted on 26 November 2025, sets out how Switzerland understands digital sovereignty and what structures and measures are required to ensure the state can carry out its responsibilities in an increasingly complex digital environment.
The report defines digital sovereignty as Switzerland’s ability to act independently in the digital space while maintaining oversight of the digital resources it relies on. This interpretation reflects constitutional principles, including personal responsibility and economic freedom. According to the Federal Council, the federal administration already has a solid understanding of its digital assets, and existing risk and continuity management processes help identify and minimise vulnerabilities in line with information security requirements.
Several initiatives already contribute to strengthening digital sovereignty. These include the government’s commitment to open source software, a hybrid multi-cloud strategy, and efforts to build trustworthy digital infrastructures, such as electronic identification and data spaces in strategically important sectors.
However, the report concludes that further action is needed in analysing how geopolitical and security developments affect digital resources. To address this, the Federal Council has mandated the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport, working with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, to establish an interdepartmental working group on digital sovereignty. The group will be responsible for updating the report’s overview of Switzerland’s digital assets, anticipating external risks, and coordinating measures across government.
The working group will also consider additional steps to reinforce the availability and confidentiality of digital resources, including the use of international legal instruments to protect official data from access by foreign states. The Federal Council stressed that these efforts are essential given rapid global technological change and growing dependence on private-sector and foreign digital infrastructures.
The report, published in German, is available at the following link.
