Our policy paper on digital public services concludes that the issue of data and data spaces has been approached in a fragmented and neglected manner in Switzerland, while the EU is rapidly advancing in this area. Since 2023, the Federal Chancellery, particularly the DTI (Digital Transformation and ICT Steering), has been consolidating activities in the “Swiss Data Ecosystem.” A discussion paper was published in January 2023 and a vision and goals document in February 2024. The first meeting of the Strategic Community of Practice for the Swiss Data Ecosystem took place in August 2024. Our activities at the C4DT (Center for Digital Trust) at EPFL support these efforts.
The aim of our process is to develop a background document for Swiss data policy, with a specific focus on the role of the state in the data ecosystem. This paper will also outline concrete and realistic recommendations for the Federal Council and Parliament. Although the foundational paper and the subsequent recommendations are being developed by EPFL (C4DT), they will be crafted in close collaboration with key policy actors in Switzerland, particularly DTI, DVS, BAKOM, EDA/DV, and BFS.
Digital services require data, which is currently generated and managed mostly by private companies and to a lesser extent by public administration, making it a club good with restricted access and usage. To better utilize the potential of data in the public interest, state intervention is necessary to create theme-specific or sector-specific data spaces. According to the EU, a data space is “a distributed system defined by a governance framework that enables secure and trustworthy data transactions between participants.” Before formulating generic and sector-specific policies, questions regarding the boundaries, regulation, and institutional design of these data spaces need to be addressed.
The process involves all relevant stakeholders, including federal administration, public enterprises, and representatives from the economy, academia, and civil society, targeting a group of about 25-30 participants. The development of the background document is planned over 9-10 months as follows: an initial full-day workshop in October 2024, in-depth interviews with about 10 individuals, a second workshop in January 2025, gathering feedback in March 2025, and the publication of the foundational document with recommendations in May 2025.