In a participatory democracy like Switzerland, the population has an important role in shaping the country’s policies — either through the ballot box or an assembly.
On April 15th, Switzerland’s Citizens’ Assembly recommended the introduction of sales tax on sugary food and drinks.
This measure is one of six health-promoting reforms adopted by the group, the others calling for higher taxes on alcohol and tobacco and, generally, “strengthening health literacy at all stages of life” — all of which would, in the long term, reduce healthcare costs.
What exactly is this ‘Citizens’ Assembly’ anyway?
It is another example of direct democracy that Switzerland is known for, allowing members of the public to share their opinions on topics that are important to the population at large, and provide a set of recommendations for the legislators to consider.
And, despite its name, this assembly is not limited to Swiss citizens only, as foreign nationals resident in the country can also participate.
The idea behind this concept is that an assembly of this type should “reflect the diversity of the Swiss population and ensure that people with different opinions are included,” according to the project’s coordinators, Universities of Zurich and Geneva, as well the Centre for Democracy.
This means that they should be as diverse as possible in terms of age, gender, education, political views, place of residence, as well as voting behaviour.
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How were the members of this group selected?
To begin with, the names of around 22,000 people over the age of 16 were drawn from the census sample of the Federal Statistical Office.
They were invited to participate in the Citizens’ Assembly by letter.
Those interested in the project could register for the second random selection, providing information about their age, education and political views.
A total of 2,004 people registered at that time.
In the next step, 100 people were selected at random.
How was the subject of their debate chosen?
In the spring of 2024, the Swiss population determined the topic of the Citizens’ Assembly by means of a representative survey.
Over 40 percent of respondents voted to discuss the issue of “rising health costs.”
Many of the survey participants saw the Citizens’ Assembly as an opportunity to hold a solution-oriented discussion on this topic,
free from the influence of special interests.
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What happened then?
Members of the Assembly met over three weekends in Zurich, Neuchâtel and Bern, as well as at four online meetings.
Initially, the participants learned about the topic at hand and determined which particular focus they want to work on (clearly, levying higher taxes on unhealthy sugary products was one of them).
Next, they exchanged opinions with each other and also discussed the matter with politicians.
At the end, they prepared a final report to be submitted to lawmakers.
What, if any, impact will their findings and recommendations have — will there be any concrete results?
It is too early to know at this point.
The Assembly’s final report will be submitted to the Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider on May 20th for a follow-up.
