Seminar for New Members of the Swiss Parliament: Bridging Academia and Policy
In early February 2024, ETH Zurich Swiss School of Public Governance hosted a seminar tailored for the newly elected members of the Swiss Federal Parliament, which was successfully attended by representatives from all three linguistic regions, various factions and parliamentary services.
After the parliamentary elections in 2015 and 2019, ETH Zurich launched introductory seminars for the newly elected members of parliament, known as the "Gerzensee Seminar". This tradition was continued at the beginning of February 2024 and 21 participants met at Hünigen Castle in Konolfingen, Bern. The main aim of the seminar was to provide the newly elected members with up-to-date scientific background knowledge on key policy areas. The presentations were given by renowned professors from various Swiss universities. In addition, the two-day seminar provided a platform for a broad exchange of experiences with members of parliament and for networking across party lines.
The seminar's comprehensive program offered participants the opportunity to benefit from the speakers' expertise on scientific findings and current challenges in selected policy areas. The focus was on relevant topics across all committees of the Federal Parliament, including topics such as Swiss foreign and security policy, migration policy, financial policy, environmental policy, transport policy, tech law and education, research, and innovation. The exchange between science and politics and how this could be fruitfully shaped was not only the central topic of the corresponding presentation on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic but was also discussed in many of the other presentations.
The interactive exchange with former members of the National Council and Council of States, who reported on their experiences and lessons learned from their many years in parliament and engaged in lively discussions with the newly elected members, was also particularly enriching for the participants. A central component of the seminar was the many lively discussions and inter-party exchanges during the breaks, over lunch or at the drinks reception.
You can find a summary of the presentations in German (full version) or English. An article on this year's seminar has also been published in ETH News.